This was a project for my D&C class, called "Experiment Upon the Word," where I was supposed to take one principle of doctrine being discussed and create an "experiment" to implement for 10 days, in order to learn for myself the truth of the principle. I chose D&C 18:10
Date of Project: October 10-18
Principle: Remember—The worth of souls is great in the sight of God.
Reason for choosing this topic:
As a college-age female, I have lots of insecurities and often am too harsh on myself, especially when it comes to self image and body image. I heard about the Women’s Services “Recapturing Beauty” campaign and the 10-day challenge they are doing, and, combined with our study of D&C section 18, decided I was really going to take this seriously. I know that my feelings of self-doubt, my poor self-image, and my insecurities do not come from God, for “the worth of souls is great” in His sight. I chose to do an experiment on those words and learn for myself what I am worth to God.
(Note: I plan on using the 10-day challenge as a jumping-off point for my Experiment, and adding my own study and reflection to the challenge that they have designed.)
Plan:
• Find and read (at least) 3 talks on self-worth, self-image, and the like. Take note of things that stick out to me.
• Participate in BYU Women’s Services’ “10-Day Challenge,” which includes things like reading scriptures and writing in a journal positive things about self-image, as well as things like exercising, not criticizing your body, etc.
• Make a point of complimenting others and pointing out the good in them. Avoid negative talk.
• Each day, record one thing I love about myself.
Outcomes:
• I’ve always known about my divine nature, etc, but through this experiment I learned a lot of things about how I can realize my worth.
• I learned that perfection is a process, and that it’s okay for me to be imperfect. A favorite quote that I found is, “We often worry so much about pleasing and performing for others that we lose our own uniqueness, that full and relaxed acceptance of ourselves as a person of worth and individuality.”
• In a talk by Neal A. Maxwell, he says, “There is a difference … between being ‘anxiously engaged’ and being over-anxious and thus underengaged.” This quote really stuck out to me because I tend to try to have everything perfect. If it’s not perfect I feel like a failure, so I usually end up feeling stuck before I even begin.
• I made a list of things that I like about myself. I found things about myself that are positive and likeable. It was hard for me to do, but I felt good about myself afterwards. I could see in myself reasons why others would love me for who I am. For my list, I made sure that I didn’t include things just because others have liked them; I know my fiancé thinks I’m beautiful, but I wanted to be able to see it for myself. I think making sure that I honestly believed each item on that list really helped me to think about my positive attributes and to be grateful for them.
• I learned that gratitude is so very important. In a talk by Margaret D. Nadauld, “What You Are Meant To Be,” she mentions over and over again that you can recognize “grateful daughters of God” by how they act, dress, and live. This reminded me that it’s not just important that we dress modestly and know of our divine nature, but we must also show gratitude for the multitude of blessings God grants to us each and every day.
• At the end of the 10 days, I was able to look in the mirror and see my own beauty. Without makeup. This is something I have not been able to do before.
Conclusion:
This experiment may have been one of the best projects I’ve ever undertaken for myself. I learned so much about the worth of a single soul to God, the worth of my soul to Him. What sums it up best was recorded in my journal from just the second day of this project: “Confidence—not pride, conceit, or arrogance—is where true beauty stems from. I know that, in the grand scheme of things, I am ‘less than the dust of the earth’ but I also recognize that I have such infinite worth. I am a child of God. My worth cannot be diminished.”
Monday, October 18, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Textism, Chatspeak, and Gamer Lingo in Everyday Spoken English
This is a paper written for my Semantics class. I'm posting it here so that I can get feedback a little easier. Please let me know what you think!
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,
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.
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.
Speaker A is upset about something and is complaining to her roommate, B.
Student, upon getting a paper back and seeing that they got a good grade, exclaims in excitement:
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:
After pulling a prank on friends that went really well, A reports it as:
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.
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.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Frame Story
I found another short story intro that I wrote a while back, probably in my senior year of high school. This is a frame story (like Canterbury Tales) that I had to write for a class assignment. As always, feedback is more than welcome!
Untitled as of yet
In a run-down train station in the backwaters of a London suburb, five people sat waiting. The rest of the station was empty, just as one would expect at three in the morning. Sitting in cheap plastic seats, the would-be passengers were as varied as the station was filthy. We were all waiting for our train, which was delayed, of course. It seems London trains are always late. From behind my book, I sat watching them, as I was apt to do in situations such as this. I enjoy people-watching. No matter where you go, what time it is, or whom you are with, you will always learn something from observing those around you.
And so I sat and watched.
