IndiaExpress Bureau

:-),:-(,;-),:-Q,-*! This apparent gibberish is not a virus attack, but a popular way to express emotions through the mobile phone and email, now included even in the stiff upper-lip Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

Sample this - ATB,KIT,CUL8R,B4N! This simply means all the best, keep in touch, see you later and bye for now.

All this and much more in electronic messaging and telephoning have been included in the Dictionary and its editor Sally Wehmeier says "people like to know how to send out an email, whether it is OK to use informal language, whether it is acceptable to start with hello, etc."

"While I must admit that the only ones I personally use regularly are BTW (by the way) and FYI (for your information) but I often see others used, also emoticons. These words and abbreviations have been included in other dictionaries," says Wehmeier.

The dictionary in fact explains that text messages, chat room messages and sometimes emails can be written using the smallest number of letters possible.

Pronouns, prepositions and articles may be omitted and abbreviations are widely used. It gives various examples of how words might be shown in a message - 2DAY (today), BBL (bye back later), WKND (weekend), MYOB (mind your own business) and IMHO (in my humble opinion).