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Joe
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 12:04 am
Post subject: To Text or to SMS |
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In South Africa, when people send messages over their *cellulars* [ or is
that their mobiles?] they refer to it as *SMSing* whereas in the UK they
call it *texting*.
What happens in other English-speaking countries?
Curious
Joe
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Michael Hamm
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 12:04 am
Post subject: Re: To Text or to SMS |
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Today, Joe <j_watson_r@intranet.co.za> abed:
| Quote: | their *cellulars* [ or is that their mobiles?]
|
Stateside, I've heard 'cellular phone' (second most common), 'cell'
(informal), 'mobile phone', 'cell phone' (most common), and 'cellular'
(rare).
Off-topically, I know of four unrelated Hebrew words for a cell phone
(only two in English, per above): 'mobil' (loanword, natch), 'selular'
(ditto), 'pelefon' (a pun: 'pele' means "amazing thing"), and 'nayad'
(from the triliteral root nun-vav-dalet meaning "move about").
Michael Hamm
AM, Math, Wash. U. St. Louis
msh210@math.wustl.edu Standard disclaimers:
http://math.wustl.edu/~msh210/ ... legal.html |
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don groves
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 12:10 am
Post subject: Re: To Text or to SMS |
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In article <co2lhg$gu0$1@ctb-nnrp2.saix.net>, Joe at
j_watson_r@intranet.co.za exposited:
| Quote: | In South Africa, when people send messages over their *cellulars* [ or is
that their mobiles?] they refer to it as *SMSing* whereas in the UK they
call it *texting*.
What happens in other English-speaking countries?
|
In the US, the latest "cellular" phones have "text messaging"
capability.
--
dg (domain=ccwebster)
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Peter Moylan
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 6:05 am
Post subject: Re: To Text or to SMS |
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Joe infrared:
| Quote: | In South Africa, when people send messages over their *cellulars* [ or is
that their mobiles?] they refer to it as *SMSing* whereas in the UK they
call it *texting*.
What happens in other English-speaking countries?
|
In Australia, young people SMS on mobile phones. I've also heard it
called texting, but don't know how common that is here.
People my age don't seem to do it at all; we're stuck with the
old-fashioned notion that telephones are for talking. In fact, many
of us don't bother with mobile phones at all. My wife has one, but
she often has to ask the children which buttons to press to make
something happen. As for me, I haven't even figured out how to find
the Ctrl/Alt/Del.
--
Peter Moylan peter at ee dot newcastle dot edu dot au
http://eepjm.newcastle.edu.au (OS/2 and eCS information and software) |
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Steve Hayes
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 11:48 am
Post subject: Re: To Text or to SMS |
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On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 21:42:18 +0000 (UTC), mhamm@artsci.wustl.edu (Michael
Hamm) wrote:
| Quote: | Today, Joe <j_watson_r@intranet.co.za> abed:
their *cellulars* [ or is that their mobiles?]
Stateside, I've heard 'cellular phone' (second most common), 'cell'
(informal), 'mobile phone', 'cell phone' (most common), and 'cellular'
(rare).
|
In South Africa, a "cellular phone" is a half-jack of brandy. The kind you
talk on is called a "cell phone".
When they were new and expensive and only yuppies had them, they were referred
to as "Gauteng earrings", but pay-as-you-go put paid to that (as in "did for
it"), and now every Tom, Dick, Koos and Sipho has one.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk |
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Michael Nitabach
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 12:03 pm
Post subject: Re: To Text or to SMS |
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hayesmstw@hotmail.com (Steve Hayes) wrote in
news:41a55cec.6991894@news.saix.net:
| Quote: | On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 21:42:18 +0000 (UTC), mhamm@artsci.wustl.edu
(Michael Hamm) wrote:
Today, Joe <j_watson_r@intranet.co.za> abed:
their *cellulars* [ or is that their mobiles?]
Stateside, I've heard 'cellular phone' (second most common),
'cell' (informal), 'mobile phone', 'cell phone' (most common), and
'cellular' (rare).
In South Africa, a "cellular phone" is a half-jack of brandy.
|
Is this what you mean?
"What's that in your pocket?"
"It's my cellular phone."
"Can I have a swig?"
--
Mike Nitabach |
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JC Dill
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 12:03 pm
Post subject: Re: To Text or to SMS |
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On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 20:56:47 +0200, "Joe" <j_watson_r@intranet.co.za>
wrote:
| Quote: | In South Africa, when people send messages over their *cellulars* [ or is
that their mobiles?] they refer to it as *SMSing* whereas in the UK they
call it *texting*.
What happens in other English-speaking countries?
|
I have no idea what the normal term is locally (silicon valley), but
tonight I was talking with a friend just as he was heading off to
dinner, and I indicated I might need him to stop at the store and pick
a few things up on his way home. I told him I would "IM his cell
phone" with the shopping list, if needed. Of course it isn't really
IM, but he clearly understood what I was talking about.
jc |
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Charles Riggs
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 6:11 pm
Post subject: Re: To Text or to SMS |
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On 25 Nov 2004 02:59:14 GMT, peter@seagoon.newcastle.edu.au (Peter
Moylan) wrote:
| Quote: | Joe infrared:
In South Africa, when people send messages over their *cellulars* [ or is
that their mobiles?] they refer to it as *SMSing* whereas in the UK they
call it *texting*.
What happens in other English-speaking countries?
In Australia, young people SMS on mobile phones. I've also heard it
called texting, but don't know how common that is here.
People my age don't seem to do it at all; we're stuck with the
old-fashioned notion that telephones are for talking. In fact, many
of us don't bother with mobile phones at all. My wife has one, but
she often has to ask the children which buttons to press to make
something happen. As for me, I haven't even figured out how to find
the Ctrl/Alt/Del.
|
A trend I'm seeing is for people to have a mobile phone and a mobile
phone only. With the Internet being piped into my computer room via
cable, I have no need for an old-fashioned landline. My last one, I
hope, was in Ireland -- paying one phone bill beats paying two.
--
Charles Riggs
They are no accented letters in my email address |
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Steve Hayes
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2004 12:10 am
Post subject: Re: To Text or to SMS |
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On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 23:38:37 -0600, Michael Nitabach <mnitabach@acedsl.com>
wrote:
| Quote: | hayesmstw@hotmail.com (Steve Hayes) wrote in
news:41a55cec.6991894@news.saix.net:
On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 21:42:18 +0000 (UTC), mhamm@artsci.wustl.edu
(Michael Hamm) wrote:
Today, Joe <j_watson_r@intranet.co.za> abed:
their *cellulars* [ or is that their mobiles?]
Stateside, I've heard 'cellular phone' (second most common),
'cell' (informal), 'mobile phone', 'cell phone' (most common), and
'cellular' (rare).
In South Africa, a "cellular phone" is a half-jack of brandy.
Is this what you mean?
"What's that in your pocket?"
"It's my cellular phone."
"Can I have a swig?"
|
Yes.
But you're more likely to see hawkers after football matches shouting
"Cellular phones, cellular phones" for the supporters of the winning team to
celebrate their victory and the losing fans to drown their sorrows.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk |
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