There was a businessman there, waiting. His suit was slightly wrinkled, his hair a little disheveled. A gold ring on his left hand told me the fellow was married – probably on his way home to wife and kids after a long business trip. His briefcase was battered from use, his laptop outdated. Obviously exhausted, he kept nodding off, only to jolt awake a minute or two later. My years of observing told me that this man was a hard-working man. Dedicated workers have this keen look about their eyes, even when they’re as wearied and fatigued as this man was.
There was nothing else of interest in this man’s appearance, and I could not glean any more information from him whilst he was asleep, so I wished him good dreams, and my attention shifted to the pair next to him.
A young mother and her toddler were sitting just a few seats away from the weary businessman. The mother looked to be about twenty or twenty-one years old, with dark tresses pulled hastily back into a single long braid. She wore ragged jeans and an oversized sweatshirt. In conjunction with her wardrobe, mascara smears made her look utterly fatigued. No ring on her finger belied a husband, and so I assumed her to be single. A small duffle bag lay at her feet, very possibly holding all her worldly possessions. Every so often she would stifle a yawn, and occasionally murmur some quiet words to the child on her lap. Both her exhaustion and her attachment to her little boy were obvious. She was every bit the picture of a haggard, young single mother.
Her child was in her lap, his thumb in his mouth. Like his mother’s, the clothes adorning his small frame were obviously second-hand. A ragged blanket was clutched in his hand, seemingly the only the treasure the boy had ever known. As he shifted, the battered baseball cap on his head slid off, revealing a stark difference between mother and child. Though their general appearances were similar, the mother’s dark hair was contrasted by her child’s red-orange mop. While most children would have slept restlessly or even screamed, this red-haired boy was peaceful. It seemed to me that this early-morning train station scenario was familiar to him. I wondered what might have brought the boy and his mother to this wretched station at so ungodly an hour. Possibly nothing more than needing to catch an early train; possibly no less than a horrible domestic situation. They both looked so sweet, the little boy now asleep, I hoped the situation was nothing so horrible as my imagination would allow me to think.
I silently wished the both of them well, and once again shifted my attention.
Next to the rag-tag family pair was a middle-aged man, the exact antithesis of his neighbors. He wore a button-front shirt under a suit coat, with square, horn-rimmed glasses. The combination of his attire, upright posture, and gray-speckled hair instantly gave away his vocation: he was a professor, probably of science, and likely representing Oxford University. Yes, I saw it now – an old leather satchel emblazoned with the Oxford insignia. No doubt he was en route to one convention or another. Despite the early hour and run-down station, the professor was alert and clean-pressed, engrossed in a dog-eared copy of the World Astronomical Society Journal. Aha, thought I, another clue as to the man’s character. An astronomer, then, or an astrophysicist. They were always snooty, astronomers were, at least in my limited experience. Always had their heads in the clouds, if you’ll pardon the jest. This one seemed to be no exception. As the small child awoke and began to fuss a bit, the professor looked down his long nose at him, got up, and moved to a seat across the deserted room. The young mother muttered an apology as she tried to quiet her fretting child, and soon enough, all was quiet once more.
The fifth and final person in the room was also the most intriguing. Baggy pants, a filthy threadbare shirt, and an equally filthy skullcap pulled over a greasy mop of tangled hair made this man’s fortune clear: he was a beggar, a bum. His pinched, hungry-looking face made his dark eyes seem sunken, like black holes in his skull. I amusedly thought that perhaps the professor would like to have a look at this poor man’s eyes, to see what kind of universe existed there. But no, the pretentious professor would never condescend to examine a vegabond. The beggar sat in a corner, off away from everyone else. Clearly he knew his social standing and had accepted it, was used to it. He, like I, sat watching the others, probably realizing more than they did just how much they had.
It surprised me, at first, that, of all the people in the room, the one I felt most similar to was the beggar. There just seemed to be something about him that I connected with, a certain quality he possessed that none of the others had.
My watching had made its rounds; there was no one else left to observe. And so my attention returned once more to my ever-constant companion of a book.
Untitled as of yet
In a run-down train station in the backwaters of a London suburb, five people sat waiting. The rest of the station was empty, just as one would expect at three in the morning. Sitting in cheap plastic seats, the would-be passengers were as varied as the station was filthy. We were all waiting for our train, which was delayed, of course. It seems London trains are always late. From behind my book, I sat watching them, as I was apt to do in situations such as this. I enjoy people-watching. No matter where you go, what time it is, or whom you are with, you will always learn something from observing those around you.
And so I sat and watched.
