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Usenet Posted 21 years ago
Usage

New spelling

Saw this interesting spelling on the website of a young black person:

"Dis part ent bin updated 4 ages ,if urnt up her jus chillax,ill do it .. 1 day
mkay this iz relli old now but ima do mre stuff to it.. mebbe "

I think kids spell like this in chatrooms as a matter of course. But I haven't seen it in less ephemeral contexts, like a website. Wonder if it's the start of a new spelling revolution!
  

Top answer

[nq:1]Saw this interesting spelling on the website of a young black person: "Dis part ent bin updated 4 ages ,if ... haven't seen it in less ephemeral contexts, like a website. [/nq] What do you mean "the start"?

  • [nq:1]Saw this interesting spelling on the website of a young black person: "Dis part ent bin updated 4 ages ,if ...
  • haven't seen it in less ephemeral contexts, like a website.
  • [/nq] What do you mean "the start"?
  • Text spelling is spreading into all corners.
  • Email and newsgroups were obvious early victims.
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163 Answers
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[nq:1]Saw this interesting spelling on the website of a young black person: "Dis part ent bin updated 4 ages ,if ... haven't seen it in less ephemeral contexts, like a website. Wonder if it's the start of a new spelling revolution![/nq]
What do you mean "the start"?
Text spelling is spreading into all corners.
Email and newsgroups were obvious early victims.
Teachers are complainin
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[nq:1]Saw this interesting spelling on the website of a young black person: "Dis part ent bin updated 4 ages ,if ... haven't seen it in less ephemeral contexts, like a website. Wonder if it's the start of a new spelling revolution![/nq]
Let not thy forethinking heart..
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Is that how it's referred to - 'text spelling'? Are poetry and literature about to spring from it next...
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I think really this is perhaps not a spelling revolution so much as a formalization of a dialect which gets its own spelling. What do you think?
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[nq:1]Saw this interesting spelling on the website of a young black person: "Dis part ent bin updated 4 ages ,if ... haven't seen it in less ephemeral contexts, like a website. Wonder if it's the start of a new spelling revolution![/nq]
It's textual in'ercourse, M'Lady.

Matti
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[nq:1] It's textual in'ercourse, M'Lady.[/nq]
In the US, we need to step lightly to avoid transgressing against the Intercourse Act (1834) and the Nonintercourse Act (1809). Congress can't make up its mind.
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[nq:1]Is that how it's referred to - 'text spelling'?[/nq]
Milady, would you be so kind as to retain enough from the previous post for us all to comprehend your intentions? I thank you.

Yes, "text spelling" does seem to be used to mean the system of abbreviations and shortcuts used for texting (i.e., text messaging, texting someone, texting a message to someone) on a mobile/cell phone
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[nq:1]I think really this is perhaps not a spelling revolution so much as a formalization of a dialect which gets its own spelling. What do you think?[/nq]
Yes, you are right. This recurs in published
literature (see Joel Chandler Harris, Wm. Henry
Drummond, and even Mark Twain at times) and
goes in and out of fashion although Finnegans
Wake may have killed this fashion dead.
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I apologise for not including the original post, Donna. I merely replied using the Google Groups handy reply feature. ;-)

I'd like to note that the dialects of English demonstrated in your first example of text spelling are quite distinct: one is a sort of neutral slightly-Southern sounding dialect ('what do you all think') whereas the other is clearly an urban African-American dialect. A
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Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward wrote on 19 Mar 2005:
[nq:1]Saw this interesting spelling on the website of a young black person: "Dis part ent bin updated 4 ages ,if ... haven't seen it in less ephemeral contexts, like a website. Wonder if it's the start of a new spelling revolution![/nq]
You mean the continuation of a mass misspelling revolution, don't you?

Franke: EFL teacher & me

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