SAM Daily Times

               Save Our Vowels

                                                     Where have they all gone?

All over the planet, they are disappearing. Scientists are worried.It may be sign of THE END OF THE WORLD. No, Im not talking about vanishing frogs. I'm talking about absent vowels. I gota message the other day that said, "Mt @ rd st crnr @ 12", signed QT. What did it mean? A young text-savvy person in the office tole me that QT means "cutie" and translated : "An attractive young woman wants to meet you at the corner of Third Street at noon".
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That got me thinking. Names without vowels are springing up everywhere. One of the top executives at DBS group, one of Asia'a biggest baks, is calle Chng. And the real name of top Singaporean singer Stefanie Sun is Sng. This columnist gets regular story tips from an Indian girl Shyrnne.I've also heard from a South Asian reader named Mythry.
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James Gleick's book "Faster" has been issued in paperback, now re-titled FSTR. But the publishers' revision is half-hearted, with the main text of the book STILL containing vowels.Why not go the whole hog? U cn stll rd ths wtht vwls. On the other hand, just be aware that vowel free words can be interpreted in various ways. One day I'll get a message from a QT who actually is a cutie. But I won't take the risk. Quentin is out there.

Above are selected paragraphs from an article that appeared in RD Asia,Sep 2009.