[neilmarr]

As Boxcorner says, frequnetly used words tend to be shorted with familiarity -- just ask any Tom, Dick or Harry and he'll tell you all about that.

Phrases also contract: hi = howdy = how do you do? 'Water Closet' would make an awkward looking sign to hang outside the WC.

What's always happened in the evolution of the English language is happening faster than ever now. We use initials for complex but often used technical terms to the extent that many users may not even recall the original as the initials take over the job: DOS, PDF, HTML, PC ... and see my attachment: How many newcomers to MR have had to ask us what DRM means? And notice there's my little stylised bee logo in there. Says a lot to those in the know, just like an emoticon does for so many familiar with the style of a word-saving and hurried forum message.

When electronic communication via internet kicked in, few folks beyond scribes like me and office secretaries were skilled typists and plodded along pecking at keys with one or two fingers. This had several results: a whole tidal wave of new abbreviations and and acronyms, punctuation being skipped, even capitals dropped. Now we have a growing generation where few youngsters can't handle a keyboard, but they LOL at the thought of the gr8 effort involved in spelling out what they mean and/or trying to express it originally.

If meaningful communication itself isn't damaged, this can be a positive step. I guess that -- without even realising it -- today's youngsters read and write more than their parents and grandparents ever did at the same ago and interact with a greater pool of kids in other towns and even other countries than any generation before them. Of course, these kids in their emails and cellphone text messages and on forums talk nonsense much of the time, but that's nothing new, and it doesn't hurt as long as it doesn't become a lifelong habit.

Does written language ultimately suffer? Dunno. I do know that my eldest grandchild writes jibberish to her facebook pals, but she speaks well when she flies in for a visit, sends me perfectly grammatically composed cards and letters and is an avid reader of novels.

I reckon that those of us to whom the use of language is a vital tool of the trade will always be sticklers (but way back, even many of us learned Pitman's shorthand/stenography to cut corners in the interest of speed -- I still write grocery lists that way). But if we know the rules, ain't nothin' wrong with breaking 'em when the occasion suits, eh?

There's no set rule with many of these newly formed words created from contracted phrases, so -- as with genes and memes -- a winning mutation will stick.

So I'm happy to swap emails via my PC on the net and much prefer my ebooks these days to the treebook alternative. OK?

Salut. Neil