ANSWERS: 39
  • 1. Yes I think for most that is why they do it, and also for some it is the "fad." 2. Yes I think it makes them appear to have both a better vocabulary and also perhaps to know how to spell. Not so sure about intelligence.
  • when it comes to texting it's not lazyness but hand cramps and the hours you could spend writing one paragraph.
  • yes. i hate it when people use letters instead of words. i spend 10 minutes deciphering a text message sometimes. however on msn and chat sites its sometimes excusable. for example i am one of those people, to avoid having a conversation will type 'LOL'. for example, those pointless convos that go something like this: person: hey me: hi person: wat u doen? me: nm person: lol sames me: lol ~~~~~~~half an hour later after no more speech has taken place~~~~~~~ person: gtg me: k person: luv u babe mwa mwa i hate those pointless conversations. only start talking to someone if youve got a point to your words!
  • I think if you're texting then abbreviating and shortening words is fine, but for typing and e-mailing you should be using correct spelling and grammar, purely for the sake of accurate communication. People who use correct type aren't necessarily more intelligent, but less lazy and more concientious, and probably older.
  • Bcuz its the kewl thing 2 do!!!1111 LOL. No, seriously, I believe that anyone who types that way should have their hands chopped off. I agree about it being somewhat of a fad, as well as it being a quicker way to get your point across to someone without spelling out the whole word. But hey, maybe people like that just love to push our buttons?
  • I think perhaps people who type well come off as more intelligent but I don't think that its necessarily the case.
  • Well, I'm not lazy & sometimes I do abbreviate. I rarely use #'s to replace the letters though. I usually type the way I talk.(to my friends) AND I TYPE IN THE CORRECT GRAMMATICAL WAY FOR OTHERS. ...did I spell "grammatical" right??..lol
  • Actually yes I do. Its annoying to use "lol" as laughing out loud, I mean if you don't like to type, don't, but if you do then people should just type the whole word so others know what their saying.
  • It's part of the internet culture. Typing that way has been around since the days of BBS and IRC. It has little to do with being lazy. Some people do type that way to 'fit in', but it is indeed part of the culture. Now - there's a big difference between someone who types in shorthand or 1337 and someone who just can't spell. But let's face it, many people who use the net can't spell (or could care less). So does it matter? In casual speech between internet users - no. But a web page with spelling mistakes comes across as very unprofessional.
  • Well, I think there are the lazies: "W(h)ere u r?" and the persons who believes they are "cooler" than others: "s33k, 1337 (how you said)". Who writes correct is smarter? No, but I think they will make less mistakes than the others. (I write ussually in Spanish, so at the begining this conversations were a hell for me...Fortunately, only at the begining ;)..)
  • I think people who use grammar and spelling correctly do come off as more intelligent, but that doesn't neccessarily mean they are. I play a lot of World of Warcraft (MMORPG) and type in full unless it's something which needs to be conveyed then and there (Eg. DPS NEF NOW!) but I appreciate that some people find it easier to type in short hand and as long as it's legible I don't mind. On a wayside, what I find 'interesting' is people who deliberately spell things wrong as a means of using shorthand when spelling the word correctly would be faster or the same speed.
  • its just maybe how some people got used to
  • A lot of it developed to hide what was actually being talked about on chat windows from parents staring over shoulders as well. My little sister used to make me promise not to translate what she wrote to my mother whenever she would ask me. There is a time and a place for it, but I generally avoid it unless i'm in a terrible hurry, having problems with my wrists and hands from typing to much, and/or text messaging.
  • To your second query - naturally people who type well with few mistakes come off as more intelligent - because naturally they are - and to your first question - yes they are too lazy to be bothered. Takes time and focused thought to think of correct spellings and then carry them through.
  • I HATE computer speak. I think it's the most revoling and ridiculous perversion of the written word. Seriously, how much longer does it take to just TYPE the damn word? Ridiculous.
  • laziness.....
  • Natural Language (standard english) has a lot of flexability and redundancy. This is so that when you don't hear everything perfectly (because the person saying it mumbles or has an accent you're not familar with) then you can still make sense of what they're saying most of the time. On the internet however, words almost never get scrambled in transmission so such redundancy isn't needed "If u cn rd ths" is going to make just as good a sense as "If you can read this" but is a lot less work to type. Of course, there are still reasons to use 'standard' english. For example, mistakes can occur in typing, and how a word is shortened often depends on local accent. For example I would pronounce n8 as Nate, so 'Gd N8' could leave me thinking "Huh? My name isn't Nate." Of course, there's nothing wrong with short words, you are reading Answerbag, not Answercontainer.
  • SO right, and wish i knew you, I am a galaxy.
  • Most of the people I know use |33+ as either an attempt to compensate for their poor typing speed (most people type under 30 WPM and need help) or more likely for emphasis, such as my own usage near the beginning of this sentence. As for the mistakes, they may come across as more intelligent but I do not take that as a sure thing. I know some intelligent dyspexics who can't spell or that let their brain get ahead of thier fingers, thus making mistakes. Myself, I tend to mis the second B in REMEMBER when I get going and find backspacing to interrupt my flow enough that I might just say, "Screw it." and let it go under the assumption that either you'll get my pointt anyways or you'ree to intolerant for me to care what you think. Typing is not only about intelligence, but also about dexterity, which some people lack. Don't foget that even stupid people can have OCD and attempt to compensate for their lack of intellect with the appearance of brains.
  • ok, first... I do use the abreviations on the words when i am texting simply because it is faster and easier on me, i dont have to sit there and type out every single word, and then you cant say everything you want to say simply because there is a limit on how mnay letters you can use. I very rarely substitute words/letters for numbers unless i am cutting it close and want to cut down.. And of course you find someone more intelligent if they do not make as many gramatical and spelling errors.
