I am thoroughly horrified with myself as I read this thread. I despise chat language as a rule, and make a valiant attempt to even keep it out of my chat, but as XPhial has just pointed out, it's creeping into my other writing as well. This is enough to make me plan out my New Year's Resolution in advance: No more "lol".
And as XPhial also pointed out, it is extremely tempting to use smileys in everyday writing. I did, I admit, use one in a paper on one occasion. And I've been tempted to otherwise. It's like a verbal tic in typing.
They say that you know a language well when you think in it. I would say its not much of a leap to say that a phrase or even a smiley has become part of the language when the first thing one thinks of as a response is a smiley, and the second is: "How I wish it was appropriate to use a smiley here!"
Argh... this is good for me, I certainly want to sound like the educated person I'll be when I finish my education! Thanks all.
Sophia
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The seasons fall like silver swords, the years rush ever onward; and soon I sail, to leave this world, these lands where I have wander'd. O Elbereth! O Queen who dwells beyond the Western Seas, spare me yet a little time 'ere white ships come for me!
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