language and the internet

[Count Duckula]

I started on my term paper when the LL was down over the Slashdot fiasco. Like all of my fun and creative school projects :rolleyes: it has to do with not only the Internet but gaming as well. Yay!

My paper topic is how the internet affects language and how language affects the internet. I'm sitting on an 8-page rough draft that I'm polishing to a final draft due on Monday.

I think the neatest thing I've got going for my paper at the moment is not only the wealth of information I'm compiling but the grammar dichotomy I've established between the Lurker Lounge and Ironworks Forum, another gaming forum (for Black Isle games) but with lax posting policies. I admit, I've been quoting from Elric's posting etiquette and from the Master of Message Morphology himself--all with proper MLA citing, of course. (I'd have to go digging for links, because I'm using a library computer at the moment, but they mostly have to do with Lurker language policies and one unfortunate individual with atrocious spelling and grammar that got flamed crispier than a deep-fried potato pancake.)

I know it's short notice, but hey, I'm making the Lounge famous yet again. (First time was when I went as a BNM to Nekocon 2003 and wore a signboard with various D1 and D2 site advertisement, including the LL.) And we are an opinionated bunch! So, I want to know your opinions on...

1 - Can internet language (Netspeak, aka "1337-speek") be considered a new form of language, or is it just jargon or at best a dialect?

2 - Are there any teachers or professors out there that wish to share an anecdote of student usage of internet language? (Shortcuts in schoolwork, etc.) I'm all ears. B)

3 - For everyone whose first-learned language is something other than English, how do you feel about the amount of English on the internet? Do you feel that you must communicate in English in order to get your point across?

4 - Anything else anyone wishes to add on the subject will be a plus.

5 - If you post on this topic, I'll be looking at your answer to quote in my paper. Don't worry, I'll ask for permission before using it. Just a fair warning.

6 - Y'all are my test audience with my final draft. You don't have to analyze it or whatever; I'm not looking for anything other than "I think it's neat" or "it sucks horribly" or "you misspelled this word here."

Have at. :ph34r:

[Guest]

Dewd speak is definetly not a new language in a technical sense.

Even American Sign Language is no longer thought of as its own language by academic types.

I think originally it was just a short hand way to type in chat rooms(how r u?) And that added with some common misspellings from games(pwn) eveloved into a "dialect" used by many teen age netzens. Along the way people made a concious effort to make it harder to understand by swapping "E" and "3" etc.

Also script messages on phones have encouraged this.

I dont thinks its as signifigant an occurance as some kids I know beleive.

[WarLocke]

1 - Can internet language (Netspeak, aka "1337-speek") be considered a new form of language, or is it just jargon or at best a dialect?

Isn't the point behind jargon that you can communicate an idea faster with it than without it? I definitely wouldn't consider 'netspeak' (or 'leetspeak', whatever) that, since it entails extra effort on both ends (it's harder to type, and harder to read/decrypt). The only function it serves is to segregate members of the 'leet' clique from everyone else.

[Guest]

As for l33t sp33k, I heard it originated from hackers (as in way back in the 80s, and then I mean "One who is proficient at using or programming a computer; a computer buff."), and am trying to find a reliable source/site for that right now.

This [.doc file] might be of interest, called "The Nature of Digital Crime", the best I could find, just search in the document for leet.

I don't know if you're allowed to quote this much (copyright?) so will remove it in that case.

Excerpt from V) Bedroom Hacker’s Enculturation

Bedroom hackers created an entire social milieu separate of corporate research parks and universities.  They created their own dialect called Elite Speek or k-rad.  In this dialect, numbers were substituted for visually similar letters.  Capitol letter were freely and randomly used.  For instance, 'elite hackers' became 31337 HaXorZ.  There is no definite pattern for the replacements; they are just inserted upon the whim of the writer.  There are different reasons for ‘leet speek.  Foremost, much of the interaction between ‘leeto hackers happened on-line. It required typing. Shortcuts and abbreviations became the norm.  It is also true that many bedroom hackers were teenagers and still in school.  Their spelling and typing skills were deficient.  Finally, repetitious speech becomes boring and tends to get embellished.  Whatever the reasons for the growth of elite speak, it served to further differentiate the hacker subculture from the dominant culture.  Many of the ‘philez’ on BBS’s in the 1980’s were written, at least partially in elite speak.

