LOL "laugh out loud" and ROFL "rolling on the floor laughing" are examples of letter homophones. The symbols "X:)" ":)" and "XD" are an example of emoticons. In this picture, the graffiti represents some examples of the different types of slang. Electronic discourse refers to writing that is "very often reads as if it were being spoken – that is, as if the sender were writing talking". Additionally, both sender and receiver are constrained linguistically by the properties of the internet software, computer hardware, and networking hardware linking them. Thus, productive linguistic capacity (the type of information that can be sent) is determined by the preassigned characters on a keyboard, and receptive linguistic capacity (the type of information that can be seen) is determined by the size and configuration of the screen. Options for communication are constrained by the nature of the hardware needed in order to gain Internet access.
The electronic character of the channel has a fundamental influence on the language of the medium. ĭavid Crystal distinguishes among five areas of the Internet where slang is used- The Web itself, email, asynchronous chat (for example, mailing lists), synchronous chat (for example, Internet Relay Chat), and virtual worlds. These communities, in turn, play a role in solidarity or identification or an exclusive or common cause. Slang is also thus motivated for the "creation and sustenance of online communities". The Internet itself is ideal for new slang to emerge because of the richness of the medium and the availability of information. Many of the expectations and practices which we associate with spoken and written language are no longer applicable. Internet slang provides a channel which facilitates and constrains the ability to communicate in ways that are fundamentally different from those found in other semiotic situations. On the other hand, similar to the use of slang in traditional face-to-face speech or written language, slang on the Internet is often a way of indicating group membership. However, while Internet slang shortcuts save time for the writer, they take two times as long for the reader to understand, according to a study by the University of Tasmania. The primary motivation for using a slang unique to the Internet is to ease communication. Since 1979, users of communications networks like Usenet created their own shorthand. Internet slang is used in chat rooms, social networking services, online games, video games and in the online community.
The earliest forms of Internet slang assumed people's knowledge of programming and commands in a specific language. Internet slang originated in the early days of the Internet with some terms predating the Internet. 4 Use beyond computer-mediated communicationĬreation and evolution Origins.People with limited eyesight may use all caps to see the words better, but otherwise, TURN THE CAPS LOCK OFF, unless you're using an acronym or shorthand. BTW: If you ever see someone TYPING AN ENTIRE SENTENCE IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS that means SHOUTING! It is not proper netiquette to TYPE IN ALL CAPS (even in email), in fact, it's annoying. There are several terms to describe different kinds of jargon including anacronym, backronym, weather acronyms, city acronyms, leetspeak and textonyms. The majority of the expressions you see above are not acronyms, but rather shorthand used while text messaging or IMing.
The online practice is to refer to shorthand, initialisms, or abbreviations as acronyms. In contrast, shorthand pronunciations are like an initialism (a set of initials) in which you say the letters one-by-one (for example, 'ESP' is an initialism for 'extra sensory perception' whereas 'esp. The difference between acronyms and shorthand is that with acronyms, you pronounce the letters as a new word (for example, 'FUBAR' is pronounced 'foo-bar' and 'RADAR' is pronounced 'ray-dar'). Online enthusiasts are learning that shorthand are in fact called acronyms, but this is incorrect. Commonly thought of as a series of letters that make up a 'word' there is a distinction between acronyms and shorthand. Acronyms, Abbreviations, Shorthand, LeetspeakĪcronyms have always been an integral part of computer culture, and they have since spawned a new language on the Internet.