Adults using ebonics.

I always make sure i type out a full legable sentance when i type anything (even live chat). Sometimes i make a typo, but that's a issue i can't really help. I've never been able to figure out the cause of them.

What if they're dyslexic, or english isn't their first language so they can't spell/type well?

Nimrod, the language issue was addressed first post. I'm dyslexic (badly) and try to type right still.

Personally anyone using chatspeak isn't worth my time to even bother listening to.

Well, you sorta have to. It's either that or you accept that it's the new socially 'cool' method of communication on the internet - which is the most likely answer. I mean, we have such wonderful foundations of word-butchery in our past already. AOL-speak. Leet-speek, etc. :\

On top of that, believe it or not - if you actually saw some of these people trying to type you might rethink your complaint on the shortcut issue. Hunt-and-peck seems to be more commonplace than it should be. I've seen people who do data-entry for a living do this, even.

This is, of course, all just my opinion - but as long as your actual conversation holds some merit, I could really care less if you take a shortcut here or there. Conversely, I really don't want to have to sit around and wait a minute and a half per fully-structured sentence if you're not fast enough, and/or properly taught to use a keyboard, for a response on a subject I may be itching to have a go at.

Take how you will, but - I prefer conversation, even when textual, to be quick enough as not to forget about what was being talked over, and to contain some intelligence. There are several ways to go about this. I'm not really that picky about it, and personally, I don't see why most others are.

That's just my numerical value of 2 out of 100, anyway. :3

I mostly feel sorry for the people that use this form of communication.

As far as non-native english speaking residents, you can normally tell by their syntax that they do not use english as their first language. You have to respect that they at least give an effort to communicate in english. You cannot say "You are in America - Speak english!" because while the Linden Lab servers reside in America, a lot of residents that access them do not.

As far as the American users of this form of communication, you only serve to make yourself sound less educated, leave yourself open to mockery, and (In my opinion) completely invalidate anything point that you try to present.

The one thing that grates me more than anything is something like the following:

"your going too the store to?"
That is really irritating to read and makes me pity the composer of the line that much more.

Compare that to this:
"ur going 2 the store 2?"

I would prefer to read the latter.

just my L$22 or L$23

-Artemis

Not the same, this would be excusable. From what I can tell, this thread is about deliberate misspellings and l33t/gangsta speak. Why anyone would deliberately want to sound like an imbicile is beyond me, but I suppose I should ask myself the same question sometimes.

Did you guys know that when a large group of people from different countries come together they talk in English. However... they speak a kind of pidgin english that is actually quite hard to understand for people who speak english as their first language. The people using this modifed english actually understand each other better than a person trying to speak correct english. I think that people who type messages like, "Hay wats up?" are really just chattting in a simplified version of english that is understandable by a more global audience. I think more non-english speakers would be able to figure out "Hay wats up?" more than if I wrote "Hello, what is going on here?"

Sorry it does seem like I'm defending the retards but you really have to take into account that Second Life can reach a much more global audience and that the guy standing next to you in SL just might be from the other side of the world.

I can tolerate it when people dont have English as a first language, or they are Dyslexic. Thats fair enough and at least they are -trying-.

Its when people who blatently can use full words write in stupid txtpsk or 1337 that really gets on my nerves. There is every key of the English language on the keyboard, I dont understand why people cant use them!

Oh, absolutely! I don't mind seeing things like "ppl" instead of "people" from time to time in an intelligent conversation, but when the person goes out of their way to misspell and abbreviate, chances are that the conversation is not going to be that intriguing to begin with. Yes, abbreviations are going to creep into conversations. I'll do it myself sometimes. But when the conversation consists of abbreviations and totally intentional misspellings, then it gets to be more like the problem I think the OP was getting at.

I will occasionally type in 1337 to be funny. But I really, really detest the use of txtspk.

It took me a long time to get to the typing speed I am now (somewhere around scaryWPM), but I made the effort so I could keep up in text conversations.

If someone butchers my native language, I really don't have a lot of time for them.

Many people who speak English as a second language are more literate than those educated in North America who know only English. There is no reason that "Hay wats up?" would be more easy to understand than "Hey, what's up?" and I see it for the most part being used between people who speak English as their first language. You do have very valid points, Bree, but I don't think that is what the OP was getting at.

I'm in complete agreement. For anyone to protest online/cell/shorthand and actually confuse it with AAVE is in it's own way quite amusing. I would think one would at least be able to accurately identify the language they are so frustrated with. The tone of the OP was indignant ignorance. I guess if the OP is receiving such a large volume of abbreviated text in communications with friends on SL, it's more indicative of the company kept than anything else. If you don't like how your friends are abbreviating, don't waste time telling a bunch of other people on a thread where your friends may likely never get the hint--but rather just tell them you don't like it. I mean, is reading words and abbreviations like "OP" and "Wb" such a big deal in the grand scheme of things? If so, then perhaps talking online isn't the best use of time because for the most part, that is exactly how people speak. It's just a time saver...and it's not friggen Ebonics. Get a dictionary! As someone else noted, this is one place where people venture from all walks of life and all regions of the world. Txt speak and acronyms are pretty universal and make communicating that much easier. It's just not a big deal.

