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This really is why being a stickler for English is really pointless, and maybe even counter-productive to the evolution of the language. I also don't like it w
by matt_wulfeck 9y ago
This really is why being a stickler for English is really pointless, and maybe even counter-productive to the evolution of the language.
I also don't like it when people write "u" instead of "you", etc, but it's how languages move. If you're going to cling to the past, you may as well write in Ye Olde English -- because eventually that's what you'll sound like.
- kafkaesq 9y agoI get your drift, but it depends on the context. If you're communicating with Prince fans (or you are Prince), substitutions like U, 4, 2, etc might be appropriate. If you're applying for a job (even as Prince's sound engineer), maybe not so much.
- 21 9y agoAs a non-native, I find "u" closer to the actual pronunciation than "you".
- jdmichal 9y agoThe pronunciation is /ju/, so I would think that "you" is a closer rendition. The only reason "u" works is because we happen to pronounce the name of that letter exactly the same: /ju/. So it's being used as a non-traditional digraph. It's the same pattern as using "8" in examples like "g8 b8 m8 I r8 it 8/8". Here "8" is serving as a non-traditional trigraph /eɪt/.
- jdmichal 9y ago"Ye Olde English" is a funny example, because the use of "y" here is actually a replacement for thorn (Þ) that was introduced with the printing press. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y#Confusion_in_writing_with_the_letter_thorn https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y#Confusion_in_writing_with_th...