L33t Speak

This issue was recently raised in a Malaysian students’ forum called ReCom.org and you can read the different opinions here.

“L33t speak”, sometimes also known as “SMS language” or simply “leetspeak”, has been around in the world for quite a long time already. People who communicate via text messaging would be quite familiar with the “L33t speak” system, and many would even use it in their daily text messaging conversations, too.

However, in many cases, different individuals have raised questions over the widespread use of “leetspeak” to the extent that the English language, or whatever the language, is being constantly “butchered”. There have been arguments that the use of “leetspeak” shows disrespect for the language, and that the use of “leetspeak” will eventually degrade the individual’s language standards.

On the other hand, some individuals argue that the use of “leetspeak” is only confined to instant messaging and text messaging, which is all right. So long as it is not extended to formal usage, there should not be anything wrong about using “leetspeak”.

Therefore, I ask you, would you rather that I write in proper English, as I have always done, or in “leetspeak”?

Of course, writing in “leetspeak” does not mean that it is entirely grammatically wrong. In written form, “leetspeak” is erroneous in terms of spelling, but when read aloud, they can be grammatically correct. For example, “pls dun come in unless i tell u 2″ is read as “Please don’t come in unless I tell you to”, for those who can understand “leetspeak”. Grammatically, there isn’t any error.

However, which would earn more respect – the one who uses “leetspeak” or the one who does not? Will you give me the same degree of respect as a writer if I were to switch to “leetspeak”?

Unfortunately, “leetspeak” is not something that is understood by everyone around the world. While some people can read “leetspeak” better than others, some find it an agonising task to read messages written in that manner. Also, as there are often ambiguity in interpretation of messages when writing in “leetspeak”, it can also cause miscommunication.

Yes, as you can see for yourselves now, I don’t encourage and I don’t advocate the use of “leetspeak”. I want to ensure that my recipients receive my messages as they are, and I maintain a strict policy on not leaving my messages to open interpretation. I believe that communication cannot be taken for granted, as the implications can be severe. When giving first impressions, proper communication should always be practised.

Personally, I don’t accept excuses like “because it’s shorter and faster” to justify the use of “leetspeak”. As a matter of fact, it shows plain laziness to type out your messages in full. While I understand that we want to minimise costs on sending messages – as we are well-known to be a group of really “cheap” people – writing your messages in full will not cost you too much time. In fact, I find writing my messages with the dictionary on much faster than writing without it.

If you maintain that excuses like “because it’s shorter and faster” should be accepted, then you cannot fault me if you ask me questions like, “cn u pls help me do tis q?” and I answer “No” because it is definitely shorter than “Yes”.

However, keep in mind that “leetspeak” is not the same as slang. While “tr33″, “sk8er boi” and so on are examples of “leetspeak”, words in Bahasa Melayu like “hang” and “ape” are slang. In English, slangs also exist, for example the Cockney slang. It is definitely impossible for English speakers like us to understand slang unless you are from that particular region whose people speak in that way. Are you able to tell me what phrases like “apples and pears”, “tea leaves” and “China plate” mean in Cockney slang? They mean “stairs”, “thieves” and “mate” respectively.

Therefore, while slangs are usually unique and confined to certain areas, “leetspeak” is not. “Leetspeak” merely uses different spelling methods to represent a certain word in English, but its use is definitely not standardised and not monitored.

However, neither slang nor “leetspeak” is condoned to be used in standard conversations or documentation in whatever language. If you want to maintain professional, and project a good impression to other people, always avoid using “leetspeak”. After all, you have been taught proper English and Bahasa Melayu so learn to respect the languages in their proper forms.

I remember a particular student back in my school days who wrote words like “dude” and “dudette” in his English essay and he was reprimanded by the teacher for using non-standard “Internet” language in his essays. While it makes some people sound “cool” while using such language, it looks very foolish on paper. However, it is clear that constant use of “leetspeak” might just end you up writing that way in your examinations as well, or even in your formal document writing. Therefore, why encourage “leetspeak”?

Would you, as conceited as you may be, write your messages in “leetspeak” to your lecturers, professors, directors or the CEO?