OK, I actually planned to make this before Jeni’s call to action, but whatever.

There is a growing amount of chatspeak in writing, from books that are written as IMs to books written entirely on cell phones.

Is this the dawning of the age of the chatspeak book? Will all novels, or even all written English, evolve into “lmao” and “lol”? Will we become dinosaurs, much like the grannies of today who can’t use computers? Is this the Apocalypse?

From the reviews, it sounds like a bit of a turd, but I’m not bothered that it’s written in IM. In a way, it’s an evolution of the epistolary format (books written as a series of letters, e.g. dracula). Interesting concept, if pulled off badly.

And yeah, this seems like the next step in the language’s evolution. Is that really a bad thing? I say “lol” and “lulz” as a way of saying “I am mildly amused” and know several people that do, my point being that it’s seeping out of the internet and mobile phones into the real world. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, because I think just about everyone knows it’s informal and just slang. People know when and where to use it, and unfortunately even the most literate people may sound like a degenerate the moment the whip the phone out and start typing out a text. I don’t think it’s a problem.

I can’t even comprehend at least 40% of chatspeak.

I despise chatspeak.

Also, My Immortal was written in chatspeak, so the idea is nothing new.

Admittedly, I have a bit of a purist, Nazi thing when it comes to languages. (EI, don’t kill me.) But chatspeak just really, really, really grates on my nerves—as Jeni said, it doesn’t allow for the same nuances that proper English does, and you can’t really say anything past about six letters in chatspeak—how in the world would you say “aggravating” in chatspeak? Granted, this would possibly cut out a lot of purple prose, but it would also limit good writing as well. As someone who regularly uses words that garners me odd looks, I dislike the very, very limited vocabulary of chatspeak.

Also, how hard is it to type “to” instead of “2”? (For the record, 2 took me longer to type than to.)

If ttyl is written as a series of instant messages, then I think it’s okay to use chatspeak in them. I don’t think it’s okay to use it in a regular book (unless it’s a parody). The cell phone books sound interesting, but they probably don’t have much substance. If I find a best-selling novel that begins, “Lst week Alice wnt 2 da stor. It wuz a regler day til she saw them. Thn evrythin wnt rong.” (I wasn’t going for substance there, just a general example of a chatspeak book) I might have to jump off of something very high.

Exactly. I have never opened my cell phone, though I’ve had it since Christmas of last year. I always call my friends on the home phone, or email them.

Well, agreeing with DrAlligator – languages can’t stay the same forever.

I am midly amused by the idea that texts like <i>Harry Potter</i> will one day be studied and evaluated the way that Shakespear’s and other works of Old English are studied today, in the age when words such as lulz and brb are included in Cambridge Dictionary.

@Jeni

My computer is always handy.

@Dan

Get out more.

:D

“Scuba” is an acronym, and it’s in the dictionary. Then again, it’s decidedly easier to pronounce than “brb”. (how would you even say that?! “berb”?)

I do not see why anyone would want to text message someone.

I’m awkward in phone conversations, so I like texting better. A lot of my friends rarely check their e-mail but have their cell phones with them at all times. So if I need to tell them something, I text them. Of course, when they want to tell me something, they text me, which doesn’t work out so well. I usually don’t have my phone on.

ttyl’s written in mostly normal sentences, btw.

TTYL is “talk to you later”, but most people use it more to mean “see ya later” or something. BTW is “by the way”, and I’ve accidentally said that one out loud before! Thankfully it was with an equally geeky friend and after she laughed at me for about ten minutes, she said “LOL” out loud so I got to laugh back at her.

I could see “L-O-L” but “lawl” is just strange.

lol, it sounds dorky if you say it l-o-l. 'lawl' is how most of my friends pronounce it. Maybe it's just an Australian thing, but I know a lot of people who say it, and they aren't all at the bottom of the coolness ladder.

*insert brief CB rant about defining coolness and the value of others' opinions*
*move on*

...wait, NP, you ARE Aussie, aren't you? Which part are you from? It might be a Western thing

@ Dan: I can just imagine you in a beard and red suit, going 'lole lole lole--Merry Christmas!'
It was the jolly that put it into my head.

Maybe it's just an Australian thing, but I know a lot of people who say it, and they aren't all at the bottom of the coolness ladder.

It isn't just an Australian thing, I think.

To be honest, Elanor, the way someone "speaks" online may affect my opinion of them. No, I'm not a Grammar Nazi (LIE), but it may annoy me. It does, actually. "Hey Wats up?" "Ya!!!!111!! haha!"

...wait, NP, you ARE Aussie, aren’t you? Which part are you from? It might be a Western thing

No, I’m an American. I don’t really hear people say “lol” out loud in any fashion, so I was just using my imagination, I guess. I don’t doubt anyone’s “coolness.” I just don’t hear people actually say things in chatspeak very often.