Not to bash a ton of people at once..

[Kalamos]

From a foreigner's point of view, Littlebighead was right about l33t as a secret lingo.

English is the second language for many people; while we can resort to our first tongue, for privacy, most native english speakers can't.
They are "stranded" with a widely spoken language.

So L33t is really a way to express one's self, and create a close knit group.
Something common, for example, in british culture, since they can tell a speaker's social class from his choice of words alone.

Italy has over 20 different regional dialects, but standard written italian is common for everybody. You can't usually tell one's region from the way he/she/it types.


I don't like l33t, but I can usually understand it.
What I really dislike are hurry-typos and kid lingo.

It's not only about language impoverishment.
I took my sweet time to learn a second language, and it dazzles me when I'm being given the cold shoulder, over web chats, just because I try and spell english the "proper" way.


What about OMG, for instance?
Are you swearing to god even in spoken english? 😀

I wonder whoever started using it: it doesn't really sound "cool" or "tough" to a foreigner's ear. Quite the opposite.

Come on... I can lend you some italian parolacce if you are running out of saucy english words to cuss with. 😉
And I mean the real gold, not the funky stuff you usually dig up over google.

😀 😀 😀

 

[BigNorm]

they type that way for one big reason. in most games, you gotta type your messages fast, cause theres bullets flying over your head and the enemy players ain't gonna stop just so you can type perfect english. so there's alotta abbreviating, to speed it up, so you can get back in the battle faster.

now, saying you were pwned or owned, or noob, is foolish talk and i think it shows a low IQ when they downgrade like that.

 

[Dude'sonfire]

Bignorm, dude!!!! What happened to the penguin clip on your sig?!!?! I LOVED the penguin clip!!!!!! *weeps bitterly* *burns local kintergarden in uncontrolable despair*

 

[wendyandpeter]

I'm just finding it difficult trying to figure out why some people choose to type like that.

Why do you care? They type like that because they want to. They think it says something about their personality, given a medium that can be cold and without much personality.

If you don't like the way they type, you probably aren't a particularly good match personality-wise. Why spend your time worying over something as trivial as how some folks choose to express themselves?

 

[Dude'sonfire]

Why spend your time worying over something as trivial as how some folks choose to express themselves?

lol does the sheer fact that we're actually spending time arguing about it on a tickling forum website not answer your question?
I.E. I'm bored to hell!!!! Get me some jack daniels, and a good woman, stat!!!