Technological advances in the last two decades have afforded millions the opportunity to connect in a whole new way – and on a whole new time scale. Instant messaging, online interactive multi-player games, and SMS/text messaging have allowed people to connect instantly and easily, no matter how far apart they may be in reality. With the advent of such instantaneous connectivity, “fast” is the catchword of the day. Why bother calling when you can send a text? Why waste time sending an email or – heaven forbid – a letter when you can hop onto an Instant Messenger and shoot off a quick inquiry that can be answered in seconds? In fact, why hassle with typing out entire words or phrases when abbreviations and shorthand can do the trick? A “faster is better” mentality pervades. The abbreviated, shorthand substitutions used in SMS and online chatting have become the lingua franca of digital communication. The “lol”s, “omg”s, “wtf”s, and “brb”s that fly across Internet connections have formed the basis of a new linguistic genre that is largely popular among teenagers. As the language of teens tends to do, the online language – the slang of the day – has spread from digital to oral communication and permeates the spoken interactions of those who use it most. My intent is to describe and discuss the growing genre of chatspeak, textisms, and gamer lingo by explaining the meanings of terms and phrases used and giving examples of their use in spoken everyday English.
What are genre and register?
For my paper, I am using the definitions of genre and register as set forth by Charles A Ferguson in his article “Dialect, Register, and Genre: Working Assumptions About Conventionalization.”
A linguistic genre is “a message type that recurs regularly in a community (in terms of semantic content, participants, occasions of use, and so on) ...[which] over time [develops] an identifying internal structure, differentiated from other message types in the repertoire of the community” (Ferguson/Biber, 21). In other words, a genre is a message type used by a group that is somehow different than conventional communicative message types.
Register is defined by Ferguson as the “identifying markers of language structure and language use, different from the language of other communication situations” that develop in a “communication situation that recurs regularly in a society (in terms of participants, setting, communicative functions, and so forth)”. He goes on to note that these registers consist of “similar vocabularies, similar features of intonation, and characteristic bits of syntax and phonology that [are used] in those situations” (Ferguson/Biber 20). A conversation between computer programmers discussing their latest project would be filled with technical jargon and ways of speaking that I, as a linguist, would not understand; they use a different register than I do. However, these same computer programmers could engage in a conversation in a more casual situation, wherein they would switch registers to one used in everyday conversation; this register would have far fewer technical terms, perhaps less formal syntax, and would be more easily understood by the non-programmers with whom they might be conversing.
What are textisms, chatspeak, and gamer lingo?
For those that are newcomers to text messaging and online chatting and gaming, this way of communicating can be confusing and overwhelming. But to those for whom chatspeak and textisms are the norm, the shorthand is as decipherable as standard English. Here I will define textisms, chatspeak, and gamer lingo, based on their origins, use, and general characteristics.
Textisms are the shorthand and abbreviated forms used in SMS (short message service) messages sent using cell phones. These forms are usually acronyms composed of the first letter of each word in the phrase; “OMG,” for example, stands for “Oh My Goodness,” “TMI” is short for “too much information,” and “IDK” means “I Don’t Know.” Shorthand forms for common phrases such as these are useful because SMS ‘texts’ are limited to 160 characters. Most cell phones also don’t have a traditional QWERTY keyboard, making typing much more difficult. The character limit and the difficulty presented by the lack of a full keyboard is what led to the use of acronyms instead of phrases. Another characteristic of textisms are shortened forms of words – again spurred by the character limit – such as “bf” for “boyfriend” or “presh” for “precious.”
Chatspeak is the language used in online chatting. Facebook chat, AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), Yahoo Messenger, Google Chat, and endless numbers of “chat rooms” are some of the many venues that provide a way to send “instant messages” online. While these services are almost always used on a computer with a QWERTY keyboard and they do not have character limits, thus eliminating the need for shortened forms, the same sort of shorthand used in texting is often used in online chatting. “BRB” (be right back), “LOL” (laugh/laughing out loud), “BTW” (by the way), and “JK” (just kidding) are some examples of the shorthand characteristic of chatspeak.
Millions of people around the world play online multiplayer games, known as “massively multiplayer online role-playing games” (MMORPGs). World of Warcraft (WoW), an immensely popular MMORPG, alone has over 11 million players worldwide. In many of these online interactive games, players (“gamers”) coordinate and cooperate to achieve goals together, though there are some games that are ‘interactive’ which are played mostly solo. Talking about how organizing “raids” (a large group of players working together toward a goal) in a game of WoW works, Michael Earl said,
Using WoW as an example again...Raids require groups of ten, or of twenty five people to coordinate for the purpose of completing a dungeon raid. This involves a leader strategically recruiting players, coordinating schedules, and maintaining peace between [players] numbering from ten to thirty or more. And this doesn't even begin to describe the coordination required between each of the players once the raiding has actually begun. Often times, a single mistake by one player can cause the raid to fail.