So from that I would say it would be a dialect, originated from young computer hackers in the 80s, which wanted to differinate themselves from society. Still today the "teens (or anyone performing "illegal computer activity") wanting to differinate themselves from society" I think holds true.

I would also say it's an American dialect too, as I've never heard l33t in anything but in that language.






* I just noticed there's no differinate in the dictionary, have I misspelt it that bad?

[Assur]

3 - For everyone whose first-learned language is something other than English, how do you feel about the amount of English on the internet? Do you feel that you must communicate in English in order to get your point across?

Hi

My first language is German. On the European server you need English, unless you only want to play with other Germans. I personally have no problem with using English.

It is usually only the French and the Germans who specify the language in the name of an open game.

I have to admit it is usually the 1337 version/dialect of English e.g. "WTF u suxxor n00b", on the other hand if you are partying with seven Finns and they stick to Finnish even leet English comes as a relief :rolleyes:

Hope this was helpful

[whyBish]

In response to those two posts, both are correct. L33t speak is a form of slang, much as teenagers always invent slang.

If we move away from l33t to txt msg type speaking its really just a shorter form of transmitting messages, used to reduce transmission time, although reception decoding time will be increased. It is an imposition on the time of your audience (the decoding time) so for example in the Lounge it is considered disrespectful to impose such a cost on your audience, compared with elsewhere.

I would also say that three other factors influence the Lounge language policies:
- Non-native English speakers (It would be harder to get quality posts from non-native speakers here if non-standard English is used)
- Average age (Although I would find this hard to argue, but the higher ave. age here than elsewhere probably increases the resistance to slang)
- Differentiation through knowledge rather than language

[Mithrandir]

* I just noticed there's no differinate in the dictionary, have I misspelt it that bad?

Are you looking for "differentiate"?

Now, as to the first post...

1 - Can internet language (Netspeak, aka "1337-speek") be considered a new form of language, or is it just jargon or at best a dialect?

Well, let's look at what exactly "language", "jargon", and "dialect" are defined as according to good 'ol Webster.

Main Entry: lan·guage
Pronunciation: 'la[ng]-gwij, -wij
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French, from langue tongue, language, from Latin lingua -- more at TONGUE
Date: 14th century
1 a : the words, their pronunciation, and the methods of combining them used and understood by a community b (1) : audible, articulate, meaningful sound as produced by the action of the vocal organs (2) : a systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks having understood meanings (3) : the suggestion by objects, actions, or conditions of associated ideas or feelings
2 a : form or manner of verbal expression

This is interesting because "internet language" certainly does have a specialized way of combining certain sounds and words to form new words that defy the normal rule of English grammar and is also certainly "a systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks having understood meanings".

The implication here is that each language is utterly distinct in its pronounciations, grammar, etc. In practice this is not true of course, but theoretically it is a sound definition. Another thing to ponder: the use of various characters (@, 4, 5, and so on) for sounds not associated with their meaning in the English language would indeed tend to suggest that Netspeak qualifies as a different language. What hurts Netspeak's cause here is that it is certainly a stretch to qualify it as "conventionalized". As adamantine quoted above, Netspeak is almost entirely based upon the whim of the typist. In English, you would generally not be understood if you changed spellings and pronounciations based upon your mood - however, in Netspeak you would because Netspeak is more about getting ideas instead of words across.


Main Entry: 1jar·gon
Pronunciation: 'jär-g&n, -"gän
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French
Date: 14th century
1 a : confused unintelligible language b : a strange, outlandish, or barbarous language or dialect c : a hybrid language or dialect simplified in vocabulary and grammar and used for communication between peoples of different speech
2 : the technical terminology or characteristic idiom of a special activity or group
3 : obscure and often pretentious language marked by circumlocutions and long words

This, I think, may be the money definition. Netspeak easily falls under all 3 qualifications without any of the ambiguity present in the "language" definition.


