NETSPEAK PLUS CHATSPEAK. The Influence of the Internet Slang on the
English Language
By Natalia Kalinina, School 1359
1. Introduction
Social networks, as well as the Internet in general, have become the main
communication tool for almost everyone. People can’t imagine their lives without
chat forums or social networks. On the one hand, the development of online
communication is a great achievement that helps people keep in touch no matter
where they actually are. However, on the other hand, with the progress of the
Internet development, the younger generation started making new, shorter forms of
words and abbreviations, which are commonly called “Slangs”. They actually
influence English-speaking culture drastically, gradually changing the English
language from inside.
The actuality of this problem can be explained by the existence of challenges
associated with the influence of the Internet:
1) Being just a fashionable tendency, the Internet slang has now become a new
way of speaking, the abbreviations and neologisms, or newly-invented words,
along with illiterateness, have become very popular with young people;
2) The Internet slang is not just spreading among people from the Internet itself,
but from other mass media, such as radio, television, newspapers or magazines;
3) It is getting more difficult for the young generation to realize whether it is good
or bad to use slangs in day-to-day communication on the regular basis, which
shows the danger of changing the English language with all the possible aftermath;
4) The use of slangs in everyday speech may lead to the degradation of literateness
and further impossibility of speaking correctly, fluently and beautifully when
circumstances would require that.
The Object of this research work is Internet slang and its influence.
The aim of the research:
•
to reveal how slang words become widely used;
•
to find the reasons why slang words become popular;
•
to analyze whether slang words are threatening the norms of the English
language;
•
to reveal negative and positive effects of slang words in the process of
communication.
Methods used to carry out the research:
•
literature reviews – searching for and synthesizing;
•
analytical;
•
focus groups opinions – people’s comments on the website pages.
2. Slang: Its Meaning and Origin
First of all, it is important to find out what slang is. According to Tong,
McIntyre and Silmon,1 slang is shorthand, coded terminology that develops within
social groups or when individuals regularly interact in a certain setting or context
over a long period of time.
Webster Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language
defines the word “slang” as:
1. very informal usage in vocabulary and idiom that is characteristically
more metaphorical, playful, and vivid than ordinary language;
2. the jargon of a particular class, profession, etc.2
This is the definition that Wikipedia gives for Internet slang in particular:
Internet slang (Internet shorthand, cyber-slang, netspeak or chatspeak)
refers to a variety of slang languages that Internet users have popularized and, in
many cases, coined. Such terms often originate with the purpose of saving
keystrokes, and many people use the same abbreviations in text message and
instant messaging. Acronyms, keyboard symbols, and shortened words are often
methods of abbreviation in Internet slang.
1
Tong, V; McIntyre, T; Silmon, H. What's the flavor? Understanding inmate slang usage in correctional education
settings. J. Correct. Educ 1997, 48, 192–197.
2
Webster Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, GRAMERCY BOOKS, New
York/Avenel, 1993
In general, slang as netspeak is the formulation of words on
instant messaging (IM) through Internet or phones used to
contact in an original, “modern” way, or sometimes slang is
formulated as an abbreviation (e.g. LOL=Laughing Out Loud,
BRB=Be Right Back etc.) to shorten some lengthy expression. It also
includes the emoticon, which are used by sender to express his/her feelings or
emotions pertaining to any action or thing.
3. Variety of Opinions about Slang
Some people consider the frequent use of slang in Standard English as
negative whereas some people find that very beneficial for English as it has
extended the range of words in English to describe one thing.
The professor of humanities at Stevens Institute of Technology Silvio Lacceti
and Scott Molsk, in their essay entitled The Lost Art of Writing, do not esteem
acronyms highly. They predict reduced chances of employment for students who
use such acronyms, stating that, "Unfortunately for these students, their bosses will
not be 'LOL' when they read a report that lacks proper punctuation and grammar,
has numerous misspellings, various made-up words, and silly acronyms."
Fondiller and Neron, in their manual assert that "professional or business
communication should never be careless or poorly constructed "whether one is
writing an electronic mail message or an article for publication, and warn against
the use of smiley faces and these abbreviations, stating that they are "no more than
e-mail slang and have no place in business communication".
A famous English researcher David Crystal is of the view that the slang
words are very useful for English as they extend the vocabulary greatly. According
to his research about 200,000 new slang words are now in use in everyday English.
In his opinion only those languages persists for longer period of time which have
capability to dissolve words from different languages. However, many people
disagree with this thought that inclusion of slang words will dismantle the basis of
English, and it will lose its identity. For example, U = You. LOL = Laughing Out
Loud. ASAP=As Soon As Possible. IMHO = In My Humble Opinion.