There was a businessman there, waiting. His suit was slightly wrinkled, his hair a little disheveled. A gold ring on his left hand told me the fellow was married – probably on his way home to wife and kids after a long business trip. His briefcase was battered from use, his laptop outdated. Obviously exhausted, he kept nodding off, only to jolt awake a minute or two later. My years of observing told me that this man was a hard-working man. Dedicated workers have this keen look about their eyes, even when they’re as wearied and fatigued as this man was.
There was nothing else of interest in this man’s appearance, and I could not glean any more information from him whilst he was asleep, so I wished him good dreams, and my attention shifted to the pair next to him.
A young mother and her toddler were sitting just a few seats away from the weary businessman. The mother looked to be about twenty or twenty-one years old, with dark tresses pulled hastily back into a single long braid. She wore ragged jeans and an oversized sweatshirt. In conjunction with her wardrobe, mascara smears made her look utterly fatigued. No ring on her finger belied a husband, and so I assumed her to be single. A small duffle bag lay at her feet, very possibly holding all her worldly possessions. Every so often she would stifle a yawn, and occasionally murmur some quiet words to the child on her lap. Both her exhaustion and her attachment to her little boy were obvious. She was every bit the picture of a haggard, young single mother.
Her child was in her lap, his thumb in his mouth. Like his mother’s, the clothes adorning his small frame were obviously second-hand. A ragged blanket was clutched in his hand, seemingly the only the treasure the boy had ever known. As he shifted, the battered baseball cap on his head slid off, revealing a stark difference between mother and child. Though their general appearances were similar, the mother’s dark hair was contrasted by her child’s red-orange mop. While most children would have slept restlessly or even screamed, this red-haired boy was peaceful. It seemed to me that this early-morning train station scenario was familiar to him. I wondered what might have brought the boy and his mother to this wretched station at so ungodly an hour. Possibly nothing more than needing to catch an early train; possibly no less than a horrible domestic situation. They both looked so sweet, the little boy now asleep, I hoped the situation was nothing so horrible as my imagination would allow me to think.
I silently wished the both of them well, and once again shifted my attention.
Next to the rag-tag family pair was a middle-aged man, the exact antithesis of his neighbors. He wore a button-front shirt under a suit coat, with square, horn-rimmed glasses. The combination of his attire, upright posture, and gray-speckled hair instantly gave away his vocation: he was a professor, probably of science, and likely representing Oxford University. Yes, I saw it now – an old leather satchel emblazoned with the Oxford insignia. No doubt he was en route to one convention or another. Despite the early hour and run-down station, the professor was alert and clean-pressed, engrossed in a dog-eared copy of the World Astronomical Society Journal. Aha, thought I, another clue as to the man’s character. An astronomer, then, or an astrophysicist. They were always snooty, astronomers were, at least in my limited experience. Always had their heads in the clouds, if you’ll pardon the jest. This one seemed to be no exception. As the small child awoke and began to fuss a bit, the professor looked down his long nose at him, got up, and moved to a seat across the deserted room. The young mother muttered an apology as she tried to quiet her fretting child, and soon enough, all was quiet once more.
The fifth and final person in the room was also the most intriguing. Baggy pants, a filthy threadbare shirt, and an equally filthy skullcap pulled over a greasy mop of tangled hair made this man’s fortune clear: he was a beggar, a bum. His pinched, hungry-looking face made his dark eyes seem sunken, like black holes in his skull. I amusedly thought that perhaps the professor would like to have a look at this poor man’s eyes, to see what kind of universe existed there. But no, the pretentious professor would never condescend to examine a vegabond. The beggar sat in a corner, off away from everyone else. Clearly he knew his social standing and had accepted it, was used to it. He, like I, sat watching the others, probably realizing more than they did just how much they had.
It surprised me, at first, that, of all the people in the room, the one I felt most similar to was the beggar. There just seemed to be something about him that I connected with, a certain quality he possessed that none of the others had.
My watching had made its rounds; there was no one else left to observe. And so my attention returned once more to my ever-constant companion of a book.
Short Story version of The Legend
I found a short-story version of my Prologue that I wrote a while ago. I'm considering submitting it for consideration at Leading Edge, a SciFi/Fantasy journal at BYU. Please let me know what you think!