Main Entry: di·a·lect
Pronunciation: 'dI-&-"lekt
Function: noun
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle French dialecte, from Latin dialectus, from Greek dialektos conversation, dialect, from dialegesthai to converse -- more at DIALOGUE
Date: 1577
1 a : a regional variety of language distinguished by features of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation from other regional varieties and coinstituting together with them a single language

This definition fails unless you begin to consider the internet a unique and seperate "region" of the world. I won't open that can of worms here, but suffice it to say that the definition is intended for geographic regions. Even if you managed to convince your readers that the internet falls under the definition of a "region" as intended by the definition, you would still have to deal with the underlying problem that if something is a dialect, it is also a language (and all the problems that are associated with defining Netspeak as a language crop up here as well).


That analysis aside, I would personally define Netspeak as 'jargon' just because it fits so well into the definition.


As a side point, a large motivation for the evolution and creation of what we now refer to sa "Netspeak" was to defeat IRC parsers that can go through huge amounts of logged IRC text searching for keywords. Depending on which script kiddie you asked, everyone from the FBI to other "hackers" (AKA, script kiddies) were constantly trying to monitor them, steal their secrets, or whatever particular delusion they had. Introducing symbols, random capitalizations, and numbers into words was viewed as a way to (at least temporarily) defeat these parsers.

Throw in the fact that the vast majority of these individuals are less-than-mature social semi-outcasts searching for something whith which to identify, and it seems almost inevitable that this "clubhouse" language would develop as a way for these individuals to recognize each other (the secret handshake of the new millenia I suppose?) and communicate "in secret".

[Occhidiangela]

1 - Can internet language (Netspeak, aka "1337-speek") be considered a new form of language, or is it just jargon or at best a dialect?

Jargon and slang. Possibly evolving into idiomatic usage, not sure on that score.

2 - Are there any teachers or professors out there that wish to share an anecdote of student usage of internet language? (Shortcuts in schoolwork, etc.) I'm all ears.

Not a teacher, per se, but I have heard "Row Full" out loud at work for ROFL.

3 - For everyone whose first-learned language is something other than English, how do you feel about the amount of English on the internet? Do you feel that you must communicate in English in order to get your point across?

NA, even if my first language is RubeSpeak. :)

4 - Anything else anyone wishes to add on the subject will be a plus.

Cite Orwell and NewSpeak for how language morphs, for better and for worse. :)

5 - If you post on this topic, I'll be looking at your answer to quote in my paper. Don't worry, I'll ask for permission before using it. Just a fair warning.

You have my permission.

6 - Y'all are my test audience with my final draft. You don't have to analyze it or whatever; I'm not looking for anything other than "I think it's neat" or "it sucks horribly" or "you misspelled this word here.

Did I miss an attachment? Do you want to email me a rough draft? PM me and we can swap email addies.

[Occhidiangela]

That Dewd Speak is the Thieves Cant of the internet, to turn a D & D phrase into something we could use in this conversation.

[Guest]

@Mithrandir

Yeah, I was looking for differentiate, and thanks for the post, I learned a lot!

[Archon_Wing]

Can internet language (Netspeak, aka "1337-speek") be considered a new form of language, or is it just jargon or at best a dialect?

(Slang) I've never heard anyone say out loud, "I pwnzor joo suxxor n00blar." :D Well, I wouldn't be caught dead trying to pronounce it. It's slang in that it's used casually and never in anything serious. (I'll be damned if it's used in the second way.

[[wcip]Angel]

1 - Can internet language (Netspeak, aka "1337-speek") be considered a new form of language, or is it just jargon or at best a dialect?

For me, I find it difficult to be objective as I have an abhorrent hatred for "1337-speak" and thus am rather biased against labelling it as anything else than nonsensical jargon.

Nonetheless, being aware of this hatred, I still wouldn't label it a language. First of all, there are no set rules most present-day languages require. (there were no rules in Old-English, but that was 1000 years ago, and I do believe the definition of language has changed somewhat in that time period.) Second of all, there is no way of pronouncing "1337-speech." How do you distinguish "0\/\/nd" from "owned" in matters of pronunciation?

