Texters not swearing by it
Rachel Weber - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 4/30/08 Section: Metro
Shiv! UI text messagers using T9 on their cell phones can't type any ducking swearwords.
T9, a predictive text software embedded on most mobile devices, allows text messagers to begin typing a word, and it fills in the rest using an algorithm that detects letter combinations that are frequent in words, said Laurie Baars, the senior marketing manager for Nuance Communications Inc. - the company that owns T9 software.
But, as numerous UI students know, their favorite four-letter words and more cannot be found in the software.
T9 allows users only type using one key per letter, Baars said, estimating that T9 software is embedded in 3.2 billion mobile devices worldwide and has been a standard feature on most cell phones since the late 1990s.
A team of linguists created the software's database using algorithms, or rules for forming words, Baars said, and they then erased any profanity the algorithms created at the request of consumers and mobile device manufacturers.
Nuance has gotten recent complaints from consumers in Germany for having Nazi-related and anti-Semitic words programmed in the T9 software. Swedish consumers have also complained about compound profanity, in which the word in question is a combination of two non-profane words, she said.
However, Baars said, "if the word is truly offensive in the culture, we will take steps to remove it from the software."
As a result, UI students and other text messagers get some funny words when they're trying to type a swear word.
"Everytime I go to write the word 'f---', it says 'duck', so I have to go back and change it," UI junior Alison Wengryn said. "It happens a lot."
She often uses T9 to type messages and doesn't realize until after she has sent it that T9 used words she didn't mean to type, she said.
"One time I was trying to call someone a pussy, and it called them a puppy," she said.
Kelly Anderson, a UI sophomore, also said she had problems texting naughty words with T9.
T9, a predictive text software embedded on most mobile devices, allows text messagers to begin typing a word, and it fills in the rest using an algorithm that detects letter combinations that are frequent in words, said Laurie Baars, the senior marketing manager for Nuance Communications Inc. - the company that owns T9 software.
But, as numerous UI students know, their favorite four-letter words and more cannot be found in the software.
T9 allows users only type using one key per letter, Baars said, estimating that T9 software is embedded in 3.2 billion mobile devices worldwide and has been a standard feature on most cell phones since the late 1990s.
A team of linguists created the software's database using algorithms, or rules for forming words, Baars said, and they then erased any profanity the algorithms created at the request of consumers and mobile device manufacturers.
Nuance has gotten recent complaints from consumers in Germany for having Nazi-related and anti-Semitic words programmed in the T9 software. Swedish consumers have also complained about compound profanity, in which the word in question is a combination of two non-profane words, she said.
However, Baars said, "if the word is truly offensive in the culture, we will take steps to remove it from the software."
As a result, UI students and other text messagers get some funny words when they're trying to type a swear word.
"Everytime I go to write the word 'f---', it says 'duck', so I have to go back and change it," UI junior Alison Wengryn said. "It happens a lot."
She often uses T9 to type messages and doesn't realize until after she has sent it that T9 used words she didn't mean to type, she said.
"One time I was trying to call someone a pussy, and it called them a puppy," she said.
Kelly Anderson, a UI sophomore, also said she had problems texting naughty words with T9.
Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 6
christopher-wheeler
Chris
posted 4/30/08 @ 7:32 AM CST
Wow, what a brilliant piece of journalism.
Michael
posted 4/30/08 @ 8:59 AM CST
People complain because they have to use extra effort to swear... Get over it.
I am glad that they don't make it easy to have a swear word pop up. Look at all the mistaken words that get sent using T9. (Continued…)
Jugdesh
posted 4/30/08 @ 11:10 AM CST
"Problems such as these discouraged UI senior Bradley Knudson from using T9 when text messaging." Hey buddy, how about allowing those problems to discourage you from swearing? Tasteless! Senseless! Classless!
joking right?
posted 4/30/08 @ 12:42 PM CST
You would think that there's more important things to worry about both as a college student and as a college "NEWSPAPER" than how a few college students can't figure out how to swear in there text messages. (Continued…)
J
posted 4/30/08 @ 6:19 PM CST
Why waste the time conveying filler words in a text medium that is limited to 150 characters per message? Why not send something meaningful?
And what an informative, pressing, and relevant article. (Continued…)
brennan
posted 5/01/08 @ 7:49 AM CST
Get over yourselves. Every edition doesn't necessarily have to be comprised of "Sueppel's Toxicology Report", or "President Mason makes less money than a few UI profs". (Continued…)
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