The Treasured Star
The fame of the Theudal Mountains has whispered its way into every corner of Amira. Every child, no matter how young or how poor, has heard the legends that originated there. Perhaps the fact that the Theudal Mountains are on the fringes of the war-torn country of Amira helped to foster the legends. Or perhaps the ancient lore is simply a creation of fancy. Whatever the case, the stories about the Mountains are single to the region. Some of the tales often told around the fire in a local bard’s shanty are only believed in the zeal of youth, spurned by the majority of adults. Others are long-held beliefs of every Amirian, passed from generation to generation by venerable storytellers in every hall and hovel across the country. Many legends immortalize great warriors and heroes of ages gone by. More often than not, these are stories of brave men fighting dragons, famed captains who helped fend off invaders endeavoring to harass a crippled country grappling with anarchy, or unflagging explorers who traveled to the haunted mountain passes to face the Demon Lord himself.
Of all the legends of the north – the legends that are most fantastical – one legend refuses to be dispelled. Children of all ages sit at the feet of the traveling bard to listen closely to every tale he tells, a diligent audience to the accounts of their forefathers, each dawdling the whole of the day to hear one legend in particular, one story which leaves them all captivated – the legend of the Treasured Star. Sometimes the tale is told as an exhortation against greed, sometimes as a lament for days gone by. Some claim the legend to be no more than an obstinate creation of fantasy, dreamed up long ago and passed on as mere amusement. But whenever the legend is told, a hush falls over the restless audience members, every countenance lights with excitement, and even the most ostensibly critical townsfolk, who chastise the children for such negligence as putting off chores to listen to an old man’s worthless drivel, creep in among the falling shadows in the doorway of the old fabler’s humble home to hear the legend told anew.
Only then – when the sun has set and the moon is just beginning to rise above the mountain peaks, when the creatures of the night abandon their hidden alcoves and the smoke from the dying fire drifts upward towards the stars – only then does the old storyteller sit back in his chair, his eyes closed in remembrance. A smile spreads slowly across his weathered face, adding to the wrinkles etched around his ancient eyes. Memories of times long since past fill his thoughts, and the interlude from the recounting of lore stretches on forever in the minds of his captivated audience. The fire, only embers now, casts eerie shadows, deepening the lines on the old man’s face. The humble tenement of the storyteller is filled to capacity, with children and parents alike listening in awe to the tales of the north. They know the legend of the Star is not far off, and anticipation thrills through the thick, smoky air. The creaking of the floorboards and the low hissing of the embers are the only sounds in the room. The excitement is almost tangible.
The old storyteller seems lost in his reminiscence. Without opening his eyes, the old man quietly begins the legend.
“Long ago, before the mighty Narthazell forest was a single sapling, Amira was ruled by one man. Galdred was a mighty man, a kind king who loved his people and served them well. In return, the people loved and served him willingly. The people were free; no unjust taxes or corrupt magistrates oppressed the citizens. There were no wars waged or revolutions suppressed. Galdred’s reign was a time of continual peace throughout Amira.
“Galdred had in his charge many wise diviners and astrologers who told him of what was to come. Their advice never failed him, and he trusted in their word absolutely. These astrologers came before him one day, appearing quite troubled.
“‘My lord,’ the first astrologer said sadly. ‘There is trouble in the heavens. The stars and planets are not following their prescribed courses across the sky. We fear these changes carry a warning.’
“The second astrologer continued, ‘You see, my liege, often when there is a change in the heavens, there is a great change in the land as well. We fear the celestial alterations we have witnessed foretell a terrible war, sire.’
“Galdred was worried. His astrologers had never been wrong in times past, nor had they ever foreseen an event so catastrophic. Galdred asked, ‘What shall be given as a sign? There is always a sign, is there not?’
“The astrologers hesitated, exchanging troubled glances. Though neither wanted to admit the answer to the king’s query, Galdred’s kind words prompted them on. ‘We do not know what the sign shall be, Majesty. The heavens will not reveal this to us. We suppose that there shall be a strange event in the land, something that will be whispered throughout all Amira. This shall be the sign, we believe, but we do not know what it is, exactly, nor when it shall come.’
“Galdred was outraged. Trust worn thin by years of working in political circles, the once-benevolent king swore by heaven and earth to learn the secrets of the universe that the astrologers’ inferior divination could not teach him. In his obstinate fury and his current state of delirium he could not see the futility of his endeavor. Though he had once been a good and a kind ruler, he believed himself to be superior to those he ruled – superior enough, he believed, to know the intricacies of the cosmos, secrets that no other man knew or possibly could know. Galdred feared that his men did know something of the sign, and that they would not reveal it to him because they wanted to see him dethroned. Paranoia seized him; he suspected betrayal, deceit. His reason, emaciated by fear and mistrust, left him altogether, his benevolence relinquishing its hold on his discernment and leaving room for invidious passions which were hitherto unknown to him. He became obsessed with the impending sign and his obsession drove him mad.
