Chat speak

[Shas aia Toriia]

Umm, so sorry, but for ages I have seen people post random abbrevations of letters, such as WTF and LMAO, and I have never ever figured out what they mean.

Could somebody help me out here?

[DraPrime]

WTF=What the f*ck
LMAO=Laughing my ass off
LMFAO=Laughing my f*cking ass off
FTW=For the win

Any ones you want to know in specific?

[Emperor Ing]

Here's the most common ones
WTF- What the frag (politely)
LMAO- Laughing my ass off
LOL- Laugh out loud
ROFL- Rolling on floor laughing
STFU- Shut the frag up
GTFO- Get the frag out
FTW- For the win
FTL- For the lose
(}{475|o43|< |=7\/\/*
*chatspeak FTW

[Shas aia Toriia]

OK, thanks.
Next, what does QFT and IMO/IMHO mean?

[Renegade Paladin]

QFT is Quoted For Truth, and is possibly the most irritating message board phenomenon in existence. If you're just going to quote someone and say QFT, then don't; the post is already there and we can already read it without you essentially posting it again.

IMO/IMHO = In My Opinion/In My Humble Opinion.

And none of these are 13375p34k; they're just chatspeak. 13375p34k is essentially a whole other alphabet, not just a bunch of acronyms. :smalltongue:

[Bryn]

QFT: Quoted For Truth. There are other 'Quoted for X' variants but those are usually written out in full.
IMO: In My Opinion
IMHO: In My Humble Opinion

GiantITP's list of Common Acronyms, Abbreviations and Terms (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18512) including gaming terms.

The Urban Dictionary (http://www.urbandictionary.com/), a searchable slang dictionary, should cover pretty much every internet term out there, especially common ones that you'll see posted around here.

[Threeshades]

For example QFE = Quoted For Emphasis

You should however not confuse chat speak and leet speak
Chatspeak is when you make all these silly abbreviations
Leetspeak is when you replace letters with similar looking numbers or even combinations of other signs like "|<" for "k"

So
(}{475|o43|< |=7\/\/ which was posted by Randomizer, and was mistyped by the way (correct would be "(}{475|o34|< |=7\/\/"), is in fact leet speak.

and 1|V|40 is both leet and chat speak.

[Dave Rapp]

The annoying thing about chatspeak is that there are no standard ways of doing it. Some people will make up acronyms or modify existing ones, and you end up with stuff like "OMGWTFBBQSTD!!1!1!!one" which roughly translates into "Oh my god what the f**k barbecue sexualy transmitted diseases" with a bunch of random 1's mixed in with the !'s as a mockery of when people make a typo when trying to type a ! and get a 1.

Yeah. It makes no sense at all. So, um... try not to do it too much. :smalleek:

1337 is even worse since we can't even all agree on how to translate letters. Some say that P turns into |o, some say it turns into 9, etc.

[Mr. Moon]

Could somebody help me out here?

idk, my bff jill :smalltongue:

[reorith]

QFT is Quoted For Truth, and is possibly the most irritating message board phenomenon in existence.

qft

i've contributed nothing to this discourse.

[Amotis]

qft

i've contributed nothing to this discourse.

qfi

quoted for irony.

[Uncle Festy]

qfi

quoted for irony.

QfToI
Quoted for Truth of Irony

[Moff Chumley]

IRL. In Real Life. Chat speakers anathema.

[Lemur]

idk, my bff jill :smalltongue:

jill? I'm not familiar with that abbreviation. You're making me feel old, Moon.

[Mr. Moon]

jill? I'm not familiar with that abbreviation. You're making me feel old, Moon.

jill = Jill = the name. It's a refrence from some really annoying comercial.

[Raiser Blade]

jill = Jill = the name. It's a refrence from some really annoying comercial.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l49/thecheat2/textmessagingftlavatarqh9.jpg

[Emperor Ing]

(}{475|o43|< |=7\/\/ which was posted by Randomizer, and was mistyped by the way (correct would be "(}{475|o34|< |=7\/\/"), is in fact leet speak.

Spelling error. My bad. :smallredface:

I would only use L33Tspeak when its reasonably practical and not annoying. I would encourage other L33Tspeakers to do the same.

[The Valiant Turtle]

I think most of the common message board abbreviations have been covered, but it gets exponentially more complex when you consider real-time chats and text-messaging.

[Illiterate Scribe]

gb2 your threads, chatty posters, for chatty posters are chaaaaaaatttttty.

in b4 translation.

[Mr. Moon]

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l49/thecheat2/textmessagingftlavatarqh9.jpg

Thats the one. I want to hug whoever drew that comic.

[Copacetic]

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l49/thecheat2/textmessagingftlavatarqh9.jpg

I've been tempted to do that to my brother, who makes the annoying habbit of yelling ZOMG!!! at times.

[Moff Chumley]

hur, lawlzez

[Serpentine]

Actually, I believe QFT, originally at least, means "Quite Fecking True"...
Also, I hate it when people on Team Fortress do this over the mics:
*genuine laughter* "Lol!"
WTFH?* I know you're laughing out loud! I just heard you! If you didn't actually laugh out loud, then you're lying to me! ARGH

* What the fecking Hell, of my own creation.

