Nineteenth-century poets were writing textspeak long before phones, using telegram and shorthand habits

arts, ideas & societyThe Public Domain Review19th century

Nineteenth-century poets were writing textspeak long before phones, using telegram and shorthand habits

the gist

Textspeak, the abbreviated language of early texting, has older roots in the Victorian telegram and shorthand. Telegram companies charged per word, so senders dropped unnecessary words and punctuation to save money. Shorthand systems like Isaac Pitman's were designed to write quickly by using symbols for sounds. Writers in the nineteenth century also published comic poems that used this clipped style, such as a love poem in C.C. Bombaugh's Gleanings for the Curious. Its lines are full of abbreviations like I wrote 2 U B 4. Similar poems appeared in newspapers and magazines in Britain and America, including one in 1828.

how it works

Telegraph companies charged by the word, so every unnecessary word was dropped. Shorthand used compact symbols for common sounds. Both habits taught writers to compress meaning, and early texting continued the same logic with limited keys.

so what

The pattern shows that shortening language to save effort is older than mobile phones. Cost-based communication, like the telegram, shaped how people write under pressure.

Image: The Public Domain Review

source: The Public Domain Review ↗

historyWikipediaclassic1336–1565 · Karnataka, India

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