“The elusive sign continued to rankle the half-crazed king. He found his imperial duties irksome and refused to converse with anyone, thus alienating an entire nation whom he had once ardently cared for. The disconsolate monarch devoted reverential care to amassing a veritable army of astrologers, seers, and diviners in hopes of deriving the obstinate omen, while he ignored many pleas on behalf of the people, who were now afflicted with every debilitating adversity and subjected to abject penury, in deepest need of succor from their king.
“The people were torn. Some worried about their once-docile ruler and what had become of him. Many magistrates debated the issue, adducing the king’s great stress and incessant exertion on their behalf as probable causes for his apparent insanity. They fervently believed Galdred to be a good man, driven to extremes by his love for his country and his people; they insisted that his craze for power, if indeed it existed, was secondary. Optimists held that his dementia was transitory and would eventually dissipate. Other subjects to Galdred’s reign of tyranny protested that his madness was not transient, that his lust for power would never be quenched, and were averse to his remaining on the throne when he was obviously lacking control of his faculties.
“Years passed in this manner, with the masses under the oppressive rule of a madman. The people feared their leader, quivering in dread at the mention of his derangement, fearing lest they should somehow invoke his wrath with a wayward muttering or a sidelong glance at one of his equally deranged officials. They lived in caution, watching that their speech could not be taken to mean disrespect to Galdred in any way. Galdred had devised a skewed system of legislature, with his hired officials – men whose sustenance depended on their collecting the abhorred taxes levied on the impoverished people – as a main constituent, causing his subjects to resort to filching and bartering simply to obtain enough to sustain themselves and their families. The enticement of their neighbor’s relative wealth was too much for many to bear, and newfound latitude of action seemed permissible, as even the vicars and priests had given up their godly ways to survive.
“The grandeur of a once-great nation was lost. One man’s greed and obsession had effectively obliterated the noble character of Amira. He had led the nation to a precipice over which he had unwittingly pushed them to their deaths; the damage was irrevocable. The mortification of the deeds Galdred had performed would have tempted any sane man, were he guilty of such crimes, to rush to the nearest promontory overlooking the ocean and take a flying leap. But Galdred was not a sane man.
“More than two decades had passed from the day of the fateful premonition. No sign had been seen, no war had been waged, and yet Amira was in shambles. The people had long since given up hope of escape from this ordeal except by Galdred’s death. Talk of rebellion had whispered through the land, but few were brave enough to challenge a demoniac monarch who had an army of devoted followers. The people were despairing.
"And then it happened; the long-awaited sign came.
“On the outskirts of the country, something strange happened. There had been a bright flash of light, reaching across the sky. The night sky appeared as bright as noon. There was a streak of green light, headed for the Theudal Mountains. And then all was dark. Even the stars had appeared to vanish from the sky; there was no moon. The green-glowing thing landed, striking the mountains and sending a ripple of ice spreading slowly across the countryside. Winter seemed to be coming early.
“Galdred at once called his finest astronomers to him. He demanded to know what had happened, what explanation they could give. Incredulous, they told him that the constellation Evander the Archer had changed. The point star, the arrow that the mighty hunter had been shooting, was no longer there. The astronomers supposed that the bright flash and ensuing streak of green light was Evander shooting his arrow at Amira. They believed they knew where it could be found, and they began to describe the scene wherein Galdred could find the star.
“Galdred had set out at once to find this fallen star, taking it to be his long-awaited sign. He took with him a small appendage of his guard, as he always did. If he could just get hold of that star he knew, instinctively, the power that it held, a power that could be his.
“He never found the star. He had forgotten the warning that came with the sign, that a great revolution would come as well. As Galdred was rushing to Theudal, pandemonium broke loose. An enormous civil war rained down upon the land. A riotous band of renegade men from various regions of Amira, deeply hating the man their king had become, crossed paths with Galdred and his guard. In that instant, the obsessed tyrant realized his own dissoluble state. Seeing he was loathed and outnumbered, Galdred fled his attackers. As he tried to escape, Galdred was slain. Amira was granted repose from his reign of terror. No dirge was sung on his behalf, no week of mourning declared as is the custom for the death of a king. Amira was free at last.”
