Lol, ur xtra gr8 u qt!

I learned some Italian text speak!  We Americans shorten words when composing texts without thinking about it: lol, u, r, gr8.  I assumed that other languages do this as well, but taking time to figure out Italian text speak was well beyond my current curriculum priority.  However, a text from Bella the other day gave me a delightful impromptu lesson… 

Because my iPhone is on an Italian carrier now, it was in airplane mode throughout the duration of my recent month-and-some stay in the US.  Because I left for the US on such short notice, I wasn’t able to inform all my friends of my impending absence.  While in the States, it did occur to me that poor Bella might be wondering where I am, but since she and I only communicate by text or phone call, I was unable to let her know my predicament.  Besides, I figured, she and IMMA were probably travelling for Ferragosto, the Italian vacation season.

Shortly after I returned to Sicily, I received a text: “6 viva?”  My phone didn’t recognize the number that sent the text, so I figured it must be a wrong number.  But still, I wondered what the text meant.  “Viva” means “alive,” so…6 alive?  I didn’t get it. 

So I thought, “What’s the proper thing to do here?”  If it is a wrong number, should I respond and let the person know?  Obviously the sender is Italian; I’d have to carefully craft my response to make it legible to a native speaker.  As I pondered that, I realized that not many people text me.  Really, Bella is the only Italian who would text me.  What if she has a new number?  How terrible would that be if, when she hasn’t heard from me in over a month, I reply to her text by saying “you have the wrong number”??  So I decide to reply [in Italian], “I don’t recognize this number. Are you Bella?”  That last part, “Are you Bella?” is written, “Sei Bella?”  As I hit send, I pronounce my message out loud, because I say all things Italiano out loud when I can – practice, practice, practice:  “Sei Bella?”  That’s when it hits me! – uno, duo, tre, quattro, cinque, SEI!  The spelling and pronunciation of the Italian number six and the conjugation for “you” of “to be” are both “sei.”  When Bella texted me, “6 viva?” she was asking me, “Are you alive?”  Eureka!

…And hence, the story of how it took me an entire evening to comprehend one small instance of Italian text speak.  6 entertained?