One day, our entire language will be abbreviated.

[Ago Iterum]

Well, I play World or Warcraft. And it seems that every 5 minutes, I'm being laughed at for asking what someone means when they produce a stupid chain of letters that's supposed to mean something to me. And what originates in games like this, has been brought into other areas of the internet, and NOW, into real life.

Now, some abbreviations, that are known worldwide, are fine with me. But does this give excuse to abbreviate everything, and expect everyone to know what you mean?

What's your worst experience with abbreviations, and more to the point, do you agree that it's getting slightly out of hand?

Discuss!

 

[ShadeOfRed]

That'll be fun. It's a terrible way to evolve out language, but it IS evolution nonetheless, and that generally means a faster more reliable way to communicate.

Abbriviations though, I used to have a friend that would use them constantly IRL and it got on my nerves so much. There's also the fact that WWW is longer to say than World Wide Web.

 

[ChocoCake]

I was thinking of something along these lines just the other day. I sometimes use them randomly, such as shouting them out, just to get a laugh or two.
My friend has decided to start using hand-signs to sign the abbreviations now. He mainly does that for "fail", where he makes an "f" with his hand. He also does "wtf", "omg", and "ftw". It has started getting on my nerves lately. As if just saying "OMG" isn't bad enough...

 

[xitel]

I saw "lol" in a book. A novel. In a published novel!

 

[TMAN10112]

Yes, "meh" is now an official word in the collins english dictionary I feel that this might be getting a little out if hand, now that it appears to be leaking out of the teh interwebz. It's the reason why I spend so much time on the escapist rather then other forums.

 

[Kaminobob]

doubleplus good, says i. >:3

 

[ZeroMachine]

wtf? idts. roflmao!

Kidding, kidding... I agree that it can get a little out of hand, but I don't really have a problem with it. I play WoW too, and I think it makes things a lot easier then to have to type everything out, especially if you're in an instance or something.

Also, when I'm on AIM, I'm just to lazy to type everything out. Quite honestly, the only reason I type everything out on the Escapist is because the community frowns on abbreviating somewhat and because it makes things seem less intelligent. When I'm talking to a friend on AIM or looking for a group in WoW, I don't need to seem intelligent. On AIM, my friends know me and know I'm intelligent, and on WoW, well... it's WoW. Barely anyone sounds intelligent on there.

 

[Monkfish Acc.]

Do you know what's more annoying than constant abbrieviations? Intentional lengthenings. I'm so fed up of telling my female friends to stop saying "yhoo" or "yhuu" instead of "you". It's just silly. The bad kind.

 

[Sh4dowSpec]

I never use any abbreviations when I text--if you're going to use the English language, then you'd better use it properly as much as you possibly can. If you don't, you deserve to have the doublepluscrap kicked out of you.

 

[dcheppy]

i don't mind lol, but rofl and lmao are redundant. how many abbreviations do I need to know?

Also FTW is too similar too WTF a more well established abbreviation. I've taken to saying/typing "f**k the what" instead of "for the win" during appropriate situations. Like before a Warcraft 3 game, I'll be all like, "Orkz, f the what!" and my feeble opponents will go "?! wtf"

 

[BonsaiK]

Language evolves over time. Abbreviating, which is the practice of making complex words and concepts simpler and easier to say/type/write is part of how language evolves, and is a constant process that will never end. This always has been and always will be the case.

You would be suprised how many words you already use in regular speech that are in fact abbreviations. For instance "car" is an abbreviation of "horseless carriage". When people started using the word "car" in wide circulation there were a lot of whiners who wrote letters to publications (t'was what one did before the days of the internet forum) complaining that this was just another example of the English language going down the toilet. When "car" was included in the dictionary there was a predictable uproar. But now the word is accepted, in fact it's so normal to use the word "car" now that a lot of you reading this probably won't even believe this paragraph.

I won't be at all suprised if 'lol' makes it into the dictionary soon. Then maybe ten years later we'll probably gets 'lulz' in there. Language evolving before you eyes. Get used to it.

 

[ZeroMachine]

Do you know what's more annoying than constant abbrieviations? Intentional lengthenings. I'm so fed up of telling my female friends to stop saying "yhoo" or "yhuu" instead of "you". It's just silly. The bad kind.

Agreed -_-' a friend of mine recently started typing "noice" instead of just "nice".

I don't get annoyed easily, but that irks me like nothing else. She's a 16 year old girl, and all I can do is imagine her saying that like some 20 year old frat boy. I thought that image would make it funny, but it just makes it more annoying...

 

[mooncalf]

That'll be fun. It's a terrible way to evolve out language, but it IS evolution nonetheless, and that generally means a faster more reliable way to communicate.

Abbriviations though, I used to have a friend that would use them constantly IRL and it got on my nerves so much. There's also the fact that WWW is longer to say than World Wide Web.

"dub-dub-dub"

Indeed it's the nature of language to change, I think a lot of the resistance to these changes comes from doubting the legitimacy of the sources.

If it's old enough that we can't remember what started it then that's okay. But when it comes to slang emerging from digital communications, we many of us know the sources are often unrefined and rarely concerned with any particular clarity in their messages beyond being essentially comprehensible. \

It's not expressive, just functional... The question is, is it an improvement? Case-by-case I'd say...

 

[tomdablob]

One thing I think is interesting to think about is that even a few hundred years ago there would not be much that we could understand if we travelled back in time and that all changed to what we know today by word of mouth only since the general population did not generally read or communicate outside of their communities. Up until the Victorian period newspapers were not generally read and since then language has evolved very quickly.
With the advent of the internet and instant messaging when people will be wanting to transfer information faster and faster we can only imagine how people will be talking within the next fifty to a hundred years!

 

[tomdablob]

1 thng tis intrestin 2 thnk bout - a few 100 yrs ago wd nt b much we cud understnd if we went bk in time + it all chnged 2 wat we no 2day by wrd o mth only since genral popn dint read/communcate exept in their communitys. Till Victorian priod nwzpaprs wer nt genraly red + since then lang. hz evolvd v quick.
Wit t' advent of t'net en IM ppl wil want 2 transfer info fastr + we cn only imagn hw ppl wil b tlkin in nxt 50-100 yrs!

 

[Aidanadv]

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[tomdablob]

?|-|0£þ! 7|-|? ?µ7µ|2? 0? 7|-|? ?|\|9£¡§|-| £@|\|9µ@9?.

Ah yes. A sage comment my friend.

 

[CrafterMan]

I saw "lol" in a book. A novel. In a published novel!

Please, please tell me you're joking.

 

[Fightgarr]

doubleplus good, says i. >:3

I don't think this thread would be complete without at least some newspeak.

 

[Ago Iterum]

Laser. I totally flipped out when I learned that was an acronym.

It is?! OF WHAT?!