The annoyance that is Netspeak

[brightrosefox]

Insert annoyed Marge Simpson sigh of exasperation here

It's funny -- yes, it is very funny. It is the ultimate expression of the new times we live in, the world of Instant Messaging, MySpace, LiveJournal, Blogspot, [insert name of blog], and cell phones with text messaging. However, I've been noticing the "language" creeping into the everyday. There is, or was, a series of Young Adult novels, called T*Witches, about twin teenage girls who had supernatural powers. I browsed through a few of the books when they used to be on the shelves in bookstores. And quickly put them back. Because throughout the book, the author used LOL, OMG, BF, and BFF as if they were actual words, real honest words. Even in the dialogue. So apparently, in the real world, people, teenagers, no longer laugh. They just exclaim, "LOL!" And no one says, "Oh, my God!" or "This is my boyfriend," or "We're best friends forever!" Nope. Today's world is all about abbreviations. OMG! WTF? (I say sarcastically)
Why does this bother me so? Is it because I am a self-proclaimed Grammar Bitch (I don't like using the word Nazi)?
I really do love how people constantly make fun of how others use Netspeak; the clever, hilarious spoofs, jokes, and parodies laced with sarcasm. But some people are actually serious. Oh. I'm sorry. Sum ppl r actuly srious, LOL, WTF!

Forgive me if I seem... cranky, or exasperated. I used to use LOL and BRB, until I decided it wasn't worth using shortcuts anymore. I'll use LOL occasionally, but really that's it.
But so many people, so many people use Netspeak deliberately, all the time, with all intents, knowing full well that these are not the real words.
I know this is the way it is going. Our children will grow up with Netspeak as a natural language. Hell, UrbanDictionary.com has a wealth of information (info). But... it seems strange. Am I the only one? Do you feel that the modern language, the grasp of grammar and punctuation and use of words, is slowly deteriorating in the face of a whole new generation?
People who have dyslexia are actually unable to spell and use grammar correctly because something is turned around in their brains. My father, my husband, one of my best girlfriends, and many other people I know are dyslexic.
But these other kids, who are obviously not dyslexic: for god's sake, what the fuck! What is the excuse? Too lazy to type out entire words? I know that with cell phones you're charged by the character, but there is no real excuse for shortcuts in Instant Messaging and blogging. If you can take the time to write the whole word, the person on the other end can wait.

What I do find very amusing, though, is that the word "the" is now partner to "teh," which has a wonderful meaning all its own. I think "teh" is the only Netspeak word I actually like.

"Netspeak is teh annoyance."
(http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=teh)

Comments

[thesacredfire.livejournal.com]

Funny you should write this rant now, I was just thinking about this a few days ago when I realized how likely this will become a new language. Although my grammer isn't top notch and I do mispell things, internet lingo just hurts me. I loose automatic interest in someone the moment I realize they prefer to communicate in that manner. To me it speaks of their intelligence level. Most people that use that are the younger generation, individuals in high school and lower, some in college. I've read stories where teachers recieved essays from students written in netspeak. I hope to gods it doesn't become an accepted manner of writing, but I fear things are going that direction.

It was even referenced in Venture Brothers. As was LJ. I use things like "Pete is Teh Sex" if I'm feeling like a smart ass and I feel like writing something goofy in say, dirt on his car. =P

[brightrosefox.livejournal.com]

See, I like when Netspeak is referenced in humor, but not when it is used deliberately in place of actual language... I laughed at "Pete is Teh Sex."

[bluepony0628.livejournal.com]

I agree. I don't use netspeak often because I feel it has to do with effort and intelligence. I'll say "lol, brb, ttyl (talk to you later)" in quick reference to people who know it through instant messenger, but seriously, if I'm communicating with someone through writing or verbally, I never use netspeak (okay, once in a blue moon). Even through instant messenger, I try my best to "write better." That's just the way it has to be. (I can't stand it when people don't use capital letters or punctuation.) What ever happened to proper speaking/writing?

