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If you aren’t so used to the texting culture or are an English learner, it can be slightly tricky to figure out the meaning of chat abbreviations. We’re here to help you learn some of the most commonly used text slang.
Slang is loosely defined as words, phrases, and uses of words from an informal register, compared to a formal one. Think about the language that you and your friends use online, on social media, or in private messages, but wouldn’t write in an essay.
just plain enjoy slang and are curious about the particulars, such as usage and etymology. This book is intended for the general reader and does not include some of the very specialized vocabulary of subcultures. The aim is to describe terms that have gained a kind of broad acceptance and use.
Internet Slang and Language Change Today: As I have already mentioned, slang is a social marker of youth (Cheshire, 2017), hence why critics of these language features are often members of older generations who are not able to understand where the new jargon is coming from (Jabali, 2016).
- Contents
- Internet Slang and Abbreviations
- Twitter Slang
- Reddit Slang
- General Internet Slang
- How Internet English Is Different from Casual English
When you tell someone goodbye, you usually just say “bye.” This is a shortening that was created to save time since the word “goodbye” is so common. The same is true for the Internet! Much of Internet slang is made up of abbreviations and shortenings. Here are some of the most commonly used Internet abbreviations: 1. lol— laughing out loud 2. brb— ...
1. Hashtag
Many websites and blogs use tags to make it easier to search for content. When Twitter first came out, it didn’t have the option to add these tags. People who used Twitter decided to create their own way of tagging their posts: the hashtag. Hashtags use the # symbol before the keywords, which are written without spaces. The hashtag has expanded into the rest of the Internet, and doesn’t only exist on Twitter now. One example of a popular hashtag is #TBT, which stands for Throwback Thursday. P...
2. DM
A direct message or DM is a term used on Twitter for private communication with someone. Each user has a “Messages” page where they can read and send direct messages to other users. The word is also used as a verb, as shown in the example below. Example:
3. RT
A retweet on Twitter is when someone shares your tweet with their followers. Retweeting something means you like what that person said, agree with it or have something to add. Example: Oh my gosh! Beyoncé just retweetedmy tweet!! I can’t believe it!
4. AMA
The AMA was first made popular on the sharing forum and community, Reddit. Short for “Ask Me Anything,” an AMA is when someone, usually well-known or from an interesting background, goes online and answers questions posed by the community. Example: Even President Obama has done an AMA! If you use Reddit, you’ll notice lots of other abbreviations—such as ELI5 (Explain Like I’m 5), IIRC (If I Recall Correctly) andTIL (Today I Learned).
8. IMHO
“In my humble opinion,” or just “in my opinion” can be used before stating your opinion on a matter being discussed. Adding the word “humble” makes the opinion seem less important or significant. Example: IMHO, this post deserves a thousand likes.
9. Meme
The word “meme”has been around longer than the Internet. Outside the Internet, the word describes a part of culture that developed because it was passed on from one person to another, usually by imitation. A meme can be an idea, a tune, an image—anything that can be passed on and altered. Online, though, a memeis an image, text or video that’s copied and modified over and over again. Most of the time, people add their own funny change to the image or text. You’ve probably already seen a few m...
10. Facepalm
A facepalm is a gesture where you put the palm of your hand on your face. This is usually done in response to someone saying something very obvious or not very smart. Example: A: I just realized the Apple logo looks like an apple! B: …*Facepalm*
Being one of the registers of English, Casual English is the register you use around friends and people you know well. On the web, there are generally two types of Internet English: 1. The first is Formal Internet English. This is used in formal internet situations such as in an important email or in a remote working environment. 2. The second type...
D o you know what “kip”, “knackered” and “going Dutch” mean? They’re three fairly common English slang expressions. Here are 50 useful English slang expressions to describe going out at night. PLANNING THE NIGHT. Not be bothered.
Mar 26, 2021 · Over 5,000 twentieth-century slang words and phrases are presented from throughout the English-speaking world. Each headword is defined, with the date of its first appearance in print, while thousands of quotations - from authors as diverse as John Lennon, Raymond Chandler, Germaine Greer, and Woody Allen - illustrate the use of slang words and ...
