Text messages and instant messenger programs have spawned a variety of abbreviations and shortcuts that are sneaking into everyday English. In his new book, Txtng: The Gr8 Db8, David Crystal takes on the h8ers who want to know why kids these days are too lazy to use vowels.
Crystal says the concern over texting lingo has been greatly exaggerated; he says that on average, less than 10 percent of words in text messages are abbreviated.
"All the popular beliefs about texting are wrong, or at least debatable," Crystal writes. "There is increasing evidence that it helps rather than hinders literacy."
LOL? OMG? What's your reaction to hearing these "words" spoken? Tell us.
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