[Arioch]

Also, I hate it when people on Team Fortress do this over the mics:
*genuine laughter* "Lol!"
WTFH?* I know you're laughing out loud! I just heard you! If you didn't actually laugh out loud, then you're lying to me! ARGH

Some of the other nerds at my school do this when they find something amusing. I have no problem with chatspeak, but IT SHOULDN'T BE USED AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR ACTUAL SPEECH!
...
...
...
Sometimes they don't even laugh. They just say "lol".
/cries.

[†Seer†]

Actually, I believe QFT, originally at least, means "Quite Fecking True"...
Also, I hate it when people on Team Fortress do this over the mics:
*genuine laughter* "Lol!"
WTFH?* I know you're laughing out loud! I just heard you! If you didn't actually laugh out loud, then you're lying to me! ARGH


Bwahahahaha!

@OP: There's derivatives of chatspeak as you go on.

Lol can become lawl (usually annoying but it amuses me), or sometimes people change a word to a chatspeak version to further emphasize their point; (lol)lercoaster, (rofl)copter, etc. -Minus the parentheses.

BTB-By the by
TTYL-Talk to you later
TTYT-TTY tomorrow
BRT-Be right there

To keep the psuedo-grammar going, Chatspeak seems to heavily influence LOLSpeak, which in turn spawned LOLCode..

[Mauve Shirt]

My friend has the habit of saying "Stoofoo!" for STFU instead of just saying "Shut the frack up!"

And I accidentally started saying "Bee Arr Bee" instead of be right back.

[Flickerdart]

A tricky one to spot is OTL, which is in fact not an acronym at all, but a smiley depicting a person on all fours, generally used as depicting despair.

[Player_Zero]

Heh... Interestingly enough, I have said "GTFU" out loud before. This is not a normal abbreviation, but rather an amalgam of GTFO and STFU.

And is it just me or does Japan really like cat-text smilies?
a/\_/\
l(ºᴥº )

[Shas aia Toriia]

A tricky one to spot is OTL, which is in fact not an acronym at all, but a smiley depicting a person on all fours, generally used as depicting despair.

And now I know.

And knowing is half the battle!

But in all seriousness, that is entirely new to me.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

I have a bad habit of saying Baiz instead of bye

And Saiye instead of see you, though that has nothing to do with anything.

[Aereshaa_the_2nd]

Even harder to understand than 1337 is 539, which is basically 1337 in hex:
SAMPLE:

This is an example of modern hacker slang.
7h15 15 4n 3*4mp13 0f m0d3rn h4**0r 514ng.
3768313520313520346e20332a346d703133203066206d3064 33726e2068342a2a3072203531346e67


that esoteric enough for ya? HUH?

[Jayngfet]

Why do people feel the need to use chatspeak offline? Do they not look childish enough at the keyboard?

[SoD]

Must...resist...urge....to kill l33ters!

I admit I have a problem with the modern neanderthal speech, in text messages, it irks me, but I can understand the reason. You've got a limited amount of space before you need to pay more.

On MSN it bugs me, as it's free, so who cares if you need to put your speech on two different things? Then again, with someone else waiting for you to reply, sometimes you want to take the fast route, instead of the intelligent route.

On e-mails, and forums, it annoys me. You've got an (almost) unlimited amount you can type, and it's (usually) free, so why bother?

In real life...I find it difficult not to brutally murder Bernie and Alison. Or whoever else uses it. 'Lol' is the worst, I have found, working itsself into real life speech, WHY DON'T YOU JUST LAUGH?! It'll make you feel better than just saying 'lol' and your arm won't hurt so much after*.

* Not that it usually hurts that much...I don't have a strong punch.

[TRM]

I've always wondered, what is the advantage of using l33t speak? It seems to me that it uses the same number of characters, so is neither faster nor "cheaper." Explanation?

[Illiterate Scribe]

And is it just me or does Japan really like cat-text smilies?
a/\_/\
l(ºᴥº )

Shift JIS art, or somesuch. A menace that should be purged.

[Mauve Shirt]

Chatspeak is a horrible horrible thing. Especially now that people will use LOL, BRB and STFU in conversation. They'll say the letters instead of the actual words! I can understand using them when texting or something, when typing individual letters is inconvenient, but you're flipping speaking! Also, when you SAY LOL doesn't it defeat the whole purpose? Aren't you supposed to be laughing out loud?!

[WalkingTarget]

I've always wondered, what is the advantage of using l33t speak? It seems to me that it uses the same number of characters, so is neither faster nor "cheaper." Explanation?

As "leet" or "elite" implies, it's a way to show that you aren't a newbie as you've gotten the hang of the local slang.

It wasn't a way to save space or time, it started as a way to subvert message board language filters.

