[Gannu_1]

I think some folks have confused with the internet slang BTW. I thought it meant by the way and not between. Can the two be used interchangeably?

For eg. BTW, for those who are wondering...

[noopster]

^^ BTW is always "by the way". I have used btwn and betn as shorthand for "between" while taking notes back in college but would never dare use it with another person and presume he knows what I mean!

[anupmathur]

Rohan, I agree with you that the Tata Ad has quoted selectively and changed the meaning entirely from what you had posted in the review.
People disagreeing with this are only displaying their own lack of proficiency at the language.

And, BTW (by the way; not 'between'!!), Noopster, what are 'ellipses'?

[noopster]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

And, BTW (by the way; not 'between'!!), Noopster, what are 'ellipses'?

Quoting from Wikipedia:

Ellipsis (plural ellipses; from the Ancient Greek: ἔλλειψις, élleipsis, "omission" or "falling short") is a series of dots that usually indicates an intentional omission of a word, sentence, or whole section from a text without altering its original meaning.[1] Depending on their context and placement in a sentence, ellipses can also indicate an unfinished thought, a leading statement, a slight pause, or a nervous or awkward silence.

Simply put...

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by noopster

Quoting from Wikipedia:

Simply put...

Thank you. Learnt a new use for an old word!

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

For eg. BTW, for those who are wondering...

BTW, "For eg" is incorrect. "eg" by itself means "for example"

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by noopster

Quoting from Wikipedia:

Simply put...

I remember a few months/years back, on this very thread, an argument that ensued because ellipses were being called out for infractions...

Oh well...

[comfortablynumb]

We are like this only

http://m.indiatimes.com/culture/who-...ut-229329.html

Cheers,
Vikram

[carboy]

Originally Posted by mayankk

I remember a few months/years back, on this very thread, an argument that ensued because ellipses were being called out for infractions...

It still holds, because people were using them as full stops, rather than as ellipses.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Over use of ellipses is certainly ugly, like overuse! of exclamation! marks! (my regular sin) but it should not be..confused.with..this.stuff (Mods please excuse example!), Why do people find it easier to type multiple full points instead of properly using spaces. Of course, I would ask, why do people find it easier to write abbreviated garbage instead of words.

I might think differently if I were a teenager whose every thought had to be instantly transmitted to a dozen friends!

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

... Why do people find it easier to type multiple full points instead of properly using spaces. ...

Hey, Thad, it's not that they find it 'easier'; it's because they think it's very 'kewl'!!
You'd understand this only if you were a teenager!

[Thad E Ginathom]

OK. There was a time when I used to spout a whole load of stuff like far out, man! Groovy! Cool! But at least we didn't abbreviate it. Would have looked a bit silly on a piece of paper out of a manual typewriter!

Of course, nothing is really new, even though the flavour may change. Our parents and grandparents were writing SWALK on the back of the envelopes containing letters to lovers, and wartime correspondence carried abbreviations with much more, err, adult abbreviations than Sealed With A Loving Kiss.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

.....I might think differently if I were a teenager whose every thought had to be instantly transmitted to a dozen friends!

I have a tough time wondering how these spelling-challenged teenagers understand what's being said at all. I don't even want to think of the possibility that 'their' language might one day become the accepted norm for (short) text conversation.

[Thad E Ginathom]

I have no doubt that it will. It is inevitable. Long-standing abbreviations like BTW, IMHO and IIRC, have more-or-less entered the language. They date back to USENET (IMHO and IIRC ). I don't find them offensive.

Perhaps the big difference is that, as far as my experience goes, nobody, in those days, would have dreamed of using them in formal English, whereas txt speak is even used in job applications now.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

.......txt speak is even used in job applications now.......

I reject such applications outright everyday. Kids today have access to a lot more information than a generation ago, but I've come to realize from first-hand experience that (easier access to) knowledge doesn't necessarily make one smarter, quite the opposite in a lot of cases.