The old storyteller, his voice gravelly from hours of speaking, pauses at this point in his narrative to sip water from the flask at his waist. Caught up in the tale, Atrianna is surprised to look around her and see, not the dark trees of the Theudal Forests, but the crude wooden walls of the storyteller’s hut and the rough plank flooring on which she is seated. She sees a child slumbering in his mother’s arms, blissfully unaware of the dark tale that is his country’s past. Atrianna knows there are only a few words left in this tale, but they are the few that send chills down her spine, and so she awaits them anxiously. The old man, the water having slaked his parched throat, continues in a hushed whisper, as if trying to convey a secret without anyone’s overhearing. He leans forward, grinning as he delivers the last lines to his enchanted audience.
“From there, the tale is as different as the people who tell it. Time has washed the details into a confused blur of opinion and speculation. Some believe there never was a Star, though there are many records of seeing the bright green flash across the sky. Those skeptics maintain that the whole legend was conjured up as a ruse to dethrone a demented king. Such cynics, however, are few and far between. Others speculate that Galdred was never killed, that he lives on, still searching for the Star. Yet others claim that the Star was found by another, and hidden away. Many believe that the Star is still buried deep within the mountains, waiting to be found by one worthy of its power. Most Amirians believe the legend, believe that the Star is still out there, waiting to be found. All it takes is a believing mind and a pure heart, and, if you are lucky, you might find the Treasured Star.”
Atrianna could feel the goose flesh crawling up her arms. No matter how many times she heard the Legend, the ending was always so thrilling. She arose from the wood floor and stretched her legs. As others around her were beginning to do the same, she could see how crowded the hut had become; it seemed as if all of Dörset had maneuvered their way into the tiny space, even the skeptics. Atrianna smiled. No one could resist the old man’s stories, no matter how many times they called him a crazy old loon.
Through her smile, she stifled a yawn. It really was getting late. She made her way out the door, headed for home and bed. As she crossed the small town square, she looked up at the clear night sky. The crescent moon was just beginning to set over the highest peaks in the west, and the stars were brilliant tonight as always. She said good night to her papa, giving him a kiss on the cheek, and climbed into bed thinking of the Legends she had heard today. As sleep overcame her, she felt a chill breeze and thought she saw a green glow in the sky. She rolled over, pulling the covers tighter about her ears, and drifted to sleep, dreaming of the Treasured Star.
The Treasured Star
The fame of the Theudal Mountains has whispered its way into every corner of Amira. Every child, no matter how young or how poor, has heard the legends that originated there. Perhaps the fact that the Theudal Mountains are on the fringes of the war-torn country of Amira helped to foster the legends. Or perhaps the ancient lore is simply a creation of fancy. Whatever the case, the stories about the Mountains are single to the region. Some of the tales often told around the fire in a local bard’s shanty are only believed in the zeal of youth, spurned by the majority of adults. Others are long-held beliefs of every Amirian, passed from generation to generation by venerable storytellers in every hall and hovel across the country. Many legends immortalize great warriors and heroes of ages gone by. More often than not, these are stories of brave men fighting dragons, famed captains who helped fend off invaders endeavoring to harass a crippled country grappling with anarchy, or unflagging explorers who traveled to the haunted mountain passes to face the Demon Lord himself.
Of all the legends of the north – the legends that are most fantastical – one legend refuses to be dispelled. Children of all ages sit at the feet of the traveling bard to listen closely to every tale he tells, a diligent audience to the accounts of their forefathers, each dawdling the whole of the day to hear one legend in particular, one story which leaves them all captivated – the legend of the Treasured Star. Sometimes the tale is told as an exhortation against greed, sometimes as a lament for days gone by. Some claim the legend to be no more than an obstinate creation of fantasy, dreamed up long ago and passed on as mere amusement. But whenever the legend is told, a hush falls over the restless audience members, every countenance lights with excitement, and even the most ostensibly critical townsfolk, who chastise the children for such negligence as putting off chores to listen to an old man’s worthless drivel, creep in among the falling shadows in the doorway of the old fabler’s humble home to hear the legend told anew.
Only then – when the sun has set and the moon is just beginning to rise above the mountain peaks, when the creatures of the night abandon their hidden alcoves and the smoke from the dying fire drifts upward towards the stars – only then does the old storyteller sit back in his chair, his eyes closed in remembrance. A smile spreads slowly across his weathered face, adding to the wrinkles etched around his ancient eyes. Memories of times long since past fill his thoughts, and the interlude from the recounting of lore stretches on forever in the minds of his captivated audience. The fire, only embers now, casts eerie shadows, deepening the lines on the old man’s face. The humble tenement of the storyteller is filled to capacity, with children and parents alike listening in awe to the tales of the north. They know the legend of the Star is not far off, and anticipation thrills through the thick, smoky air. The creaking of the floorboards and the low hissing of the embers are the only sounds in the room. The excitement is almost tangible.