Gamers in this instance need a way to communicate quickly and effectively, which is why they use the shorthand seen in texting and chatting. Gamer lingo combines the shorthand with slang terms created and used solely in gaming. In the gamer world, “noobs” (“newbies,” or new players) get “pwned” (“owned” or beaten, conquered) by better players, when someone completely messes up or fails to do something they attempt it is an “epic fail,” and the commonplace exclamation of excitement is “woot!” The slang used by gamers came about the same way that all other slang has – a particular group of people started using different words or phrases, and it caught on with those connected to that group. Combine this slang with chatspeak, and you have the linguistic register referred to here as ‘gamer lingo’ or ‘gamer speak.’ While it may not be decipherable to non-gamers, the distinctive lingo used by gamers is quite effective.
Words and Phrases Common in Chatspeak, Textisms, and Gamer Lingo
Table 1 lists common words and acronyms used in chatspeak, texting, and gamer lingo with brief approximations of their meanings. While this is by no means an exhaustive list of terminology, this table should serve as a brief introduction to some of the most common of the chatspeak terms. Most of the following terms are used in all three categories discussed here – chatspeak, texting, and gaming – but some of them are used more exclusively in gaming. Those used almost exclusively in gaming are marked with an asterisk (*).
LOL - laugh(ing) out loud
JK - Just kidding
OMG - Oh my goodness
TMI - Too much information
IDK - I don’t know
BTW - By the way
BRB - Be right back
WTF - What the flip?
AFK - Away from keyboard
BFF - Best friend forever
BF/GF - boyfriend/girlfriend
ROFL - Roll on floor laughing
Pwn* - ‘own’
gg* - “good game”
Noob* - “newbie” or newcomer
Woot! - Exclamation of excitement
Leet* - “elite”, superior players
Win* (adj) - Cool, revered, awesome
fail/epic fail - Complete screw-up
nvm = Nevermind
ily - I love you
? - "Question mark?", I don't understand; what?
ftw/for the win - awesome, good; for the purpose of a victory
Chatspeak and Textisms in Spoken Conversational English
Although these forms of communication are all primarily “written” (typed) as opposed to spoken, they do not quite fall into the traditional category of ‘written communication’ that includes forms such as letters, essays, books, and even emails. The difference is in the timescale – letters, books, essays, and emails are all meant to be written now and read later, but chatting, text messaging, and gaming are all immediate. When a text message is sent, a response is expected to be prompt. Coordinating efforts in gaming must be done in real-time. “Instant messaging” is meant to be instant. Messages are shorter, with frequent interruptions from interlocutors and little or no emphasis on grammar or propriety. In these ways, these new forms of ‘written’ communication are much closer to conversation than they are to letters or essays. Therefore it is not surprising that the slang and abbreviations used in digital communication seep into spoken conversation. The colloquial nature of chatting, texting and gaming lends itself easily to adoption into voiced communication.
Acronyms are a fairly common occurrence in everyday American English. We have the NRA, SCUBA, NBA, USA, D.C., TV, USDA, and NASA, and we talk about the JFK assassination. At BYU (another acronym) we have the HFAC, the SWKT, and the HBLL (sometimes pronounced as “Hubble”). All of these are commonly used in spoken English. With such similar qualities linguistically, it is not surprising that the acronyms used in chatspeak cross over into voiced conversation as well. As Americans, we are used to shortening a common phrase or organization name to just the first letters; chatters, texters, and gamers all do the same. Rather than type or say “be right back,” they shorten it to “brb.” The same goes for “away from keyboard” (afk), “Oh my gosh” (omg), “laugh out loud” (lol), and many more commonly-occurring phrases. The shortening of phrases is habitual for Americans, and once a standard acronym is established there is little trouble deciphering its meaning for those who are accustomed to its use.
