Textonyms evolve as new cell phone language

[kg4kww]

Remember there's more to life than CW.

LONDON - R U cycle? Book! Fancy an adds down the sub? There's a gr8 new carnage.

It may look like gobbledegook, but the most streetwise of teenagers would have no trouble translating and responding to it in kind.

A new language is being developed by cell phone-addicted kids based on the predictive text of their treasured handsets.

Key words are replaced by the first alternative that comes up on a mobile phone using predictive text — changing "cool" into "book," "awake" into "cycle," "beer" into "adds," "pub" into "sub" and "barmaid" into "carnage."

Those expressing excitement with the old-fashioned text phrase "woohoo!," now use the far more hip "zonino!" instead.

And it's important to remind adults that they did exactly the same thing when they were kids, they just didn't do it on mobile phones."

Some of the most popular textonyms show intriguing links between the originally intended word and the one the predictive text throws up — "eat" becomes "fat" and "kiss" becomes "lips," "home" is "good" and the vodka brand "Smirnoff" becomes "poison."

Full Story (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23010614/#storyContinued)

[n7rjd]

This is why for the few text messages I send using the phone I do not use the predictive text. If I am near a computer with internet access I send from the computer.

Of course all of my custom ring tones are in Morse code so I know who's calling without ever looking at the phone.

Sure Greg, there is more to life than CW and nobody will dispute that but it is a much richer life with it than it ever was without it.

Keep enjoying yourself trying to put people down for learning and enjoying that which you just can't seem to grasp. In the end you are only putting yourself down.