The "l33tspeech" revolution

I don't know where it came from, who started it, or when. But what I do know is that what I have dubbed the leetspeech and "..." revolution is here in full force. It's a disease almost as terrible as AIDS and far more easily caught. All you have to do is sign onto MSN, AIM, IRC, or right here on our very own beloved forums to see it in action. I myself have been guilty of it on more than one hundred seperate occaisions. I still catch myself doing it all the time.

What am I talking about you say? Let me explain. Somewhere within the last decade some nerd sitting at his computer all day decided that punctuation was for squares and that he would from there on out seperate all of his sentences with "..." Whether they be questions, statements, interjections, or exclamations such as "That was so funny I want to Laugh Out Loud" (which we have since buttfucked down to 3 letters.) We have succesfully created a language all our own that we affectionately call l33tspeech (yes we know speak in combinations of numbers and letters because we all know that there is nothing COOLER than adding digits to our words, celebrities do it all the time so we should too.

Personally this sickens me. It taints the english language and I've found myself using internet shorthand in the most akward situations. I keep trying to break away from l33tspeak as much as possible but it is hard. Why should I type a sentence explaining how funny I thought the previous post was when I can just type "ROFLMAO" and get +1 to my postcount? Yet (for me at least) we respect the posts of those who use proper grammar and punctuation far more than those with sentences like "OMG SCII ROXORZ GG NO RE KKKKK THNX LOL"

Does anyone else see this or do you not mind it? I'd like to know your thoughts without getting torn to shreds with sarcastic l33t posts.

There is nothing, and I do mean NOTHING that irritates me more than when someone uses "lol" on msn. If there was a "blow up sender's computer" command I would gladly use it every single time.

Eh, it annoys me, but I can't help but occasionally spurting "lol" and varietions, "g2g", "BRB", and "BBS" when I'm in a hurry on aim and such.

I think people who use it excessively do it because they believe it makes them look "internet savvy" when all it's really doing is making them look a tad silly.

Oh wait, hold on, let me type it all out: Rolling on the floor laughing my ass off.

That just looks lame. I never liked AIM-speek, with the 'u' and 'ur' and 'r u' and all the variations thereof, but the rest of the abbreviations and acronyms are quite handy when you're being lazy. And if you're on a computer, and chatting in IM, then you're being lazy anyhow.

l33t is another story. I don't care either way, as long as someone doesn't use it excessively. It's gets annoying when people don't have self-control.

Well, in small doses, I don't mind it so much. Heck, I'm a victim of this 'virus' myself, if you will just take a peek at my name.

Indeed, for user titles and such, it's pretty nice :D.

Personally, I do use 'lol' a lot and those kind of abbreviations on MSN. While I try to keep my conversations rather pure English, words like 'lol', 'lmao', brb', et cetera have actually become words.

It's interesting how fast internet-english can change and evolve.

Mr U

Actually, the real geeks out there, moreso the old skool gen, despise alpha numeric substitutions or symbols in words. Though you'll get that hybrid programmer/avid gamer who abbreviates till the cows come home and is completely unaware he/she is doing it. Personally, If you want to be absolutely tortured to death by it, then head on out to any MMORPG forum. You'll be bashing your head against your keyboard till your eyes bleed after being a member for around 5 mins. Tis a very sad place, kinda like hell really....

I think at the end of the day we've all used it one time or another for numerous things 111

I use pure English in any IM conversation except for the commonly accepted ones, lol, lmao, brb, but thats about as far as I'll go. Gtg, didn't last long with me and ttyl or ttfn never actually found their ways into my vocabulary. But we're all victims of sheer laziness I'm sure and if I am feeling especially lazy, I'll shorten with my mates from school extensively....although I must admit, talking to them when they throw in Greek words shortened is definately something I have trouble getting my head around.
I've found that since I've been on forums and the language thing that can be a problem at times has pulled me up from using l33t or Aim speak quite considerably.

I have to admit that for me, smilies are one of the worst things made to convey an emotional response. Example:

Person 1: You're banned.

Person 2: :(

nuff said.

Man-o-man-o-mannnnnn...I despise 'smileys'...they make me sick and I can not comprehend why anyone would use them! I feel much the same way about 'lol', 'lmao' and all those other 'fsa'('fucking stupid abbreviations')...although I am a HUGE fan of the ol' '...'. I still use punctuation, but I use the ol '...' as a way of connecting what I'm typing in much the same way as when we talk...we occasionally...pause...but continue the same...train of thought.

As for the language change brought about by internet useage, we must turn to Chaucer:

"Ye know ek that in forme of speche is chaunge."

It's not a good thing and it's not a bad thing...it's just different...But it is bad. Really.

I must admit I am an avid user or 'lol', 'btw' and other common abbreviations, but only really when I'm on MSN. Like Eon said, its probably sheer laziness creeping its way into conversations, but I usually just do it to save time when I'm having a rapid chat. As for smilies, I use them on MSN, not really on forums. And L33t? I don't speak languages that I can't understand, unless I feel like being a smartass and using a translator.

Ah memories of the binary, hex and morse phase we went through at MH, those were good times and I think that translator is still bookmarked somewhere just incase.

My opinion is a little of everything in moderation. In my days of debauchery in adminning my Counter-Strike server, and still today, l33t5p34k comprises a small amount of my vocabulary. What I really can't stand is some kid who wasn't even born when the term "leet" was coined talking like he invented the "language". With respect to such usage of jargon, I'd say that timing, context, and consideration for your audience are key.

As for IMspeak, or whatever you want to call it, I'm lazy and tend to abbreviate a few things. But I also taught myself how to type by instant messaging over AIM and now I type something like 60WPM (I'm not bragging because I know that's not all that fast) without doing any of those typing tutor programs. There are, however, a few abbreviations that I've seen some girls, and guys, use online. Probably the most annoying thing of all time, is when someone types their web page up in aLtErNaTiNg CaPs set to a pink background with yellow text or something else that makes my eyes feel like they have gonorrhea. Also, it peeves me when some "abbreviations" are longer than the actual words themselves, e.g. "secksee" (sexy), spelling 'and 'nd', when people completely remove the letter s from their vocabulary and replace it with z no matter what, when people try to be "cute".

Overall, as long as someone can use a variation of English in order to properly to express what they're trying to say to me and not make me think they're a complete retard, I'm okay. If not, there's a reason why put-downs and the block feature were created.

Ahhh! Forgot about the smilies! Those little bastards are the bane of my life!

I dont have a problem if somebody wants to abbreviate everything or if they decide against using punctuation. As long as I am able to understand what they are typing, then it doesnt really matter. The one thing that does bother me is the so called leet speak. This used to be something that was limited to those people who actually had elite skills. It was used from time to time just for fun or as a code. Now every moron out there throws it around cause its 'kewl' and they think they are elite. I guess its just another one of those things that I feel you should have to pass a test or something before you get to use it.

I don't mind it in small doses. I use lol a lot and sometimes BTW. I think smilies are funny so I don't mind them but its when you get into THX and LMFAO and OMG that it begins to irritate me because I can't understand it half the time!