Is it a dialect then? In Norwegian the word "dialekt" has a geographical connotation to it.

The Oxford advanced learner's dictionary doesn't include the term "geographical" but speaks rather of an "area."

dialect {speaker} noun
[C, U] the form of a language that is spoken in one area with grammar, words and pronunciation that may be different from other forms of the same language.

Even though the dictionary doesn't mention geography, I do believe it's implied information. Can a dialect exist regardless of geography?

Excerpt from my book in "Norwegian studies" at my upper secondary school in Stavanger, Norway. (upper secondary = "high school" for you Americans.)

On page 392:
En dialekt er en variant av talespråket som vi finner
innenfor et bestemt geografisk område. Områder som
har vært isolert fra hverandre har utviklet hver sine
dialekter.

Dersom to dialekter fortsetter å utvikle seg ulikt, kan de
bli så ulike at vi heller snakker om to språk enn
om to dialekter. Islandsk språk var for eksempel
opprinnelig en norsk vestlandskdialekt, men den
språklige utviklingen har vært så ulik på Island og i de
norske fastlandsdialektene at vi idag regner islandsk
som et eget språk.
- Tekst og Tanke
Halvorsen, Jemterud, Semmen, 1999.

Allow me to translate:

"A dialect is a variant of the speaking pattern we find
within a certain geographical area ["Aha"- my note].
Areas which have been isolated from each other have
developed their own dialects.

If two dialects continue to change each in their different
way, they can be so different from each other, that
we're talking about two different languages.
Icelandic, for example, was originally a Norwegian
dialect derived from the western part of Norway, but
the linguistic changes have been so different on Iceland
from the Norwegian continental dialects that we today
speak of two different languages."
- Text and thought
Halvorsen, Jemterud, Semmen, 1999.

Conclusion: Dialects has to do with geography.

I think "1337"-speak is a sociolect. I just looked up this word in the dictionary, and there is nothing called "sociolect", but there is a Norwegian word for it.

I'll just translate what's in the book:

... this is not what's in the book. Upon reading about sociolects, I discovered that it has to do with social status of the speakers, however I think I might have found what I was looking for.

"Dialect: Linguistic variants based on geographical setting.
Sociolect: Socially determined [having to do with class - my note] variants of language."

And then, the important part:
"Field-language: A kind of sociolect where the speakers belong to the same occupation or partake in similar (social)[my note] activities."

But what is this "field language"?

Just for the hell of it, I looked up the word "jargon":

jargon {speaker}, AmE {speaker} noun
[U] (often disapproving) words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group of people, and are difficult for others to understand:
medical / legal / computer jargon • Try to avoid using too much technical jargon.

To me, it sounds like they're talking about the same thing. "Field-language"= "jargon" (but without the negative connotations to it, warranted or not ;))


2. 2 - Are there any teachers or professors out there that wish to share an anecdote of student usage of internet language? (Shortcuts in schoolwork, etc.) I'm all ears.

I'm not a teacher yet, so sorry.. no anecdotes from me. I can tell you one thing: if one of my students ever use "1337-speech" in an essay, I'll rip off his kneecaps.

3. For everyone whose first-learned language is something other than English, how do you feel about the amount of English on the internet? Do you feel that you must communicate in English in order to get your point across?

Again, I feel terribly biased, as I'm a student of English, and actually have a natural fondless/love for the English language, moreso than my mother tongue.

I can only speak for myself, but my language (Norwegian) is pathetically poor in lexicon. I don't know how many words there are in the Norwegian language, but I' quite certain English has somewhere between 5 and 10 times more. Expressing oneself fluently and clearly is much easier in English than it is in Norwegian for me. Again I must state, that I am a student of English. This is not the case for most people. I know there are several people who fear the English language and are reluctant to express themselves because they're afraid of saying something wrong, or come with Norwegianisms (there's a Norwegianism in that last sentence, I know; I just had to include it.)

For those who don't understand the term, "Norwegianism" is a idiomatic Norwegian phrase, translated word for word into English, which turns it into a non-idiomatic English phrase.

