Game/internet speak in real life

[PolarBearClub]

This has been really worrying me recently, the crossover between how people type (speak) on the internet, or the use of gaming lingo such as 'pwned' featuring so heavily in peoples' real-life vocabularies.

I remember reading an article before about how in exams, students, mainly in secondary school (high-school) were using 'text' speak when it came to their essays and exams.

Playing on xbox live, I've come across some younger gamers using the word 'soz' instead of sorry. I'm sure there are plenty of other examples.

I'm aware that some people use it in a sarcastic/ironic way, like people saying 'lol' instead of actually laughing, but there still seems to be a worrying decline in standards of English, and I place the blame on the internet. I do my best to avoid all abbreviations, and am aware that words I'm using have probably been changed over generations and may be considered slang, but the fact that I notice it happen nowadays gives me cause for concern. I even give out to my mum when she uses text speech in her messages. I know it's not likely to have a major impact on her, but for younger people still getting to grips with the language, it may be eroded even further in the near future.

1984's douplespeak comes to mind. Care to discuss?

 

[gonzo20]

i think it just sounds retarded in real life to be honest "roflmao" really doesnt have the same effect when chatting to people

 

[Wrists]

Yes it is annoying, I find the best way to deal with it is to simply walk away and give them a second chance later on. I avoid abbreviations as much as I can as well. I suppose it makes sense with the increase in instant messaging services we've seen recently.

 

[Zackary Yakumo]

okay, if you talk to one of your friends and they start saying things like "lol" or "rofl" then you need to get them outside immediately. Reserch and clinical test have proven: Internet chatting can be fatal to ones speech. Next up after the break, our new intern interviews 50 cent about his speech and how he learned to talk like.... wait, does he even talk or is he mumbling?

 

[rokkolpo]

well i'm allowed to say ''lol'' and ''U'' in real life.
since in Holland those are real words.

lol=fun
U=you, but only to people in a higher formal/social rank than you. (like a boss, or your parents) also elders.

 

[scrambledeggs]

I say owned and pwnd in real life and thats it

They're pronounced the same way, zomgosh

I say lol and rofl and owned and most game speech a ridiclolous amount in real life. But i'm also a very high achieving English student. Thus, your point is disproved.

koollookollololollololl;p;plo;plo

 

[TheGameXXVII]

the only times i say pwned in real speak is as a joke in football matches, as in the phrase "look at him, he's pwning it today"

 

[Sephychu]

I hate it when people say it, and often say it in a mocking tone to irritate them.

 

[Quaxar]

well i'm allowed to say ''lol'' and ''U'' in real life.
since in Holland those are real words.

lol=fun
U=you, but only to people in a higher formal/social rank than you. (like a boss, or your parents) also elders.

Oh you Dutch with your clever half-internet language.

I hate it when people say "lol" in RL (except Dutch of course), it just makes me want to kick them in the face. If you want to "laugh out loud" then just laugh out loud damnit!

 

[teutonicman]

I've said IRL a couple times in conversations with friends.

 

[Lord Mountbatten Reborn]

Since I believe in meritocracy, all the text-speak employing exam-takers should fail profoundly and rightly so.

I'd just like to point out that no one used text-speak when it came to telegrams. Price is not an excuse.

 

[masher]

Ha! I see the Doublespeak connection. God it'll be horrible is "text speak" manages to integrate itself into daily language.

But... what if it -is- being initiated by the Government..? The beginning of Big Brother...
XD

 

[Lord Mountbatten Reborn]

Ha! I see the Doublespeak connection. God it'll be horrible is "text speak" manages to integrate itself into daily language.

But... what if it -is- being initiated by the Government..? The beginning of Big Brother...
XD

Well the television programme is ending... hmm....

 

[BoxCutter]

I've said IRL a couple times in conversations with friends.

I do this frequently, I try not to but its a hard habit to break.

 

[Drakmeire]

I only say them sarcastically like "oh what epic L33T pwnage Bra!"

 

[Disaster Button]

I'd rather kill myself than use internet speak in general conversation. I'm already secluding myself from the people who say lol instead of laughing and sadface instead of crying. Your faces make emotive responses for a reason dammit.

 

[OtherSideofSky]

Language changes over time as people use it. Tat's how language WORKS. Most people cannot read books in old or middle English for this reason. Casual modes of speech are especially susceptible to radical changes over time, so the only thing about this that's really interesting is the way in which the internet, as a new form of communication, changes the way we communicate. The English language isn't some steadfast and unchanging monument that you need to protect.

1984's douplespeak comes to mind. Care to discuss?

No. Just no. The whole point of Newspeak (doublespeak is something completely different with even less relevance to this topic) is that it did not arise naturally but was instead artificially introduced as a way of molding the way people think. This is nothing like that. If you're really worried about this controlling your brain then I suggest you learn more languages because that's the only thing which would have any effect (studies have shown that multi-lingual people are better, anyway).