  • lol i use whole words most of the time but somtimes i just letter them.
  • n0 i tink is awsm & i ttlly snd s000 smart takin lik dat dude cnt u tell ima literary genus wit a vry hi iq? It drives me BATTY. I tend to subconsciously judge people who talk like that. I disregard their answer, which is sad, because, had been put into ACTUAL words, it might have come of as a very intelligent and insightful answer. It's understandable with text messaging, but with a keyboard it's a bit ridiculous. I think 1337 can be fun, but after a while it gets old.
  • 2nd question first. Definetly. Reading words SPELD incorrectly makes it harder to COMPRAHEND. 1st question: No, it isn't so much laziness as much as trying to get stuff done quicker. When chatting with a friend on the internet, wouldn't you love to say "How are you doing Billy" ten times faster? "How r u" works. The thing that really bugs me though, is when people start talking in AIM talk outloud like "LOL jkjk"
  • I type the full version of words out of respect for the person I'm talking to, even on my cell phone.
  • no... y waste space Its faster 2 short hand. the same as if ayone was taking notes on a note pad and wrote down an upward arrow for increase or etc. for a reel of words. This does'nt make them any less intelligent. not 2 mention faster for the poor reader.
  • I'd go with lazy but then theres some people who are complete idiots. I'm just lazy ^^. When someone makes a typing mistake it doesn't mean their stupid just bad at that.
  • Depends on HOW you use those nice little acronyms and short hand writing. If you OVER use it like most people do then it makes you look like you can't write correctly but if you just leave out letters such as the "h" in what then its just to save time because if you are trying to talk to multiple people at the same time you want to be able to jot out a message real quick and this can help but really it shouldn't be used unless you are in a hurry or if you are tyring to save space on txt messages by typing like that.
  • Yes i really hate it when people type like this. Admitidly, sometimes i type how r u? on a text message but not on the computer. In a text message you are limited to the amount of space you have to its easier to write u. I think it gives the impression on here of being really common and not being bothered to write properly. For instance 'i nt bovered' really annoys me. Yes i think people do come off more intelligent if they type with little mistakes, although im not 'dumb' but there are a few words i spell wrong.
  • I assume the people who type in that manner do a lot of text messaging. Not that they are lazy or unintelligent. I also do not think typing well is a symbolic of anything except an ability to type well. I know several very intelligent people, some with genius IQ's who are horrific typist and horrible spellers.
  • For a bit of a history lesson 1337 Speak (leet speak) originated in the techincal field so that passwords were harder to guess :-/ As for being too lazy to actually Carey through with the whole word. Well yes, it may seem lazy. But personally i do it to save time. I am busy, i have things to get done, and id rather not spend half of my day writing out whole words :-P. I say "u" instead of you, IDK instead of i dont know, and all of the other acronyms... They are acronyms :-/... They arent meant to look professional.. If i am writing someone professional, i do use whole words :-/ And if im trying to sound intelligent, i do use whole words... But if im just typing to a friend. Well lets just say 1 Pwned u!!!1!1!11 :-P
  • I am sure for some people it is laziness. I am also sure there are a host of other motives that may or may not be lazy. As far as people who type well I am sure they may or may not be intelligent. However, it has been my experience that a lot of people who type well are typing for someone. Most CEO's don't have time to type well or otherwise. In terms of typing well as a messure of intelligence, not one IQ test I have ever taken used typing to determine the score.
  • OK, Leet speak is something that has been used on the internet for a long time, probably longer then you have been on it. I don't have a problem with people using it to a certain extent, but there are people that let it get out of control. Mistyping/misspelling however, like typing "wat" instead of "what", or "there" instead of "their" is what should piss you off. Just evidence we need to drill more spelling into kids.
  • well... ya see.. it goes like this ...this lil msn messenger came 2 town 1 day and some1 stared speekn reallllly looooooong words and it was takin 2 long 2 reply so they shortened it and over the years it changed so now, it is "90 w47 up ! 5933/< 1337 ( yo wat up i speak leet) you can type in 1337 translator in the web box and you can change your real words 2 1337
  • Once your friends all start doing it, it feels awkward and geeky to do it the proper way. But if you do typeliekdisomg then you just sound retarded. People who type well do come off as more intelligent.
  • 1) some people find some kind of laziness cool. That kind of laziness that let people make the greatest inventions, because they wanted to simplify their own life. 2) I can more or less read these languages, but I have not really grown with it, and I cannot write them. I think these people use this dialect to be recognized as part of some elite. 3) AB is not a place just for computer freaks or SMS freaks, it is for the broad audience. Computer freaks are taking part, but it would be better for them to often use the language of the majority to be better understood, I think.
  • my boyfriend joke about it all the time, we talk in nerd speak in person because it's funny. but i find it more difficult to try to write something completely in l337.
  • //47 |_| //34// 1ll<3 7|-|15???? translation-what you mean like this???? i mainly use it to fit in. a group of school kids usualy dose not care how intelegent they are and olny want a quick way to comunicate. using normal speak is strictly for schoolwork and even that has many wats and c u l8ers. it is quick and simple and if you dont mean it you are usualy mature (which except in looks is not allowed!).
  • I think its cute lol. But it also can be USED as a universal SLANG. Not everyone speaks, and can write in english OR WELL I Myself...my english isn't perfect. And also... it is the internet no one really cares how well their grammar is represented.
  • Okay, Just an issue with your question. "leet" is not a term. 1337 is derived from elite. That is all.

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