Perhaps this fear of expressing oneself correctly is one of the reasons to the influx in "1337-speakers". They form their own language, with no rules, so that no one can tell if they're writing incorrect or not? The irony is that, in trying to express themselves in a way that can't be interpreted as 'incorrect', they're really writing "more wrong" than they would have if they had tried writing proper English.

Conclusion:
I'm biased. Not only do I love the English language; I actually prefer it to Norwegian. Therefore, I cannot possibly be a representative candidate for the rest of the populace in this regard. (Or in any other for that matter, but that's a whole different can of worms.) I should also mention that I believe a multitude of languages on the Internet can only slow down the flow of information. By posting information in a language other than English, be it an article on nuclear warfare or a guide to a videogame, you're severely limiting the number of people who can benefit from and enjoy that information.

4. Good luck. I have the utmost respect for those writing about something as complex as language.

[Count Duckula]

Did I miss an attachment?  Do you want to email me a rough draft?  PM me and we can swap email addies.

Thing is, I haven't written the final yet. :unsure: I have a Grammar final (five hours!), an Astronomy final, a Novel Study final, four response papers, a five-work writing portfolio, and the paper due before Thursday. (The paper, response papers, and portfolio are due on Monday.)

I'm not feeling the pressure. Yet. Half the hall's caught the flu and the other half's fighting it off. There's also snow in the forecast; campus has been donut powdered already for a measly two inches.

I'm so glad the Lounge is coming through for me! *tear* Will make more replies when more coherent.

[Vandiablo]

On another thread we are looking at this site:

http://www.linguistics.ucsb.edu/faculty/cu...ing50/index.htm

it's got some interesting stuff about slang and message boards, mentions Griz and even quotes Occhi!!

-V

[kandrathe]

L337 5p34|< -- as I understand its origen, is an attempt by the naive to obfuscate any type of heuristic language scanning by "big brother". But that attempt at character substitution is feeble at best if one considers the amount of high speed silicon that the NSA, and other agencies have pounding on worldwide communications, including the text on the internet or e-mail transfers.

From Warblades post:

There is no definite pattern for the replacements

I disagree with the author of your quoted text, there is a definate predictable pattern which a computer could be programmed to translate. Even the variations are predictable because of the lack of a cipher, and so phonetically must conform to the base languages phonemes and order however they are perverted.

Edit: I spank myself for not reading all the replies before responding.

[Griselda]

I teach a lab preschool class at a university, and I have received papers that include internet terms such as "LOL" and :) (usually that little smiley that Word auto-inserts). I haven't seen worse than that, but I've only been in this position for about a year. How I respond depends upon the purpose of the assignment. Several of the papers are "journals" of the students' experience in the class. For the journals, I'm not too particular about language use. I want the students to be reflecting upon their experience, and that's what I'm looking for there. I wouldn't personally use "internet speak" in a paper I was handing in, but I don't penalize it in this case.

The other assignments are supposed to be more polished. In the short time that I've been teaching, I've never seen "internet speak" in these papers. But, that doesn't mean that they're in "proper English" either. Misspellings and run-on sentences are very common. Most of the time, these are minor errors. Occasionally, the mistakes are frequent enough that I have a difficult time understanding what the writer is trying to say.

Oddly enough, the language of the internet has affected the way that I handle this. At first, I was uncomfortable with the idea of correcting students for spelling and grammatical errors. While I'm fairly comfortable teaching children, this is the first time I've taught adults, and it takes a bit of time to get used to correcting adults! Now, I'm not saying that I ignored the errors, just that I felt uncomfortable correcting them. Anyway, one night I was agonizing over how to respond to a particular paper. I realized that if the paragraph I was reading had been a post on the Lurker Lounge, the poster would have been flamed (or at least very sternly corrected, depending upon who got there first). Clearly, I couldn't let something slide as university work if it would be considered unacceptable on an internet message board! So, I now apply my "LL test" to papers that I'm grading. If the paper's language would be well received here but contains a few errors, I won't mark it down, but I will point out the mistake. If it seems like the paper would get a hostile reception here, then clearly it is an issue that I need to address with my student. I just don't tell them that I used the "LL test" as criteria! :lol:

-Griselda

[Count Duckula]

it's got some interesting stuff about slang and message boards, mentions Griz and even quotes Occhi!!

