I ran across this word in a word-a-day calendar and it intrigued me. It sent me on a search to find out more about it. Though it was created in the 1800s, it is particularly relevant to today’s IM-ing, texting, and emailing world.
Telegraphese Defined
Telegraphese is a noun describing a “language” distinguished by the use of shortness or curtness and by the ellipses or abbreviations commonly used on telegrams. It’s a style of writing or speaking set apart from normal speech patterns by the omissions and abbreviations. Telegraphese is a method of writing that attempts to pack as much info into the fewest number of words or characters.
So What Is Telegraphese?
Telegraphese is the 19th century version of sending text messages. Whenever someone needed to get a message to someone else quickly – more quickly than a mailed letter, they would send a telegram. (Tele is Greek for distance, graphe is Greek for “to write”.) But to send a telegraph, or telegram, cost a lot of money since you had to pay by the word. So people began creating a form of shorthand in order make their shorter. By using abbreviations and only the most meaningful words, a message could deliver the pertinent information in as few words as possible. It has changed over time to become today’s texting and IM-ing shorthand.
Problems with Telegraphese
The biggest problem with telegraphese is that, in an attempt to be concise, the message runs the risk of becoming vague. This ambiguity can lead to misinterpretation, either accidental or on purpose.
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