Which term refers to language used in digital communications that often uses abbreviations and nonstandard grammar?

• A. Net-speak
• B. Slang
• C. Textspeak
• D. Jargon

Answer: (C)

Textspeak describes the language used in digital messaging that favors brevity through abbreviations, nonstandard spellings, and simplifications. It's built for quick, informal texting, so you’ll see shortcuts like u for you, r for are, and gr8 for great, along with acronyms such as lol and brb. This style often drops punctuation and uses relaxed capitalization to speed up typing on phones.

This term fits best because it specifically targets the way people write in text and chat contexts, where character limits and immediate communication drive the conventions. It differs from slang, which is about informal vocabulary used in speech or writing regardless of medium; from jargon, which is specialized terminology used within a profession or hobby; and from net-speak in a broader sense, which covers online language across many platforms and genres, not just texting.