IM is full of acronyms ('BRB' equals 'be right back'), words are missing vowels and capitalisation takes on new rules. And in Hong Kong, IM melds English with Cantonese. Reading an IM message requires street-smart logic, as Janice Chow Man-sze demonstrates with some of the messages she shares with her friends.

For example, 'U dim ar' means 'How are you?', the 18-year-old Form Seven student says, adding that Cantonese exclamations such as guo, gwa, la and jor are frequently used in IM.

Chat lingo is shortened for speed because conversations are conducted in real time. If a friend is waiting for a response, you want to type it as quickly as possible.

'Unless we come across complicated sentences, it's not too difficult to decode,' says Janice, who spends about 90 minutes a day on her computer or mobile phone, chatting and discussing homework with her schoolmates. 'We used to use English only at school. Now we use more English after school because most IM platforms support only English. Sometimes I learn English words from my peers using IM.'

When Janice uses the SMS (short message system) to communicate via her mobile phone, she always inputs messages in English (or what passes as English), because using pinyin or calligraphy strokes slows down the process. To inform her friends she's going to school, she thumbs in: 'i today will back sch', to which she receives responses such as 'i do back' (for 'me too') or 'i ng back' ('I'm not going back').

Although Hong Kong's IM users prefer to communicate in English or 'Chinglish', some input Chinese characters when including Cantonese slang or informal banter. Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station, for instance, can be abbreviated to 'tsim dei' (Tsim: Tsim Sha Tsui; dei: an abbreviation of dei tit, or MTR).

With text message acronyms entering dictionaries - the Concise Oxford Dictionary in 2001 was the first mainstream dictionary to do so - some linguists are arguing that the Web language is a new entity, a hybrid of speech and writing. Others, however, say it hasn't impacted on language much outside the Internet - yet. Teens say it's uncool to use IM acronyms in regular conversation. 'We know when to use this language,' says Chow. 'We don't use it in our homework.'

However, Lillian Wong Lai-ching, a language instructor at the University of Hong Kong's English Centre, believes IM is having an impact on students. It's not uncommon to find 'u' written in students' essays, instead of 'you', she says, adding students are probably not aware of using abbreviations while putting their thoughts on paper.

For the full story, read the Life section of the South China Morning Post.

Vocabulary

real-time (adj)

occuring without any time lag. Talking on the phone happens in real time, while corresponding by mail does not

to puzzle (v)

to do something that perplexes and confuses others

ramifications (n, usually in plural form)

consequences of one's action

lingo (n)

a language

hybrid (adj)

of mixed origin

to meld (v)

to merge, combine

Example: Controversial author Iris Chang melds history with human rights in her new book on the role of the Chinese in shaping America. (SCMP, May 4, 2003)

banter (n)

the good humoured exchange of teasing remarks

Discussion points

- Should the government intervene in the

- Is the use of acronyms inevitable in instant messaging (IM) and short message system (SMS)?

- Do you think IM and SMS will only get more popular? Why?

- Do these new communication tools give students more opportunities to use English? If yes, how would you advise your fellow students to make good use of the technology?

- Or do you think they have an adverse impact on language? Explain.