*Kails*:


@bolded: SPOT ON!!!
Using internet slang or abbreviations does not mean someone is not intelligent. The issue is that the generations before us did not have such easy access (if any) to the internet and therefore are not used to certain expressions. They should understand that some of the most intelligent people abbreviate. In fact our BRB is like their "etc" or "asap". For as long as language has been in existence, there was always other ways to express oneself. English has evolved many times. From being pure Germanic to what it is today, it's still changing. That's life.

As for the red part, carelessness or not paying attention to what you are doing can cause that. It happens to the best of us sometimes. Don't assume it can't/won't happen to you now.

Cori_corde: Exactly. I don't remember reading a text with the words written in full. Eveybody talks lyk dis noe. What is this nonsense?

A-ZeD:

English is the official language of the country, the constitution is written in English,its the only subject that is compulsory in Jamb.

Sunymoore: Quite tru cox i rembrd whn i was wrtng englsh dis yea, instd of schools i wrote .skulls. Its truli quite unfotunt. But as frm nw, i will tri as much as i can to wrte a complt wrd even in a forum o chat rum.

Sunymoore: Quite tru cox i rembrd whn i was wrtng englsh dis yea, instd of schools i wrote .skulls. Its truli quite unfotunt. But as frm nw, i will tri as much as i can to wrte a complt wrd even in a forum o chat rum.

el catino: So na dat one go make us achieve vision 20:20 abi?

*Kails*:


Yes they are. However the effects are still the same. Some computer savy or "net slang" speakers tend to forget who they are communicating with most times. If you send an email to an elder relative or someone who may not know what "LOL" or "BRB" means, it could not only confuse them but give off a negative view of you.

I am guilty of this too btw (by the way).

Ileke-IdI:
Yes

Pidgin English too.


I'll start sending vocal text messages sef. Texting annoys the heck out of me.

Sunymoore: Quite tru cox i rembrd whn i was wrtng englsh dis yea, instd of schools i wrote .skulls. Its truli quite unfotunt. But as frm nw, i will tri as much as i can to wrte a complt wrd even in a forum o chat rum.

ebucha: Queens English does not improve the economy of a nation, ask the Chinese prime minister (fastest growin economy), Germans or maybe Japanese. The English currency and Economy overtook ours years back cos they made us slave to their language. Gramma good oh,but e no go giv us light,water and road. SEEK FOR DEVELOPMENTAL KNOWLEDGE!!

plendil:

That I believe is why we proofread our official write ups before handing them in. Even if somehow the 'LOLs' and 'ur' crept in during the drafting phase, it is expected they would all have been weeded out by the time the final draft is ready.

I do quite a lot of texting, which invariably involves the use of those colloquial contractions; nonetheless, I simply cannot imagine writing an official report and end up using 'ur', 'msg', 'l8tr'. It doesn't happen.

Bottom line: Its either you either you know English or you don't. Using slang shouldn't an excuse for an obvious deficiency.

chidexy:

@Afam, English is now a universal language. Mastering it will not impede fluency in one's mother tongue or ability to learn other languages. We may not know the disservice we are doing to ourselves until we find ourselves in the midst of people from other nations - most people find it difficult understanding our (Nigerian) diction.

The earlier we get serious (and hard) with the young ones on the proper use of spoken and written language skills, the better for us. Other nations are taking note and Nigerians are gradually being required to write English language test to prove their proficiency - what was unheard of some years ago

Baba Eto:

Don't claim to be Mr know all here, the fact that pple write in abbreviatn does nt mean dey r not intelligent or brilliant it jus to save space and time wen writin informally. Wen I write formally I don't use such abreviatns. A serious minded person will not use such in an official document. Enjoy ur day.

Fredrick909: of course it's really affecting some people... imagine in an Exam. Waec for that matter. A candidate will write "ur" for your "u" as you. Ehn it's somehow oh. ...via Nokia

MeandSum: I'm not sure if smartphone has anything to do with this but Nigerians speak and write the worse English you can think of. Absolutely pathetic.

afam4eva:
You talk like a slave. The bolded is an evidence. Do these people care if you understand their own diction? But you're here worrying about them not understanding your own. This is one of the reasons why Africa may never move forward because we'll rather copy than create our own unique product with what we have.

chidexy:

@Afam, I don't know about being a slave, but you haven't disputed what I said in my earlier post: that we are failing this and subsequent generations of Nigerians by not insisting on the right things being done correctly. What would it take to insist on proper writing skills? I am talking from the point of having mentored many Nigerian Students outside the comfort zone of Nigeria (where almost everyone understands our "speak", where they have to interact with people from other nations and are mandated to speak and write - one can't help but notice the gradual regression in the area of spoken and written English.

We always hide behind the cliche: It's not our mother tongue, but whatever is worth doing (in this case, learning the English language), has to be done right.