The page is here: http://www.linguistics.ucsb.edu/faculty/cu...ng50/lounge.htm

W00t. Bit by bit, the Lounge doth grow famous.

[Count Duckula]

Here is paper so far. I'm not happy with it. I feel like I'm just listing information after a while and not analyzing. The Writing Center's not helping, and my friends aren't being honest with me. Grr. <_<

------

At a first glance, the Ironworks Forum looks like just another stop on the Internet. Boasting over 13,000 members since its conception in 1996, this computer gaming hub educates and entertains scions and strategists from Argentina to Zimbabwe and everywhere in between. Culture at Ironworks is so diverse that Dan Huling, webmaster of the Ironworks forum, put the following clause into the site’s Rules and Regulations page: “No targeting of another user by harassing or giving unwarranted attention to or attacking ones race, gender, ethnicity or country. Also, respect each person's views and questions--this includes attacks on NEW users” (1). However, forum moderators often use this clause to ban people from the forums who “come here specifically to be an idiot,…and piss people off, then we're more than happy to throw you out with the garbage, no questions asked” (Memnoch 6).

Farther down the information superhighway lies the Lurker Lounge, home to another computer gaming website and forum. Also around since 1996, the Lounge carries a population equally as diverse as Ironworks, yet much smaller, with only 1500 registered forum members. Unlike Ironworks, the Lurker Lounge maintains a set of strict rules about posting messages to its online message boards. The moderators at the Lounge “do not mind spelling or grammatical errors...we do not mind typos from anyone either. However, we do not appreciate '|337 5|o33|<' or any unnecessary shortenings of English words…If you do not follow this rule, you will be flamed or ignored completely” (Elric 1).

The need for the Lounge’s stringent clause in their forum policies reflects a mode of speech existent since popular public Internet consumption, using numerous grammar and spelling shortcuts as seen here:



This mode of speech is known throughout the Internet as Netspeak. TechWeb.com defines Netspeak as “the vocabulary associated with the concepts, functions and features of the Internet” (1). However, Netspeak has grown to encompass new ways of writing online and offline, affecting not only communication but school education as well. Is Netspeak simply a product of user laziness, or could it be considered a new dialect or jargon, or even a new language altogether?

Internet culture seems to foster shorthand. Text messaging programs such as America Online Instant Messenger service allow users instantaneous transmission of text, be it from different rooms in a house or different countries across the globe. The speed of messages is often referred to as “typing at the speed of thought” (Finn 2). Text messaging has even spread to cellular phones where, for a fee, users can “IM” one another at prices ranging from a penny a letter to a quarter a word. However, there is no price tag on Internet text messaging, other than the cost set by the service provider. So why would shorthand still be in use? One user explains that “people use Netspeak while typing IMs because they see other people use [abbreviations]. Eventually it gets to the point where they use [abbreviations themselves] and tell other people what they mean, only adding to the overall usage of the language” (Oncal 1). Another user says that “it’s fast, easy, fun, and most of the time the guy on the other end doesn’t care and might be doing it himself” (Merquete 2).

A step up from person-to-person text messaging is the concept of the Internet “chatroom,” where multiple users can read and be read by anyone logged into the setup, aka “room.” These places can be seen as breeding grounds for grammar mishaps, as shown here:



