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The system used in the UK at the moment (SMS) limits messages to just 160 characters. And the process of writing messages can be laborious to say the least.
So there is a real premium in cutting out unnecessary letters - for instance, why write "unnecessary" when "uncsry" will do?
BBC News Online user Joyce Pelella, a 75-year-old UK ex-pat now living in Florida, took time off from running from Hurricane Floyd, to help us take it one step further.
Joyce worked as a court stenographer for years: before the advent of computers, stenography lived or died by finding short forms for familiar phrases.
So for instance, in the graphic above, the phrase "WOIBLT CU SOONS POBL" could be unzipped to mean "Would I be able to see you as soon as possible?"
That's 20 characters instead of 46.
Joyce was even able to supply some spying glamour to the story.
Her mother and uncle trained spies at Bletchley Park, the top secret base where British intelligence used the infamous Enigma machine to crack wartime codes.
Joyce even worked there as a courier.
"Whole sentences can be accomplished with approx. four letters," she said. " The context of what is being written keeps you straight as to what the word is.
She suggested some of the following abbreviations might come in useful for anyone txt msging.
Although they might appear nonsense at first, there is a certain logic in them.
(Feel free to add your suggestions, by e-mailing them to e-cyclopedia@bbc.co.uk).
WOUBLT - Would that be Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato?
FOURM - A funny thing happened on the way...
WURD - something on the streets...
MED - Sea immediately around Malta
PERL - computer language instruction that follows KNIT2
WRIG - do you want some chewing gum?
Submitted by: Ken Thornton-Smith
Here are some terms used in chat rooms and when playing games online
c u l8tr m8 - See You Later Mate
lol - Laughing Out Load (rotfl - Rolling on the floor laughing)
gr8 - Great
u@? - Where are you (You At)
Submitted by: Neil Skinner
a/s/l? - age/sex/location
Submitted by: Charles Blassberg