The old storyteller seems lost in his reminiscence. Without opening his eyes, the old man quietly begins the legend.
“Long ago, before the mighty Narthazell forest was a single sapling, Amira was ruled by one man. Galdred was a mighty man, a kind king who loved his people and served them well. In return, the people loved and served him willingly. The people were free; no unjust taxes or corrupt magistrates oppressed the citizens. There were no wars waged or revolutions suppressed. Galdred’s reign was a time of continual peace throughout Amira.
“Galdred had in his charge many wise diviners and astrologers who told him of what was to come. Their advice never failed him, and he trusted in their word absolutely. These astrologers came before him one day, appearing quite troubled.
“‘My lord,’ the first astrologer said sadly. ‘There is trouble in the heavens. The stars and planets are not following their prescribed courses across the sky. We fear these changes carry a warning.’
“The second astrologer continued, ‘You see, my liege, often when there is a change in the heavens, there is a great change in the land as well. We fear the celestial alterations we have witnessed foretell a terrible war, sire.’
“Galdred was worried. His astrologers had never been wrong in times past, nor had they ever foreseen an event so catastrophic. Galdred asked, ‘What shall be given as a sign? There is always a sign, is there not?’
“The astrologers hesitated, exchanging troubled glances. Though neither wanted to admit the answer to the king’s query, Galdred’s kind words prompted them on. ‘We do not know what the sign shall be, Majesty. The heavens will not reveal this to us. We suppose that there shall be a strange event in the land, something that will be whispered throughout all Amira. This shall be the sign, we believe, but we do not know what it is, exactly, nor when it shall come.’
“Galdred was outraged. Trust worn thin by years of working in political circles, the once-benevolent king swore by heaven and earth to learn the secrets of the universe that the astrologers’ inferior divination could not teach him. In his obstinate fury and his current state of delirium he could not see the futility of his endeavor. Though he had once been a good and a kind ruler, he believed himself to be superior to those he ruled – superior enough, he believed, to know the intricacies of the cosmos, secrets that no other man knew or possibly could know. Galdred feared that his men did know something of the sign, and that they would not reveal it to him because they wanted to see him dethroned. Paranoia seized him; he suspected betrayal, deceit. His reason, emaciated by fear and mistrust, left him altogether, his benevolence relinquishing its hold on his discernment and leaving room for invidious passions which were hitherto unknown to him. He became obsessed with the impending sign and his obsession drove him mad.
“The elusive sign continued to rankle the half-crazed king. He found his imperial duties irksome and refused to converse with anyone, thus alienating an entire nation whom he had once ardently cared for. The disconsolate monarch devoted reverential care to amassing a veritable army of astrologers, seers, and diviners in hopes of deriving the obstinate omen, while he ignored many pleas on behalf of the people, who were now afflicted with every debilitating adversity and subjected to abject penury, in deepest need of succor from their king.
“The people were torn. Some worried about their once-docile ruler and what had become of him. Many magistrates debated the issue, adducing the king’s great stress and incessant exertion on their behalf as probable causes for his apparent insanity. They fervently believed Galdred to be a good man, driven to extremes by his love for his country and his people; they insisted that his craze for power, if indeed it existed, was secondary. Optimists held that his dementia was transitory and would eventually dissipate. Other subjects to Galdred’s reign of tyranny protested that his madness was not transient, that his lust for power would never be quenched, and were averse to his remaining on the throne when he was obviously lacking control of his faculties.
“Years passed in this manner, with the masses under the oppressive rule of a madman. The people feared their leader, quivering in dread at the mention of his derangement, fearing lest they should somehow invoke his wrath with a wayward muttering or a sidelong glance at one of his equally deranged officials. They lived in caution, watching that their speech could not be taken to mean disrespect to Galdred in any way. Galdred had devised a skewed system of legislature, with his hired officials – men whose sustenance depended on their collecting the abhorred taxes levied on the impoverished people – as a main constituent, causing his subjects to resort to filching and bartering simply to obtain enough to sustain themselves and their families. The enticement of their neighbor’s relative wealth was too much for many to bear, and newfound latitude of action seemed permissible, as even the vicars and priests had given up their godly ways to survive.
“The grandeur of a once-great nation was lost. One man’s greed and obsession had effectively obliterated the noble character of Amira. He had led the nation to a precipice over which he had unwittingly pushed them to their deaths; the damage was irrevocable. The mortification of the deeds Galdred had performed would have tempted any sane man, were he guilty of such crimes, to rush to the nearest promontory overlooking the ocean and take a flying leap. But Galdred was not a sane man.
