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- This article discusses general features of Internet slang. For detailed usages, see List of Internet slang phrases.
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Internet slang/language 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". A very popular, and current, abbreviation is "WTF?" to express someone's annoyance, anger or confusion - this stands for "what the fuck?", and "lol" to show that they are "Laughing out loud". R0TFLMFA0 means "rolling on the floor laughing my fucking ass off ".
Like most jargon, internet slang aggrandizes authors and readers, causing them to appear to have specialized knowledge of a complex medium. However, there are cases where using Internet slang is considered ridiculous, due to association with the stereotype of the internet n00b.
Many of the slang words 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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Classes of slang
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Acronyms and abbreviations
Abbreviations are probably the most used kind of internet slang. A simple three- or four-letter abbreviation can be used instead of a string of words; thus "TTYL" means "talk to you later." Probably the most commonly used example is "LOL", which stands for "Laughing Out Loud"(also known to some as Lots Of Laughs) and means something like "I'm amused". Alternatively, it can also mean "Lots Of Love" if used in certain contexts.
Abbreviations vary with the internet group, particularly for online games where each game's subculture develops its own acronyms. For example for the online MMORPG World of Warcraft, AP generally means "Attack Power" while in the MMORPG Maple Story it means "Ability Points". This can lead to considerable confusion for the new user.
The terms acronym and abbreviation are commonly confused. An acronym is an abbreviation that forms a new, pronounceable word: rhyming with "Lhasa" and not pronounced "en ay ess ay", "NASA" is an acronym; "BRB" is not. Some non-acronyms come to be used as acronyms. Outside internet use, the abbreviation "LOL" is finding its way into normal conversation, pronounced either ("ell oh ell") as a plain abbreviation or ("lol") as an acronym. However, if something does genuinely amuse a person, they will naturally laugh instead of using "LOL". This generally means that if someone says "LOL" in normal conversation, then they probably do not find, whatever they are supposed to be laughing at, funny; or are using "LOL" as an interjection.
Emoticons (smileys)
Main article: EmoticonEmoticons — 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 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. Another very popular east Asian emoticon is (^ﾑ^), using a Japanese character to represent the nose.
'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.
'Noob' and 'newbie'
Main article: noobThe word "noob" is used in internet slang for people who are unskilled at things (from the word newbie). Generally, when the term "noob" is used, it is used as an insult to a person who 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" or "n00b". In some places, such as popular MMORPGs, this can be attributed to someone who has been in a certain place for a long time and retains their ignorance.
A person who is new to a game/topic and has not yet full understanding of its working may be referred to simply as a "newbie". It is usually regarded as less of an insult than "noob", because it is not the player's fault.
Usage
Internet slang words develop from common phrases that users simplify to be able to type faster. However, in games, new game players may try to emulate this, and unintentionally emphasize their own lack of knowledge through misuse of the terms and poor spelling. As a result, several internet slang abbreviations and spellings are most often used ironically. Players may use intentionally poor grammar and an excessive amount of leet speak to ridicule or satirize new players, .
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. Fake BB-codes are similarly used.
See also
External links
Template:English pseudo-dialects
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