Text and the City

"Hi! Gud pm! How R U?"

It`s probably okay if this is from an e-mail, an IM or a `text` message, but it`s not. It`s how some young people greet each other nowadays.

Talk about the (not-so-scientific) link between the "texting" or SMS culture and an eroding sentence construction, especially in areas vying to become the world`s second texting capital. We know who`s number 1.

Texting or the SMS culture may be another challenge for adults teaching their kids how to properly construct and write an English sentence. (I can only imagine what a teacher may be thinking after receiving "10Q" from a student, to mean "thank you" or "4gv" to mean "forgive" or "sorry.")

It`s also probably a challenge for those who don`t belong in the `text generation`.

But when you think of it, those who are in their 40s, 50s, 60s may take advantage of the `text` culture.

Here are samples of what they could use:

14drd -- one for the road or a drink before you go

2bctnd -- to be continued or we'll talk about it later

2d4 -- to die for, or to like, or to love something very much

2day -- today

2g4u -- too good for you

2Ht2Hndl -- too hot to handle

2l8 -- too late

2nite -- tonight

3sum -- threesome

4yeo -- for your eyes only

8 -- ate, past tense of the verb 'to eat'

911 -- emergency, call me

These are just those with numbers. We haven`t talked about "C U" and the like...

I would love to, but I GTG...