What exactly is "gangsta" speak and why do you find it so annoying? Again, if your friends online are all speaking this way, it may be a red flag about the company you keep. Just don't confuse Ebonics with a lingo or "speak", it's a venacular as any other and every bit as legitimate as any other. But to sound like an imbilcile doesn't require any misspellings, lingo or use of any other venacular...as has clearly been demonstrated.

If only text adventures were still around. That's how I learned to type

It doesn't matter that I never used the words much outside of the game: just having to hunt for "shillelagh" in order to drop it or attack with it got me to remember where the keys were when looking for more popular words.

I ended up with my own method of touch-typing that doesn't really use the pinky finger. Six years later, when I attempted to learn to touch-type in a classroom, I just couldn't do it.

Practice makes perfect... Since the mouse and the GUI, maybe we've just had less practice than before.

*Waves from the other side of the world.*
I partly disagree I find it much easier to understand a well-written, grammatically correct post/chat over a leetspeak one, because that's the English I learned. But yes, I use and understand the pidgin you're talking about, mainly with Spanish people. I've noticed we tend to use our respective grammar structures and colloquialisms and translate them directly into English. It is a simplified version of English, but it doesn't compare to leetspeak or, worse, gangsta-speak at all. (Leetspeak, most of the time, I can make out the meaning of. Gangsta-speak? Forget it.)

In short: leetspeak makes it harder to understand for anyone who doesn't know that particular way of talking. Pidgin, on the other hand, is useful to bridge the gap between those who share a similar grammar, but not the same vocabulary.

I am not confusing ebonics with l33tsp33k, the OP was. They are definitely not the same. None of my friends online "sp33k like dis yo", as I tend to choose friends who can carry on an intelligent conversation. There is no need to get testy with me, we're having a civil discussion here.

Go for it, include my (fake) name.

Thank you for your tolerance, I actually fall into both catagories that you mention. Having said that, I have spent years learning to express myself Clearly in English and i am also very tolerant of people for whom English is a second language.

At all costs i avoid the dialect called Ebonics, I also only occasionally use internet speak (Afk, BRB, Rofl. That is about as far as i go with that lot.). I have to say though that some of you seem to have confused the two. Internet abbreviations are NOT Ebonics. Ebonics is the name given to the manner of speech of inner city African Americans (Primarily, but not excluding whites and Hispanics from the same environment).
Most of the problem with either form of communication is that there are a great many people who have difficulty deciphering the meaning of Phrases rendered in either dialect. I have no such problem Myself. I have my own opinions about Ebonics, but i won't discuss those here because they are not germain to the discussion. None of us here posting speaks English perfectly, Nor do we type it so.
People point out that i Cap in odd places (Usually when they find they cannot argue with the content of my posts, they attack the Form) But when i have explained my reasons for doing so They find it reasonable, AND one thing is for certain, you always know when it's ME posting. Lol.
I Digress.
In any case, None of us speak, or type Perfect English and we frequently have to wade through a sea of Misspellings, poor grammar, and disasterous punctuation all perpetrated by those for whom English is the Primary language, so i Don't see the perticular reason for controversy over either Ebonics or Internet speak when used on the net. I take care to Read and Understand what people are saying so the delay in translating Any of the above isn't a hinderance to my Understanding.
If i can do it,(And remember i'm both dyslexic, and not a native English speaker) then why can't the rest of you?

Angel

No such language as British - but points for the Chaucer

Also the thing about modern English being a dumbed down form of Anglo-Saxon - not really. I doubt the lexicon of the times had as much to cope with. I am prepared to revise this when someone finds an ancient scroll which shows how to set up a satellite dish on a longboat or something.

Sorry, but I am admitting that if someone approaches me and says 'wots up' as their greeting I am not expecting a meeting of the minds. I'm a sucker for brains ... talk to me the right way and I am a little purring kitten Doesn't have to be in perfect English either, a lot of my friends don't have English as their first language but I know the intention behind what is said is not 'wots up'.

Also ... never underestimate the power of a cordless keyboard with dodgy batteries when coupled with massive lag and a fairly fast typist who is used to being able to correct mistakes and then carry on typing and hitting the return. Some of the things I have sent out into the world recently have been bearly readable - good job my friends can see when I am typing on MSN instead of SL on a bad day ... or else they would think I alys wut seointe WTF THE LG :/ cntt p

(Yes I know you can't understand that ... but that is what has come out when under heavy lag recently - usually leaving me mashing the keyboard with my fists in frustration - and probably typing far more sense that way )

The people I talk with are intelligent, SL is just filled with stupid people, and you can't ignore stupid for long.

I guess there is a difference between leetspeak and pidgin english. If the OP was ranting about leetspeak then I'd have to agree with him. It is annoying and I think less of a person who chats that way but I wouldn't treat them any differently.

Mostly 'gangsta'. 1337speak isn't so much of a problem for me, I basically learned to type from playing Half-Life,DOOM etc..Hehe.