Internet slang
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- ttyl redirects here. For the book by Lauren Myracle, see ttyl (book).
- This article discusses general features of Internet slang. For detailed usages, see List of Internet slang phrases.
Internet slang is slang that Internet users have coined and promulgated. Such terms typically originated with the purpose of saving keystrokes, and many people use the same abbreviations in text messages. They are also very commonly used in instant messaging. The terms often appear in lower case, with capitals reserved for emphasis; for example, the pronoun "I" often appears simply as "i". People also use "u" to mean "you" and "r" to mean "are".
Like most jargon, internet slang aggrandizes authors and readers, causing them to appear as having specialized knowledge of an already complex medium. However, there are cases where using Internet slang with a straight face is considered ridiculous, due to association with the stereotype of the internet n00b. Because of this, several internet slang abbreviations and spellings are most often used ironically.
Some other Internet slang includes the folowing. If your called a "tker" it means that your a typekiller. for instance, I'f at any given time during an action game you need to type, and a person kills you, thats a type kill, or "TK." Another slang is if the person has to go away for his keyboard, or "AFK" (this means your not at your comp, or computer) He or she may say "BRB" or be right back. One more is the saying, "OMG"/"OMFG." This term is usually use out of stress or anger and it means "Ohh my god!!"/"OHH MY FREAKING GOD!"
Many of them can seem confusing, obscure, whimsical, or even nonsensical. For example, LMAO stands for Laughing My Ass Off. Another feature common to Internet communication involves the truncation and morphing of words to forms that users can type more readily, and quickly. When new terms of internet slang are created, it takes time for them to become widely accepted. The small ring of friends using an instant messaging client most of the time is not enough. Web forums are a way to get new terminology out on the net, and accepted and used by a wide range of members of the internet community.
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[edit] Typos
Occasionally, a simple typo can result in the formation of a new term, for example, "teh". This originated as a typo of "the", and often pops up spontaneously when typing fast. It has become so common, that it is now sometimes deliberately used.
A good example of this deliberate typo is the term "pwned", "pwnd" or "pwn3d" (a 1337 version). These words are meant to say owned, but common belief is that due to a mis-type originating in several online computer games, they have become widely used in internet gaming. Not only this, but the term pwned is also meant to be used as player-owned. It can be considered a typo in certain cases, while in others it is used deliberately. Others do not trust a typo as the origin for "pwn", as mistakenly typing a "p" instead of "o" would be difficult, due to the normal position of your hands while typing.
There are some who insist that the verb "pwn" (simple present tense) is actually a typo of the verb "own", as in this example sentence, "I just owned your face." (In 1337, "I just pwnd j00r f4c3!!1!!1!!ONE11!!!1` ".) However, due to the nature of the speech communities involved, etymologies are fleeting and the meanings of words are more transitory than those of nonvirtual speech communities. As a result, not only is it impossible to determine the origins of 1337 sp34k terms, but also it is important to be aware that games, servers, and sometimes even individual groups of gamers (guilds, clans, and the like) may have their own shared cultural meanings, shared rules of speaking, and background knowledge regarding their lexicon.
There are other examples such as people saying "!!!1!11!!1!!!1!" after a word or sentence where they accidentally let go of the shift key, or even typing out the word "one"!!!!1`1`!!one!!!; this is commonly found with people making fun of the younger, more slang abusive users online in the form of OMFGROTFLMMFAO!!!1!!1111!!!. Players who are especially 1337 use shift+11 to denote that what the player accomplished was especially incredible, seeing as the gamer had the time to type shift+11. This could also denote the player pwned a n00b. An example: OMG!!!11!1!!1shift+11!Lmfao(Laughing My F***ing A** Off)
[edit] Examples
[edit] Acronyms and abbreviations
Abbreviations are probably the most used variation of internet slang. As opposed to typing out a long character string of multiple words, a simple 3 or 4 letter abbreviation can be used to express your point. A good example is "TTYL", which means "talk to you later." Another example is "OMGWTFMOO"" which means "Oh my God, What the fuck" followed by the sound a cow makes. Probably the most commonly used example of this is "lol", which means "laugh out loud."
Abbreviations vary considerably depending on the internet group, particularly in the case of online games where each game develops its own acronyms within its sub-culture. For example within the context of the online MMORPG World of Warcraft, AP generally refers to "Attack Power" while in the MMORPG Maple Story it refers to "Ability Points". This can lead to considerable confusion for the new user who is often incapable of understanding other users' messages.
The words Acronym and Abbreviation are commonly confused with one another. Acronyms are a subset of abbreviations. An abbreviation is the mere shortening of a word while an acronym is the shortening of a word to form a new, pronounceable word. For example: NASA and SCUBA are acronyms while things like LOL, BRB, STFU, OMG, and AFK are all abbreviations and slangs. However, some of these abbreviations are used, or 'pronounced' even, as acronyms. For instance, the abbreviation LOL is finding it's way into normal conversations outside of internet use, being pronounced either letter by letter, as an abbreviation, or phonetically, as an acronym.
[edit] Emoticons (smileys)
Emoticons — also known as smileys — are a form of ASCII art where a short sequence of printable characters is used to resemble a facial expression and convey an emotion.
The basic "western style" smiley is :), where the colon represents the eyes and the parenthesis for the mouth, forming a rough approximation of a "happy face". Many emoticons may be more easily recognised by tilting one's head to the left, and a great many variants exist.
The other major style of emoticon, which does not require the viewer to tilt their head, evolved in East Asia. In the basic smiling manga emoticon, ^_^, the carets represent the eyes, and the underscore a mouth.
'Emoticons' most probably found their origins in the early days of e-mail as a method of avoiding a potentially embarrassing or emotionally damaging misunderstanding by clarifying intent.
[edit] Noob (also N00b)
The word "noob" is used a lot in internet slang for people who are new at things (from the word newbie). Generally, when the term "noob" is used, it is used as an insult to a person who is a newbie, but thinks they know everything there is to know about the game or other subject matter when they clearly do not. There are also many variations of the word "noob", such as newb, nub, and n00b.
Noob/nub, has mutliple meanings itself. lets say you were to play Gunz online, if you were to be horendus at the game, they may call you a noob. Also if you beg for items.
Also, in some places, such as Gaia Online, this can be attributed to someone whom has been in a certain place for a long time and attains they're ignorance.
[edit] Format tagging
A variation of tagging meant to resemble XML or HTML code is used to give emphasis on posts on blogs, forums, or message boards. For example, in HTML, when "<b>" and "</b>" are placed around text, a web browser will display it in boldface. Because emotions and inflection do not apply to text, Internet users will feign XML tags for such emphasis, such as "<sarcasm>…</sarcasm>" "<rant>…</rant>" or "<white lie>…</white lie>". These "tags" are often meant to be generally humorous or informative. The opening tag may also sometimes be omitted when a block of text's designation as such is not meant to be known at first, such as when a sarcastic comment is made and only after the reader finishes it do they see the closing </sarcasm> tag and realize the intent of the message.
[edit] Other Examples
[edit] External links
- FOLDOC — Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing
- Internet Acronym Dictionary
- Internet Slang Translator
- Internet Abbreviation Dictionary
- NetLingo — downloadable internet slang dictionary
- alphaDictionary IMglish Glossary
- Urban Dictionary
- British Internet Slang Dictionary
- Russian Internet slang explained in English
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