text speak or txt spk?

 Language, literature and text have always been a keen interest of mine.

So when BBC journalist John Humphrys began criticising the ever growing use of text speak (or txt spk) he sparked an interesting debate.

Humphrys stated that textese was ruining our language."They are destroying it: pillaging our punctuation; savaging our sentences; raping our vocabulary. And they must be stopped." Many followers claimed that it encouraged a laziness in people. Must we sacrifice good grammar and punctuation merely to send speedier texts?

But surely one must be able to spell to successfully read and write txt spk? The linguist and author of "txt spk: the gr8 db8" David Crystal maintains that there is no link between textese and a deterioration in the english language. And only 10% of text messages are abbreviated. Crystal even states that adults are far more likely to use textese than children (take that grumpy old people!)

And what of emoticons? Humphrys outright condemns them as an irritation.

Come on.

Didn't the Ancient Egyptians use hieroglyphics as their form of written text? Aren't road signs our contemporary counterpart to these? Symbology has been a part of human culture for thousands of years. Don't knock the smiley.

Isn't it the meaning of the words that is important?

2 B r nt 2 B, th@ iz d ?
Wthr tis nbler in d mnd 2
 sffr
D slings n :::----> of mst
outrajuss frtUn.
Or 2 take arms gainst a C of
trblz
Nd bI opposing end eM: 2 die,
2 zzz no mre; nd bI a zzz 2 sA
We end
D <3 ache, d 1000
natrl shkz
Th@ flsh iz Ar 2? Tiz a
CnsUmAtion
Dvoutly 2 B wishd.

Just because you change the way the text is written out doesn't change the emotional impact of Hamlets lamentation on suicide.

Or does it?

I have a blog =P

Now what the hell do I do....?

Since graduating in the summer of 2011, I've been asking myself this question.
Up until recently, the moment I received my congratulatory handshake from the principle and looks of pride in my parents eyes, I felt I had achieved every goal I set myself in that time. I left my hometown to make a new life for myself, met many wonderful people and made some fantastic friendships. I achieved something no one in my family had ever done before. I not only graduated from university, but set the bar for the future generations of my family by achieving a first class degree.


Ok, I admit I'm gloating a bit there.

Now. What the hell do I do? For the past few months I bobbed along in life like an inflatable crocodile down the poo coloured thames. Merely following the current in a general direction. Jobs in my chosen field of study would appear like docks at the side, and as would try to dock with them, I would find them crushed with other inflatable crocodiles like myself.

I guess I can take solace that there are other people like myself and many of my friends bobbing along and in need of guidance.

But seeing as this is a new year, it is a new start, and it's shaping up to be a fantastic year.

I have a new set of goals, a new hunger for knowledge and adventure. I have made a host of new friends to add to the amazing people I have encountered since moving here. As scary as the future, looks I can't wait to see what happens next.