After twenty minutes filtering the chat room of advertisements and highly insulting language, this shows the genuine state of the average chatroom. While chatroom users claim that “chat speed makes me type fast” and “who carez if i dont use gramar right,” good typing skills should negate the fast scroll speed of chatroom text (Gamingchat9 4). However, scholars believe that mistake-laden text such as that shown in the photograph is not just a collection of bad prepubescent typists and may be in fact a new form of communication. David Crystal, author of Language and the Internet, claims that “computer users, young and old alike, bridge generation gaps and share cultures around the world. Is it possible then that the common shorthand vernacular is a new Internet-specific dialect shared by the Web’s multilingual users?” (119). However, during an observation in a gaming chat room, multiple users committed acts of grammatical injustice that would make a language teacher swoon, forgetting syntax, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and especially good manners whilst debating hot topics. Oddly enough, a high percentage of grammar mistakes came from people whose usernames--six-to-twelve-letter personal identification user- created chatroom names--also held many of the same mistakes. A user named uzth4ctopk called his way of typing “uNiQuE oNlY tO mE” and that “iTs StYlE nOt MiStAkS” (Diablo Retail USA-1 15). Fortunately for uzth4ctopk, his “mistaks” were not only overlooked but actually welcomed by other chatroom members.

Not everyone forgives the fast and stylized typers. A resident of the forequoted gaming chatroom for a little over four months, a long stretch in the Internet universe, die-hard computer gamer and gaming chatroom pillar Elbereth claims “newbies hit the scene and want to look good, and the peabrained people who type all funny command respect from the other peabrains, so the newbies type all funny, thinking that’s the way to go” (Elbereth 2). Elbereth admits that “I used to do 1337-speak all the time, but after a while, it got real stupid…and I type good so people can read it now” (Elbereth 2). During the observation, Elbereth’s proper typing skills were mocked more than a dozen times, and at one point users adopted a sort of typed accent to make fun of him, laden with grammar errors (Diablo Retail USA-1 19).

Other Internet text mediums are not pressured for fast communication, yet suffer similar problems. Message boards and electronic mail (aka “email”) offer users “time to safely compose a message” without the hassle of “communication delays with instant messaging” and even a spellchecker service so users “won’t commit faux paus” (Dunnewind 3). However, many forum users forget about these services, and rush to “plop out replies or answers and let their fingers do the thinking” (Rushland 1). In response, Ironworks Forum composed a mild statement in their rules and regulations warning users not to “purposely interfere with normal dialog flow” and to “practice general netiquette at all times” (1). The Lurker Lounge takes a different bent on what the moderators there consider improper grammar usage, going so far as to say, albeit tongue-in-cheek, “if you take a language that *does* require punctuation and remove it... well, you'll get flames, hit with a rolled up scroll of grammar +1, and likely have trout-burn on your face” (*draws his trout* 1).

Could chatroom and IM text be considered a new form of communication? Elbereth disagrees, believing “people being stupid isn’t something new, and [Internet shorthand] is just people being stupid” (Elbereth 3). However, to examine Netspeak as a language, once must examine present-day languages. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, languages “exhibit many stylistic differences in spoken and written medium, but all serve the same purpose: to effectively communicate ideas from one person to another” (Language 552). By that definition, Netspeak could be a new form of communication because its users understand each other. Some people believe that Netspeak is just a new form of jargon. Aelia Jusa, a member of Ironworks Forum since 2001, thinks

Abbreviations are not an internet invention, witness things like etc, eg, ie and so on which are common even to formal publications (eg in scientific journals). The speed at which written language is required online, almost as if a spoken conversation were occuring merely requires that some shorthand is used. So I would say it's not 'new' per se, but just an extension of an old practice. (2)

The Encyclopaedia Britannica defines jargon as “technical vernacular for a particular field” (“Jargon” 56). Since the World Wide Web is a world of its own, jargon would seem to apply to Netspeak as well. As said by Crystal, “however it is defined, one cannot overlook the fact that while Netspeak may not be a language, it is indeed a new form of communication” (49).

------

I have a wealth of texts on language and culture, and hoping to connect that to my paper somehow. I'm also drowning in sources, and I see the five hour exam (for the same class) swimming before my eyes. I leave for home in 4 days, and for Florida in 9. Can I survive to finally post the revised Diablo History Project? Is lack of sleep making me more melodramatic? Have I always been melodramatic?!

*runs screaming into the night and snow*

EDIT: Made the image smaller so Mavfin wouldn't get unhappy.

[Griselda]

Seems like a pretty good start. :) Since you could probably find enough arguments on both sides of the "new language" debate to fill several papers, you're right that you can't simply list them. I'd like to see you take a stand on the issue, then either support or refute your original position based upon a given definition of "jargon" and "language".

