Shorthand...

[acridiel]

As long as it does not come to THIS. Just use it

Acridiel

[rob01]

Kingdom of Loathing has a comedy test that you need to pass before you can get on the chat channels...and Spri...I don't think you abbreviated...you used maths so that's ok (or is that okay (Does anyone care?)?).

[mtsmith]

One thing to keep in mind is the huge difference between the use of an acceptible acronym and the improper use of modern grammar. To give an example, most of the readers here know the meaning of the following acronyms:

AFK
LOL
BRB
BBL

Other internet game specific acronyms include:

PVE = Player Versus Everything (and/or Enemies)
PVP = Player Versus Player
IG = In Game
IC = In Character
OOC = Out of Character
MMORPG = Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMO for short, lazy Trykers)

However, other abbreviations and shorthand blips do sometimes seem to be less acronym and more "my fingers move too slow to keep up with my brain". Worse yet are those that really are just lazy. Some of the 'words' I see really crack me up. Does the half of a second it takes the average typist to hit that single key really make enough of a difference to justify removing one letter from a small word?

This Tryker will continue to use an acronym for the Idiosyncratic Society of Fyrosian Capryni Entrail Purveyors, but you will never see me typing anything regarding "leet ppl n Ats".

[petej]

"my fingers move too slow to keep up with my brain". Worse yet are those that really are just lazy. Some of the 'words' I see really crack me up. Does the half of a second it takes the average typist to hit that single key really make enough of a difference to justify removing one letter from a small word?

Ys

Not only are my fingers too slow they also seem to be deaf , for instance they sometimes type similar sounding words instead of the correct one ie "our" becomes "are" , im not a typist I use two fingers and my thumb so I abreviate in chats to gain speed (and have been doing so for a long time) , I agree speed isnt neccessery on the forums but ive got used to typing in that fashion so they creep in when theres no need

EDIT - "ie" its an abreviation and is commonly to be found in even the most formal of texts , maybe theres also an element of snobery regarding some newer abreviations with no "pedigree" (sp?) ? , after all as long as your message is understood its achieved its purpose

lol I dont actualy agree with that myself though *snob*

[rellis]

can anyone here read the other two forms of english thats came before what we commonly use today. One is called Old English and was used hundreds of years ago .ever wonder why people stopped speaking , reading and writing in that form?? i dont study in this at all, but one can guess that the common folk found it easier to communicate in their own ways, slangs and dialects ,many would have been illiterate.

Nowadays i believe the reason is totally different. Most people in this game would live in a country with a high literacy level .we also live in a society where instantaneous communication is the norm. when we running around atys, trying to communicate where to rez me when i have 43 seconds left . ur gonna use quik txt. simple as that.

another factor is Vodafone and every other phone network in real life. i live in ireland and I pay 13 cent for 160 letters in a txt msg. Id send about 100 a week if not more. so it is much easier and cheaper to use the short hand.

I wouldnt be surprised at all if in say in 150 years ppl are using short hand when publishing material. we speak and write to communicate. sometimes to educate, sometimes to entertain. so obviously an author is gonna use the the way that relates best with his prospective readership.

Dont be afraid of change- that counts on atys too

[kovah]

Dont be afraid of change- that counts on atys too

I don't think it's really about fear of change as it is need for something to whine about. imo.

[apb47]

can anyone here read the other two forms of english thats came before what we commonly use today. One is called Old English and was used hundreds of years ago .ever wonder why people stopped speaking , reading and writing in that form??
I wouldnt be surprised at all if in say in 150 years ppl are using short hand when publishing material. we speak and write to communicate. sometimes to educate, sometimes to entertain. so obviously an author is gonna use the the way that relates best with his prospective readership.

harken ye. Methinks I didst espy footprints in yonder glade.
Wherefore doth I examinest them, and lo, tis the telltale signs of absente letters.


True, Olde English has passed out of use, partly due to the english trend of not knowing any grammar beyond "dog=noun", which can be a bit of a shame.
However, the arguements for shorthand are not quite fair to technology and how we use it.
Shorthand, in its normal form is used by secretaries to take *notes*, which they then write up later for others to read. It's a way of writing a lot of stuff down quickly, often in a manner only you can understand.
On a forum, you have time - and should take time when writing anyway, so that you don't click the 'submit' button, and then realise what you wrote was, at best, a poor argument, and at worst, a flame that gets you banned.
Yes, in a text message you are pushed for numbers of letters, but
1) not the case here
2) as technology improves, so does bandwidth etc, and inversely, costs decrease. I'm personally on a contract phone, and use predictive text, so wander into a second message happily. Much longer though, and I just *phone* them to save hassle.
The other thing that has been improved is the use of spell-checkers. Not just in word processing applications, but now on emails too. So the chances aren't bad that you'll start seeing forums aquire them.
And I doubt any publishers will seriously taking books that haven't been spelt properly. A couple, to be entertaining, perhaps. But otherwise they'll just be considered typos, and the manuscript won't get very far.

Final thing - if you have a problem spelling, (which sometimes I do) why not type your message into, eg Word, and let it spell check it. (then cut+paste) That way, you can be happy that your words are all spelt rite, even if they aren't the correct one. (petej )