OMG. WTF. LOL. BRB. IDK.

R U understanding this?

Instant messaging is a service commonly used by millions of students, and now this abstract style is becoming an integral part of the English language.

“Language changing is a fact of life,” said Carol Chapelle, professor of English and chairwoman of the ISU linguistics board. “It is adding to the language by creating new forms in the communication environment.”

Chapelle said language changes to achieve a new goal. In this case, it is to get a message across in fewer characters.

“If you wanted to find the best way to say ‘see you later’ in an IM, you would make it up, not look it up,” Chapelle said.

Technology is said to be the main reason this new slang is coming about.

“Technology is virtually changing the use of the language,” said Roberta Vann, professor of English. “The hyphen is declining in language – all due to technology.”

Vann said the new communication will never replace the current language.

“In the case of BTW [by the way], it won’t replace the phrase, but it will be a new way to say it,” she said. “Some phrases stick, some fade away.”

Chapelle said these sorts of language fads arrive every so often.

“These come with the generation,” she said. “These forms will be around, and will champion in the long run.”

Not everyone thinks instant messaging is really going to have a dramatic effect on the English language.

Nick Pendar, assistant professor of English, said INBD (it’s not a big deal).

“I don’t think it will have an adverse affect on language in general,” he said. “Common words like ASAP made it to a dictionary after a while in normal conversation.”

Vann said people are, for the most part, confident in interpersonal conversation.

“I think in formal ways, people are more confident,” she said.

Megan Kerr, sophomore in pre-business, said she uses AIM frequently.

“For the most part, I don’t really pay attention to grammar and capitalizing,” she said. “We all got lazy in typing.”

Kerr said she considers instant messaging to be for high schoolers now because, since she entered college, she doesn’t talk nearly as often as she use to.

“Stuff like later with an ‘L’ and ‘8’ is something I never got into,” said James McClain, freshman in pre-business.

McClain said he never capitalizes or pays attention when he is instant messaging.

“I’m starting to get pretty good at training myself to catch misspellings when writing class work,” McClain said.

There are functions, such as spell check, in many applications – not just word processors – that will look for any spelling and grammar errors and correct them automatically.

“I think it’s great that it works for you, but it’s not perfected,” Vann said.

Pendar said such programs that do spell check are like a calculator.

“If you rely on them too much, you make it harder on yourself when you don’t do it,” he said.

Vann said programs such as Word are not a solution, and correct spelling is something people need to know.

“If you use a microwave all the time, you’ll never know how to cook or use a stove,” she said.

McClain said he alters his style of writing, depending on the recipient.

“I am a lot more professional and put a lot more effort in writing to my adviser or a professor, but not when it’s my friends or parents,” McClain said.

Kerr said she feels much more casual in her writing when sending an e-mail to a friend or writing a message to someone on Facebook.

Pendar said with time, the need to shorten phrases will disappear.

“We’ll probably see less space and not see messages constrained to 160 characters minimal,” he said.

Chapelle said change to any language is inevitable.

“If it wasn’t changing, we would still be clinging to a much older English style,” Chapelle said.

Pendar said instant messaging is still an area to keep an eye on.

“In general, messaging will be here. I think the medium will change, though,” he said. “I see it as a phenomenon to be reckoned with, it’s to watch how people adapt to it.”