thu , nite , lite , ...

[omarsyr]

Hello everybody,
I noticed that these words are used inmany fields;
thru instead of through
nite instead of night
lite instead of light
What is the origin of these words?
can we use them as alternatives to the original words?
are they American or British?
Thanks

[i like]

"thru instead of through
nite instead of night
lite instead of light"

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Those words are just used in internet and communication
Not acceptable words in a formal dictionary

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'How r u' instead of 'how are you' is the same

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Just tiny idea

[Marius Hancu]

They are much older than the Internet. See a search result in published books for years previous to 1900:

634 on "the nite"
http://books.google.com/books?lr=&as_brr=0&q=%22the+nite%22+&btnG=Search+Books&as_drrb_is=b&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=1900

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New monthly magazine‎ - Page 228 (http://books.google.com/books?id=0t4RAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA228&dq=%22the+nite%22&lr=&as_drrb_is=b&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=1900&as_brr=0)

by Thomas Campbell, Samuel Carter Hall, Edward Bulwer Lytton Lytton, Theodore Edward Hook, William Harrison Ainsworth, Thomas Hood - History (http://books.google.com/books?q=+subject:%22History%22&lr=&as_drrb_is=b&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=1900&as_brr=0) - 1852

... have you heerd anythink of a great robbery of plate wich it took place at
Stratford here in Essex, the nite afore last ?" I sed I hadn't,
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The Mirror of literature, amusement, and instruction‎ - Page 11 (http://books.google.com/books?id=7boRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA11&dq=%22the+nite%22&lr=&as_drrb_is=b&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=1900&as_brr=0)

by Reuben Percy - History (http://books.google.com/books?q=+subject:%22History%22&lr=&as_drrb_is=b&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=1900&as_brr=0) - 1833

... because thy say he beet her, the nite she went away in the morning — and (hy
say she was to black and bin with the browses that she would not take
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As you can see, it's been used mainly by uneducated people ("sed" for "said," "beet" for "beat" etc). They simplified everything to do their own job easier:-)

[i like]

Marius Hancu:

Thank for your guide
What a painstaking work you do

My best regards,