Looking at the list of acronyms given above, you might notice that there are different kinds of acronyms. NRA, for example, is different from NASA; each letter of the first is pronounced (“en-are-ay”) while the second is pronounced as a word unit (“nassa” rather than “en-ay-ess-ay”). This has simply to do with the vowel structure of English words. English speakers do not like having strings of vowels or strings of consonants together in their words. “NRA” does not have a vowel sound in between the first two consonants, and “nr” is not a consonant cluster English speakers are accustomed to pronouncing; NASA, on the other hand, has a vowel sound placed neatly between the two consonants and so it can be pronounced like a normal English words. In the chatspeak realm, the same general rules apply – strings of vowels (or consonants) are not easy to pronounce, and so where the vowel structure of the acronym is unpleasant, the letters themselves are pronounced. “BRB,” for example, has no vowels in it, so it is pronounced as “bee are bee.” There are a few chatspeak forms that are pronounced similar to NASA – as whole word units. “LOL” (laughing out loud) can be pronounced as an acronym – each letter being pronounced, sounding like “ell-oh-ell” – or it can be pronounced as a word unit, sounding like “lawl” or “lull” depending on the speaker. “ILY” (I love you) is often pronounced as a word as well, sounding like “illy” (rhyming with “lily”). The vowel structure of these forms is much closer to that of actual English words, so they are more easily converted into word forms when spoken. The term “Rofl” (rolling on the floor laughing) has a vowel in between the /r/ and the /f/, and is commonly pronounced “rawful” (rhyming with “awful”), with a shwa sound being inserted between the /f/ and the /l/. The word “pwn” has now vowels in it, but is pronounced similarly to “SWKT” from BYU lingo – a vowel is inserted. Since /w/ is a glide or semi-vowel, it provides an ideal place for an inserted vowel to be placed, either before or after the /w/. Therefore, pwn is pronounced “pown” (rhyming with “own”) and SWKT is pronounced “Swicket.”
Examples of Chatspeak in Conversational English
While all of the chatspeak terms listed in Table 1 are heard in spoken conversation, some are much more common than others; these tend to be the same terms that are used more often in chatting, texting, and gaming, as well. Lol, brb, jk, wtf, for the win, woot, and omg seem to be the phrases or words originating chatspeak that have made their way farthest into spoken English. Below are some examples of conversation excerpts in which chatspeak is used, with brief introductory explanations of context.
Speakers A and B, roommates: in the middle of a conversation, mail truck is heard. B is expecting an important letter.
A: (as B turns to leave the room) “Where are you going?”
B: “I’ll brb – I’m gonna go check the mail.”
Speakers A (male) and B (female) are talking at a party at B’s apartment. A makes a lame joke trying to impress B, and B isn’t amused.
A: (lame joke) ha. ha. um...
B (stares blankly, smiling politely)
A: “Jk. Lol...?” (cheesy smile)
Speaker A is upset about something and is complaining to her roommate, B.
A: “OMG. It was ridiculous! I mean, I was just standing there like, ‘wtf?!’ (gestures angrily with hands, indicating frustration). What on earth was he thinking?!”
Student, upon getting a paper back and seeing that they got a good grade, exclaims in excitement:
“Woot! (punches air with fist) Ninety-five per cent!”
Roommates A and B are playing a soccer video game. A is about to score a goal that will win him the game. As he shoots:
A: “Woohoo! For the win!!”
B: “Aw, man. Seriously?!”
After pulling a prank on friends that went really well, A reports it as:
“Win. Epically. Open Facebook accounts for the win. And high five to Jon for helping.”
These are just a few of the many examples I have overheard of chatspeak being used in conversational English on a daily basis. Among groups where gaming or texting are very frequent occurrences, the use of chatspeak in vocal conversation is higher; in groups where gaming or texting are less frequent pastimes of the interlocutors, the use of chatspeak slang significantly decreases.
An interesting phenomenon I witnessed in my research of chatspeak was the way that it spreads. Those who use chatspeak most in its original plane – online or via texting – tend to use it most in their spoken conversation. However, those who have friends who use chatspeak in spoken conversation tend to pick up on the slang as well, even if they do not use it otherwise. This observation has led me to believe that chatspeak spreads like other slang has in the past – a group of prestige speakers use the lingo first, and it spreads to their friends, and then to their friends. These ‘secondary users’ of chatspeak are a growing population. One student, when asked about her use of chatspeak, stated that, although she doesn’t play online interactive games, her fiancé does, and she has picked up the slang from him. Others have attested to similar experiences of using chatspeak slang simply because “my friends use it all the time.”
Conclusion
With the increasing use of Internet chat services, SMS messaging, and online interactive games, chatspeak is being used by more and more people each day. Chatspeak lingo has crossed over from strictly being used through Internet and cell phone connections to being used in everyday conversation, and is rapidly spreading to secondary users. The new linguistic genre created on a basis of shorthand, acronyms, and slang is perfectly suited for the teenagers of a fast-paced society such as our own. The terminology and way of speaking used by speakers of chatspeak may seem confusing or overwhelming to those outside the reaches of its influence. But to those who use it most, the “lol”s, “pwn”s, and “omg”s are as comfortable and commonplace as “Groovy”, “hip”, and “chill” were to their parents.
