Traditional English Words Being Forgotten Thanks to 'Text-Speak'

A new survey has found that traditional English words are dying out with the increasing popularity of text speak.

The survey of 2,000 adults found that almost three-quarters believe longer words have become outdated since text messages and social networking websites gained popularity, the Daily Mail reported.

Also a quarter of British adults admitted using text message abbreviations such as 'lol' (laughing out loud), 'jel' (jealous) and 'soz' (sorry) in verbal communication.

Half of those polled didn't know what a 'cad' was and almost one in five weren't familiar with the term 'raconteur', while three-quarters had never described something as 'diabolical'.

"There are some great descriptive words that are being lost and these words would make our everyday language much more colourful and fun if we were to use them," said JP Davidson, author of Planet Word, which reveal the trend of text languages.

Among words that Brits said they don't use anymore are 'bally' and 'swell', researchers found.

Only half have used the word 'knackered' and three quarters have never used 'diabolical'.

While only 82 per cent are familiar with the word 'raconteur', 70 per cent have never used the word 'shenanigans'. One in fifteen adults has never used the word 'drat' and half didn't know what a 'cad' was.

Most people admitted they often come across words they don't know the meaning of, with teenagers and those in their twenties finding this happening more frequently than any other age group.

Fifteen per cent of people say they would have a bad impression of someone who used longer words and language that wasn't as common and was a little outdated.

Source: ANI