Things you wish you could say

[SourRoses]

Look. X-tra is just as much effort and the same amount of characters as "extra".

Oh wait. I actually did say that.

And it looks dumb and lazy too! I'll never understand the motivation behind text speak, slang, hashtags, etc.
What's so wrong with the language(s) we have?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Look. X-tra is just as much effort and the same amount of characters as "extra".

Oh wait. I actually did say that.

 

[notabitail]

And it looks dumb and lazy too! I'll never understand the motivation behind text speak, slang, hashtags, etc.
What's so wrong with the language(s) we have?

My Mom is the one who spells it x-tra on boxes. I think her motivation is saving time, but I've told her that and she says the dash is faster than a e.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

My Mom is the one who spells it x-tra on boxes. I think her motivation is saving time, but I've told her that and she says the dash is faster than a e.

Lol. So leave out the dash and save the stroke. Xtra.

 

[azurbanclucker]

And it looks dumb and lazy too! I'll never understand the motivation behind text speak, slang, hashtags, etc.
What's so wrong with the language(s) we have?

When you're averaging 18-20k words a week formally, one tends to take shortcuts when communicating informally. There's a time and place for both.

 

[azurbanclucker]

My Mom is the one who spells it x-tra on boxes. I think her motivation is saving time, but I've told her that and she says the dash is faster than a e.

It's minimal time savings, but a single dash IS faster to write than the swirly motion needed to write a lowercase e. It's also 3 less strokes than an uppercase E. In both cases, it is less time and effort.


Just sayin'...

 

[azurbanclucker]

For literal years, I have had a block on my calendar before 8 AM my time that specifically says 'Not available for meetings'. (School dropoff runs between 7 and 7:45) Don't have a breakdown when I decline your 7 AM meeting. Don't then complain to my boss that I'm a required participant and declined this important meeting. You've been here 5 years. You are well aware of the 9 hour time difference. You come in later in your day to overlap, because that's what we hired you to do. Your failure to check for conflicts when scheduling this meeting is precisely that. YOUR failure. Learn from it.

A$$hat.

 

[BantyChooks]

When you're averaging 18-20k words a week formally, one tends to take shortcuts when communicating informally. There's a time and place for both.

Additionally, a great deal of written slang and spelling variations are driven by an attempt to include non-verbal communication. Group status, such as cultural background, mood, and other intents are difficult to express through standard writing without coming off as stilted or rambling. Formal communication, which tends to preserve language longer than slang, takes the shortcut of assuming a few things such as mood and intent - generally neutral to positive. In less formal contexts, when anything goes, nuance becomes more important and shifts quickly.

That said, I was a stickler for many years, and I still believe that one should have the ability to write properly when the situation calls for it.

 

[notabitail]

It's minimal time savings, but a single dash IS faster to write than the swirly motion needed to write a lowercase e. It's also 3 less strokes than an uppercase E. In both cases, it is less time and effort.


Just sayin'...

That's what she said but more complicated.

Still...

 

[Sally PB]

There are times and places for informal speech/writing. There are times and places for more formal styles. And everything in between. Knowing what style to use for what occasion is important.