Your first example of "internet speak" (which is pretty hard to read in its smaller verion, fwiw) reads more as "wannabe gangsta" than "internet speak" to me. Maybe you could find something with some more commonly understood abbreviations? If you can still find it, the "tales for the 1337" version of Romeo and Juliet should have lots of good material in it. :)

Edit- found it - wtf r u romoe The text in the intro isn't visible for me, but I can see the rest of it just fine

Good luck! You're almost there!

-Griselda

[Vornzog]

Hey CD,

Not sure if this is in time to be of any use, but I'll post it anyway. It's more fun than working on my own take-home final.

I am the head teaching assistant for the freshman chemistry for engineers class at my university. In the usual flood of emails that are exchanged between myself and the students, professors, and other TAs, I've noticed a few trends. My students consist of 20 guys, many of whom I know to be gamers and general netizens. The emails I get from them span a range that includes unintelligible to well capitalized proper English. I am reassured by the fact that none of the students have used poor grammar in their lab reports.

My exchanges with the TA’s are generally shifted to the well capitalized, though not exclusively so. My exchanges with the one of the professors leave me teetering on the edge of madness – he writes in exactly the same tone of voice he talks. The other professor is significantly more email-savvy, and exchanges with him have a more relaxed flow without sacrificing grammar.

Most of these interactions seem to be mediated by three primary factors:

1) The sender’s perceived relationship with the recipient – I am not significantly older than my students, and often joke around with them. I know many of the same websites that they do. In addition to this, I write quizzes and grade their labs. I have a reputation as a hard grader, and one for knowing most everything about chemistry (this is a large exaggeration, and not one I try to cultivate – I just try to answer questions well). There is a definite split between those who view me as a teacher and those who view me as just one of the guys, and it shows in the formality of their emails.

2) The topic – General questions tend to be sent to me in a much looser format than specific questions regarding a problem with homework or labs. Quotes from two of my students:

“for the second review...tuesday would be great. cant make it today though...do you have our labs graded?”

“Sorry to bug you again, but I'm trying to do exp. 9 and i'm confused on what we are suppossed to graph.”

Notice that neither student uses perfect grammar and capitalization, though there is clearly a difference between the two. This trend may simply be an extension of the relationship factor mentioned above.

In the more informal emails, chatroom tendencies abound. The “…” sees much greater usage – my current theory is that this is a way of showing continued attention to a chat discussion without actually saying anything. It seems to be directly mapped to non-verbal motions or facial expressions in an attempt to recreate a face-to-face discussion. “Smileys” seem to be a direct extension of this, along with “LOL” and “ROFL”. It is an interesting fact that I have very rarely seen someone laugh before typing “LOL”. It does not appear to be a means of expressing laughter, but rather a means of expressing some sort of emotion that is lost between a wetwear (face-to-face) conversation and a software conversation.

3) The ratio of time spent at a computer playing (gaming, chatting, surfing) vs time spent at a computer working (homework, work related email, programming). The best example of this is not actually one of my students, but rather one of my best friends. He is an avid gamer, and if he has been playing many hours of EverCrack, his emails become unintelligible – often much worse than the first student email I posted above. He is currently studying to become Cisco certified, and when he has been working for long stretches of time, writes extremely coherent emails with correct punctuation and spelling.

3a) Total time spent in front of a computer, specifically on the internet or in multiplayer games. There is a certain level of exposure required for the other factors to even come into play.

While none of this addresses the question of internet language being a new language directly, I would suggest this discussion says it is not. What I notice is an attempt to instill some of the non-verbal components of a conversation into an electronic exchange. Perhaps leet speak could be explained in this way also. The people I know who would write this way also attempt to use unique speech patterns and slang as a means of establishing their identity as a member of some group. Obviously, leet does not lend itself to verbalization, but I would put forth that it has a parallel in the various slang prevalent among any number of groups.

Hope that provides some food for thought,
-V-

P.S. - Please feel free to quote me. You can contact me by the usual methods. However, I don't have permission from the students who I quoted. If you need those quotes, let me know, and I'll contact them.