Texting Abbreviations

The first thing that comes to mind when you think of mobile phones is SMS or texting. This humble telecommunication device has come a long way when it was first produced back in the early ‘90s. The large phones of the time were used mainly as a convenient source of portable communication. However, the compact ones that are prevalent in this day and age can be used to do a lot more than just make telephone calls. In fact, most mobile phones are rarely used for that purpose anymore! Texting has been made easy via texting abbreviations so much so that users typically prefer to type a short message to their intended recipient than call them.

SMS slang or texting abbreviations have revolutionised the way we communicate. Not only are they simple to use, but the speed with which they can be typed make them a better alternative to costly phone calls. They may not be preferred modes of communication in a professional setting, but they are used liberally by people in their daily lives. However, critics believe that this flexibility may serve to bring about the downfall of the English language due to constant changes that are part and parcel of this practice.

The U.K. boasts about more than 42 million mobile phone users. However, what is surprising is that most mobile phone users are more into texting rather than calling. In spite of the low rates telecommunication companies are currently providing, youth and adults alike depend on the Short Message Service (SMS) to get their messages through.

Texting is quite popular because it is cheaper, quicker and reaches many people at once. Because you can’t call twenty people in one go, texting is a more convenient option for both regular mobile phone users and businessmen who want to promote their merchandise or services.

With this dependency on short messages, the need to introduce ways to optimize their benefits and reduce their sending time became important. As a result, texting abbreviations were created.

Texting abbreviations are not only common in text messages, but they can also be used in chat rooms, instant messages and even emails. This is why it is important that you find out what they mean. Through this article, you will discover the world of abbreviations and how and why they were created. You will also find out about some of the common ones used in modern forms of communication.

The modern English language is much maligned by academics and people with old-fashioned perspectives on communications. Language evolves, it has to, otherwise it becomes irrelevant. We have seen this in SMS text messaging, where texting abbreviations have taken over real English, by the young at least.

This isn’t because they are lazy, it’s because there is a limit on how many characters can be sent in a single message. Multiple messages cost more money, so a more convenient solution evolved. Enter, texting abbreviation. This method of communication was borne out of necessity, and has taken on a life of its own. What started as a couple of words with the vowels taken out has developed into a wide ranging lexicon of abbreviations, acronyms and combinations of numbers and symbols to represent sentences.

Grammar is non-existent because there isn’t room for it. Correct word usage, spelling, and other luxuries of language are missing for the same reason. The modern English language isn’t being dumbed down, it’s branching out. Text speak isn’t replacing it, it’s just working beside it, and is mainly only used by the young. Language evolves alongside its users, this is just another example of that.

It was a while before SMS messaging really took off. Mobile phones were initially all about talking, so texting wasn’t such an issue. Now of course, we text more than we talk. There is even a texting world championship where the competition sees who can type on a phone the fastest.

This language has its critics, saying it’s dumbing down our language, it’s lazy, it doesn’t make sense or it’s just a waste of time. This is a typical response from someone on the outside. Those who don’t understand something are often the harshest critics of it.

Our language is still intact, texting abbreviations and the who text speak phenomenon doesn’t seek to subvert our language, it’s content to work alongside it. It works because it has to, not because people prefer to use it. When you have limited space in which to explain something, it’s easier to trim the fat to leave the bare message. Editors have been doing it since the first newspapers, this is just the next evolution of it. This article seeks to highlight some of the more popular texting abbreviations so those who don’t understand it can appreciate it if not grow to love it.

Today, mobile texting and communication is very popular around the world. Many people utilise short text messages to send and share with their friends and loved ones. The revolution of texting abbreviations or short text words is also driving the success of websites and social networks like Twitter and Facebook. While it is normal and okay for people to use these abbreviations when having texting other people, it is not always polite to use them.

There are many texting abbreviations that are used by different people so to compile a complete list of all of them would be impossible. Instead, let’s take a look at the most commonly used ones, and how they relate to other forms of communication, such as instant messaging.

Some of the top abbreviations include the “lol” short for laughing out loud, txt - short for text, fyi - for your information among many others. The key to reading short text is to make sure that you understand exactly what the person was trying to say in their message.

Usually the short text removes the word’s vowels out to leave only the first letter in the shortened word. This can be shown in a number of ways in different cases.