TXTNG or T E X T I N G ? by JTF Solivar

          

         In 1998 I wrote an article for the Manila Times about Texting. This mobile phone feature was very new that time and everybody was crazy about it. You are not “in” if your phone does not have this element. It was also during this time when people were all agog about Nokia 5110. I got for myself a 6150 though, which I got as a replacement for a 5110 (which I only enjoyed using for half a day). 

   

       

        I  mentioned in that article how people learned to be creative in texting their messages. Creative for the purpose of abbreviating words to save time and space. This manner of texting has been passed on from one generation of texters to the next. We abbreviate the words that we type, right? Younger ones are very adept at this. But the wiser ones, okay, the older ones are slowly catching up.

         Surprisingly, I know a person who would text using the full spelling of words. How patient can this person be! Is he already old and therefore old-fashioned? Nope! In this age of instant noodles, keyboard short cuts, copy pastes, microwavable popcorn, he would prefer to text that way. Very remarkable I thought. One time I asked him why he prefers the full spelling of words over their abbreviations. This person replied that he uses the dictionary mode when texting. So that’s the trick! I felt duped because I initially thought he wanted complete words and not their short forms. I eventually learned that he simply became accustomed to this manner of texting. 

        

        Then I tried it myself and had a hard time typing my desired word. Very convoluted! This person even taught me how to do it on my historic 6600 but I simply did not get it. This is completely bull……dog! Hard to teach an old dog a new trick, huh? So bk 2 my old wys of abbrv8ting my txts. To each his own. Amen.

        Whatever this person’s motive is for using complete words in texting via the dictionary mode, it cannot be denied that he wanted it this style: the full and complete spelling of words. Otherwise, he will not use this dictionary mode thing. What a class act, and a tough one to follow. Hats off to you. To his Dad too, who taught him that trick.