“More than two decades had passed from the day of the fateful premonition. No sign had been seen, no war had been waged, and yet Amira was in shambles. The people had long since given up hope of escape from this ordeal except by Galdred’s death. Talk of rebellion had whispered through the land, but few were brave enough to challenge a demoniac monarch who had an army of devoted followers. The people were despairing.
"And then it happened; the long-awaited sign came.
“On the outskirts of the country, something strange happened. There had been a bright flash of light, reaching across the sky. The night sky appeared as bright as noon. There was a streak of green light, headed for the Theudal Mountains. And then all was dark. Even the stars had appeared to vanish from the sky; there was no moon. The green-glowing thing landed, striking the mountains and sending a ripple of ice spreading slowly across the countryside. Winter seemed to be coming early.
“Galdred at once called his finest astronomers to him. He demanded to know what had happened, what explanation they could give. Incredulous, they told him that the constellation Evander the Archer had changed. The point star, the arrow that the mighty hunter had been shooting, was no longer there. The astronomers supposed that the bright flash and ensuing streak of green light was Evander shooting his arrow at Amira. They believed they knew where it could be found, and they began to describe the scene wherein Galdred could find the star.
“Galdred had set out at once to find this fallen star, taking it to be his long-awaited sign. He took with him a small appendage of his guard, as he always did. If he could just get hold of that star he knew, instinctively, the power that it held, a power that could be his.
“He never found the star. He had forgotten the warning that came with the sign, that a great revolution would come as well. As Galdred was rushing to Theudal, pandemonium broke loose. An enormous civil war rained down upon the land. A riotous band of renegade men from various regions of Amira, deeply hating the man their king had become, crossed paths with Galdred and his guard. In that instant, the obsessed tyrant realized his own dissoluble state. Seeing he was loathed and outnumbered, Galdred fled his attackers. As he tried to escape, Galdred was slain. Amira was granted repose from his reign of terror. No dirge was sung on his behalf, no week of mourning declared as is the custom for the death of a king. Amira was free at last.”
The old storyteller, his voice gravelly from hours of speaking, pauses at this point in his narrative to sip water from the flask at his waist. Caught up in the tale, Atrianna is surprised to look around her and see, not the dark trees of the Theudal Forests, but the crude wooden walls of the storyteller’s hut and the rough plank flooring on which she is seated. She sees a child slumbering in his mother’s arms, blissfully unaware of the dark tale that is his country’s past. Atrianna knows there are only a few words left in this tale, but they are the few that send chills down her spine, and so she awaits them anxiously. The old man, the water having slaked his parched throat, continues in a hushed whisper, as if trying to convey a secret without anyone’s overhearing. He leans forward, grinning as he delivers the last lines to his enchanted audience.
“From there, the tale is as different as the people who tell it. Time has washed the details into a confused blur of opinion and speculation. Some believe there never was a Star, though there are many records of seeing the bright green flash across the sky. Those skeptics maintain that the whole legend was conjured up as a ruse to dethrone a demented king. Such cynics, however, are few and far between. Others speculate that Galdred was never killed, that he lives on, still searching for the Star. Yet others claim that the Star was found by another, and hidden away. Many believe that the Star is still buried deep within the mountains, waiting to be found by one worthy of its power. Most Amirians believe the legend, believe that the Star is still out there, waiting to be found. All it takes is a believing mind and a pure heart, and, if you are lucky, you might find the Treasured Star.”
Atrianna could feel the goose flesh crawling up her arms. No matter how many times she heard the Legend, the ending was always so thrilling. She arose from the wood floor and stretched her legs. As others around her were beginning to do the same, she could see how crowded the hut had become; it seemed as if all of Dörset had maneuvered their way into the tiny space, even the skeptics. Atrianna smiled. No one could resist the old man’s stories, no matter how many times they called him a crazy old loon.
Through her smile, she stifled a yawn. It really was getting late. She made her way out the door, headed for home and bed. As she crossed the small town square, she looked up at the clear night sky. The crescent moon was just beginning to set over the highest peaks in the west, and the stars were brilliant tonight as always. She said good night to her papa, giving him a kiss on the cheek, and climbed into bed thinking of the Legends she had heard today. As sleep overcame her, she felt a chill breeze and thought she saw a green glow in the sky. She rolled over, pulling the covers tighter about her ears, and drifted to sleep, dreaming of the Treasured Star.
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