The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

Texters compare differences between texting and txting

Texting lingo may only seem applicable behind a screen but when social studies teacher Jeff Kallay worked in the brokerage business 27 years ago, he said he frequently used ‘DK’ as a shorthand.

In the brokerage business, ‘DK’ was a shorthand for “don’t know” that Kallay said he used for businesses that came through that were unfamiliar or unknown.

According to Dr. Bhoomi Thakore, adjunct sociology instructor at Elmhurst College, texting lingo includes shorthand, abbreviations and emoticons.

“‘Don’t know’ is two syllables,” said Kallay. “‘DK’ is two syllables.”

Kallay explained he thought it was silly to decode ‘DK’ when ‘don’t know’ is the same thing.

However, sophomore Carol Raczyk said typing a few abbreviated words instead of typing the proper way it is spelled saves a lot of time while texting.

Kallay disagrees.

“I still, to this day, don’t understand why [texting] is more efficient than calling,” Kallay said.

Kallay said he remembers a time when his daughters received texts containing just one word, ‘Hey.’ According to Kallay, this experience made him think, “What happened to conversations?”

Kallay said he does not understand why someone would send a text if they wanted to chat.

Thakore agreed with Raczyk’s claim that texting lingo is faster to type and read.

“In this day and age everyone has their fast-paced lives and texting is more convenient,” said Thakore. “Reading texting lingo is quicker but you still may lose a little bit of what the intended message was or the point the person was trying to make.”

Raczyk also said miscommunication is popular amongst texting lingo such as ‘K’. Raczyk said when most texters receive ‘K,’ the receiver assumes the sender is mad at him or her.

“Just ‘K’ is not something [people usually send when they are happy],” said Raczyk. “‘K’ is more serious.”

Raczyk said the difference of one letter in a text can mean completely different things to the receiver.

“One time my friend texted me ‘K’ and I thought she was mad at me when she actually wasn’t,” said Raczyk.  “Usually when people are happy they say ‘Kk’ because it’s less serious.”

Similarly, texts that say “‘Can I ask you a question?’ and ‘I need to talk to you’ can be alarming, according to social studies teacher Scott Williams.

“[Those texts] have a ring of urgency to them.” Williams said.

Thakore agreed these texts can cause the recipient to become anxious.

“The [recipient] might anticipate the worst kind or most personal question [when receiving one of those texts],” Thakore said.

Williams, Raczyk and Thakore agreed that text lingo is useful while texting but not in school or for something professional.

“I’ve had students include [abbreviations] in papers,” Williams said. “Texting lingo only belongs in texting.”

While Raczyk said she is comfortable with using texting lingo, she uses proper grammar with older people as a form of respect.

“If [I text] my aunt or an older person, then I will not use any texting lingo,” said Raczyk. “[Those texts] are more formal and polite.”

Raczyk said she remembers a time when she meant to text her friend but texted her babysitter with the same name.

“It was really awkward because I said ‘lol’ in the text and my babysitter was really confused,” Raczyk said.

Even though texting lingo is useful, Thakore said it can have a long-term effect.

“If people use texting lingo too often they might forget what the proper form of that word is,” said Thakore. “When it comes to writing papers and talking to people in a professional setting, you have to get outside of [abbreviations].”

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