It wouldn't allow talk of hackers or porn, so people came up with haxx0rs and pr0n as a way to get around it. If one was net-savvy, one could understand these codes and discuss things freely. It's simply evolved on its own since then (even when it's not necessary to bypass filters) as it gained the status of indicating one is in on the joke. From what I can tell, the cycle is now:

total newbie (online text tends to be in "normal" language) -> gained some knowledge of the internet and it's conventions (use 1337 to show one is no longer a n00b) -> realize that this kind of silliness is unnecessary and is a pointless way to show off at this point (go back to using "normal" language, but at least now you understand all of the weirdness).

[Castaras]

Chatspeak, meh. Use it in real life sometimes. Try not to, but I do.

I've grown to get used to it. Telegraph speak can be useful, especially when texting. Quicker, easier, and cheaper.

Although I still text with proper english. <.< My texts normally aren't long enough to gain any extra cost.

[Mauve Shirt]

Chatspeak, meh. Use it in real life sometimes. Try not to, but I do.

I've grown to get used to it. Telegraph speak can be useful, especially when texting. Quicker, easier, and cheaper.

Although I still text with proper english. <.< My texts normally aren't long enough to gain any extra cost.

I'm not innocent of using it in real life, I'll find myself saying BRB. NEVER lol though, because you clearly did not lol.
Since I got a phone with a full keyboard I've been using proper english in texts. I almost always spell correctly on the computer, though things like LOL, STFU, BRB, and TTYL I'll use over the AIM.

[Roderick_BR]

As "leet" or "elite" implies, it's a way to show that you aren't a newbie as you've gotten the hang of the local slang.
(...)
total newbie (online text tends to be in "normal" language) -> gained some knowledge of the internet and it's conventions (use 1337 to show one is no longer a n00b) -> realize that this kind of silliness is unnecessary and is a pointless way to show off at this point (go back to using "normal" language, but at least now you understand all of the weirdness).
In short: It's to attempt to prove you are not a "n00b", and to show everyone that you actually ARE a "n00b" :smallwink:

People are spelling the codes out loud in normal conversation now? And I thought it was just a bad joke from Mad Magazine that people would get dumb enough to start doing it... :smallfrown:

[Zarrexaij]

I use 1337 and Chatspeak for comedic effect, both online and real life. The 1337 is obviously just in spelling; I wouldn't use it in actual conversation. :smallconfused:

If people are using 1337 while talking, I might as well start speaking in hexadecimal or binary.

[Mr. Moon]

If people are using 1337 while talking, I might as well start speaking in hexadecimal or binary.

That would be very amusing. You should go up to random people and talk to them that way. Or even better, recite pi to a hundred places.

[Player_Zero]

I know, I could invent my own language! It'd be the best, most rootin' tootin', language in the whole Bloggonet!

Hmm... I have not the patience nor the ability to invent a series of laws governing the language and it's use, so rather I will use the Roman alphabet indiscriminantly and with intent to wound!

Gooey syme bloogie yellow strump-corn.

That's Player_Zeroian for 'More beer, you slappy-wag'.

[unstattedCommoner]

Chatspeak, meh. Use it in real life sometimes. Try not to, but I do.

I've grown to get used to it. Telegraph speak can be useful, especially when texting. Quicker, easier, and cheaper.

Although I still text with proper english. <.< My texts normally aren't long enough to gain any extra cost.

I tend to respond to txtspeak with extraneous polysyllablism.

[Zarrexaij]

That would be very amusing. You should go up to random people and talk to them that way. Or even better, recite pi to a hundred places.Now if I really want to confuse people, I'd just talk to them in Nadsat.

"Real horrorshow like day we're having, eh?"

It's still coherent, but it's still so... not understandable. Unless they're a weirdo like me that has read and seen A Clockwork Orange far too much.

[Zombie pixe]

I tend to respond to txtspeak with extraneous polysyllablism.

Hahahahaha.

I hate l33Ters. SO much :smallsigh:

I does tend to just horrify me how language has devolved so much that people have to use numbers instead of letters.

[Shas aia Toriia]

Hahahahaha.

I hate l33Ters. SO much :smallsigh:

I does tend to just horrify me how language has devolved so much that people have to use numbers instead of letters.


Too true, eh? Who'd have thought we'd willingly devolve ourselves eventually?
Ze' End of Ze World won't be nukes, it'll be lack of communication.


I tend to respond to txtspeak with extraneous polysyllablism.

UC. Is. Made. Of. Win.

[Jayngfet]

[)00[)$ [_] /\/33[) 2 1373/\/ [_]|* !72 _|[_]27 4 |=4[)

:smallbiggrin:

[Shas aia Toriia]

[)00[)$ [_] /\/33[) 2 1373/\/ [_]|* !72 _|[_]27 4 |=4[)

:smallbiggrin:

"Guys, you need to lighten up, its just a fad!"



Maybe so, but its still annoying.

[Zombie pixe]

[)00[)$ [_] /\/33[) 2 1373/\/ [_]|* !72 _|[_]27 4 |=4[)

:smallbiggrin:

:smallyuk:

that is possibly the most hiddeous thing i have ever seen, baring that time my friend opened a book of CSS on me. :smalleek: