y = i? Is this a language thing?

[Disch]

I've been seeing more and more people mistyping "y" for "I".

Example post: http://www.cplusplus.com/forum/beginner/28154/#msg151298


Now as much as I loathe the whole "u" for "you" thing, I at least understand it.

But I don't understand the "y" for "I". I mean they're both 1 letter. And they're just about right next to each other on the keyboard! In fact I is even closer to the home row, so you'd think it'd be easier to type.

The only sense I can make is that this is some kind of weird language thing where English is not their native language, and 'y' is pronounced like 'i'. But that doesn't really make sense in my brain either, because in other languages I know (like spanish), 'y' is pronounced more like "e"

So wtf?

[jsmith]

y dunno. I are u asking aniwai?

[m4ster r0shi]

y guess he ys just curyous.

[Disch]

Because I want to stay hip and with it. I want to keep up with all the groovy jive the kids are gabbing about these days. That way I can be a hep cat like that Justin Timberlake fella.

Otherwise I feel like an old fogie.

[Kyon]

Beyng an old fogye ys better than being Justyn Tymberlake, not that y have ani experyence on eyther, but.. whatever.

[NGen]

Disch: In that post he was replacing "why" with "y".

[Disch]

No he wasn't.

Here's every instance of 'y' I spotted:

hello..if y understand correctly

y say u can use something like a switch case menu.

Now y am a beginner

if y am wrong

it is just the best thing y could think of

"why" does not make sense in any of those instances.
"I" makes perfect sense in all of them.

EDIT: actually "why" would make sense in the 2nd instance there, but not in the context that sentence was stated in the thread.

[NGen]

Alright, I just saw one of them and implied.

[chrisname]

That is weird... It must be a language thing, I can't see why else you would type it. If it was once or twice I'd guess it was a typo (as you said, they are close to eachother on a QWERTY keyboard), but it was every single time.

Also if you imitate Justin Timberlake I might have to kill you. Justin should be learning that right about now (he says, turning to his henchmen who are currently beating Justin Timberlake to death). Also, Mr. Bieber, if you're reading this - I'll be in touch.

[Seraphimsan]

You assume Justin Bieber is able to read.

[chrisname]

I wouldn't be surprised if he was illiterate, actually, apparently he's quite stupid and clumsy because he's missed so much of his education. I guess he doesn't need it at the moment, but if I were famous I'd still want to be educated and intelligent - when he gets older, people won't think he's "cute" anymore and he won't have any fans. Then he's screwed. He may have made enough money by then to live off of for the rest of his life, though.

IMO, the best thing to be famous for is something intellectual, something that actually helped humanity. John von Neumann, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Ed Witten are good examples of people who are famous for decent reasons. If it was a toss up between saving the Beatles and any of the people I listed above, I definitely wouldn't choose the Beatles (then again, maybe I wouldn't choose them against a real beetle because I don't like them).

[Duthomhas]

Good grief, is that what it is?

I just had to tumble through a post like that and respond, not knowing for sure that the poster would have any clue what I was saying...

Alas.

[kaduuk]

haha and then there was me thinking it's weird :P lucky i'm not the only one :)