If netspeak becomes the norm, I'm moving to Mars. And starting my own civilization of "civilized" individuals. Right. ;)

[brightrosefox.livejournal.com]

Proper speaking and writing is slowly being phased out by young teenagers who don't feel like making an effort to learn outside of English class, I think...

[fyremoon.livejournal.com]

There is something disturbing about netspeak and SMS language. It takes longer to decypher and read than it does to type the whole word, so why don't people just type the words (though perhaps WTF is best left as an acronym)

I do have a hard time with netspeak it must be said, I can never remember what the acronyms are as my head is full of other stuff.

Give me smilies and I'm fine ]B=8}

[brightrosefox.livejournal.com]

Yes, precisely! I hear that it is more difficult to deliberately type incorrectly than it is to type correctly.

[my-piece-of-sky.livejournal.com]

ug, it just takes too damned long to read. one of my students sent me an email to notify me that he would be out (which is great, they're freshman and instructors often don't get that), but it was *all* in netspeak. it really took me quite some time to decipher, and then i had to send a response telling him that wasn't a really appropriate way to email a professor. and that is something that i am worried about...as it becomes more common, are these kids going to try and email a resume w/ a netspeak message?! i'm not sure that all of them get that the way they address and write to their friends is not the same as the way they should address and write to pretty much anyone else. just...ug!

[brightrosefox.livejournal.com]

I keep hearing about a teacher who received several papers from students written in Netspeak. That is very disturbing.

[todabrilla.livejournal.com]

I've read student essays that were written like, you know, the students speak and like stuff. Fortunately, I never was subjected to any netspeak student writing. I think I would have had to scream.

[brightrosefox.livejournal.com]

*smacks head*
They... they actually write that. Oh, jaysus. Oh, this makes me think of my housemate's flightly brat girlfriend and how her MySpace pages cleverly belie her adolescent insecure Valley Girl idiot-speak. She's in college studying nutrition, anatomy, holistic therapy, and biology. And yet I cannot in good conscience listen to her talk. Fortunately the way she writes is good. Thank the gods. Imagine if she wrote the way she spoke...

The Vulgar Tongue of Cyberspace: A Reason for Optimism

[todabrilla.livejournal.com]

I was all set to agree whole-heartedly with you, but a moment's reflection gave me pause.
On the one hand I find decyphering the net lingo to be deeply annoying at an almost visceral level, but at the same time it's fascinating to watch the language change. On principle I find the idea of striving to keep a language to be anathema to the vibrant democracy of human communication. Top down constraints like the French Academy are therefore a very bad idea. I am no fan of the patently absurd linguistic atrocities of much net-speak but as you observed the "the/teh" neologism (through a kind of poor typing version of spontaneous mutation) could be considered as enriching the English language. So I will remain optimistically aloof. I cannot believe that our tongue will degenerate into a techno-pidgin of cyberspeak acronyms. It's just not workable. These typing short-cuts are not viable as a complete lingua franca. What I expect we'll see is that certain terminology and phrasology will be adopted from the internet just as the very terms "cyberspeak" and "netspeak" themselves have. We'll subject them to the selection environment (or "free market of ideas" if you prefer an economic model to a biological one) of practical human speech and those that work will be retained. The rest will be discarded on the trash heap of history. It won't be the first time in history that new conditions have spawned lot of language evolution only some of which is retained.

Re: The Vulgar Tongue of Cyberspace: A Reason for Optimism

[brightrosefox.livejournal.com]

You know, you have an excellent point, now that I think about it. I think I can agree with that!

Re: The Vulgar Tongue of Cyberspace: A Reason for Optimism

[todabrilla.livejournal.com]

Yes, agreed. I am being perhaps a trifle charitable here, but I still think my conclusions are sound.

[sidheblessed.livejournal.com]

I am in total agreement with you. Its one thing to use abbreviations in text messages or chat rooms when the conversation moves quickly but not in books and not in real life. That's just ridiculous.