Apart from abbreviations which are formed from different combinations of
words and numbers and often phrases, which can be seen, perhaps, on every
website, slang words may even appear by reforming words borrowed from other
languages or simply borrowing (“Stealing”) foreign words and giving them a new,
special meaning. Such a tendency has become quite popular among the American
youth now, with English words being mixed along with foreign ones, particularly
with Japanese words taken from Japanese culture (mainly cartoons called
“Anime”).
Here are some of the most popular examples:
Moe (From Japanese) = A term which is used to describe an adorable, cute,
pretty-looking person (Usually used for describing girls)
Impossibru = A “Japanese” analogue of saying “Impossible”
Kawaii (From Japanese) = Cute, Adorable
Baka (From Japanese) = An insult, equal to “Fool”, “Idiot”, “Cretin”
Me gusta (From Spanish) = I feel good
Another type of slangs involving borrowing and inventing new words and
phrases is called “Memes” (From French “Meme” – Same, Similar). A “Meme”
usually consists of doodles called “Rage Faces” and often some newly invented
words and phrases going “hand-in-hand” with such pictures.
The best-known memes among the Internet and social
networks in particular are:
Trololo (Also known as Trollface) – A strange sly
grinning face drawn in an irregular shape, usually used in
conversations to show moral advantage over another person being followed with
phrases and words like “Problem?” or “U mad bro?”. It is believed that the meme
itself originated from the song “I’m very glad because I’m finally coming back
home” by Eduard Khil, or, to be exact, its non-lexical version, often referred to as
“Russian Rickroll” and which is now widely associated with Internet “trolling”.
Me gusta – literally translated from Spanish as I Feel Good – a
circle-shaped face with lips forming an arch and eyes popping out
and looking to different directions, often used to give an opinion on
something likeable. Usually used as a joke.
Y u no – a figure of an angry man raising
hands with the face distorted with obvious anger –
used to describe something irritating and/or
confusing.
Facepalm – one of the very best-known memes
originated from the Star Trek series. The moment of one of
the protagonists – Cap – covering his face with a hand
became very well-known among the young generation as the
screenshot picture of Cap started spreading all across the
Internet, mainly used to show annoyance and often
disappointment, also pointing out the ridiculousness of
something and even sometimes being followed by a phrase “Facepalm. When
words lose their power”.
4. What is To Blame for the Slang Tendency?
The Internet is not the only technology that has changed the way we talk.
Radio, television, and telephones have introduced their fair share of new words and
phrases into our lexicon over the last century.
For example, the phrase TTFN (Ta Ta for Now) comes from the "It's That
Man Again" radio series in the 1940s. Similarly, the word "d’oh" that was made
famous by Homer Simpson on The Simpsons became an official word in the
Oxford English Dictionary, "used to comment on a foolish or stupid action,
especially one's own." And don't forget "Give me the 4-1-1," the slang phrase for
requesting information that refers the number for local directory assistance.
The more time we spend online, the less time we spend listening to the radio
and watching TV. Smartphones have blurred the line between phone and the
Internet. At this point, the Internet is likely to have the biggest influence on our
day-to-day conversation.
The Internet trends come and go fast. "Language itself changes slowly, but
the Internet has sped up the process of those changes so you notice them more
quickly," David Crystal, honorary professor of linguistics at the University of
Bangor, told BBC News. You can imagine how much longer it took new words to
spread through word-of-mouth than it does today with the Internet.
5. The Spreading of the Slang across the Internet
The question of how exactly the newly created words spread, eventually
becoming quite a common tendency for young people all around the world, has
been discussed by linguists and anthropologists for years. Today, it is commonly
accepted that social media is playing the main role in this process.
Because of social media, the slangs are becoming a part of a new “fashion”
and moving around the world within weeks and months, whereas before, it could
take a few years, says Julie Coleman, author of The Life of Slang. "It's not
necessarily that language is changing more quickly, but technologies have
developed and they allow the transmission of slang terms to pass from one group
to another much more quickly."
6. Slang as Common Words
Is a word considered "slang" until it graduates into an official word in the
dictionary? When exactly does a word become "real"?
The fact is, only when a word becomes "real", i.e. widely used and
understood, it can find its place in a dictionary. "The time the academy finishes
their dictionary, it will already be well out of date," says linguist Stephen Pinker.
"We see it in the constant appearance of slang and jargon. Language is not so much
a creator and shaper of human nature so much as a window onto human nature."
As it turns out, dictionary editors look to us when they vote on whether a
word should have a place in their dictionary. "Dictionaries are fantastic resources,
but they are human and they are not timeless," Language Historian Anne Curzan
says, "If you ask dictionary editors, what they'll tell you is they're just trying to
keep up with us as we change the language. They're watching what we say and
what we write and trying to figure out what's going to stick and what's not going to
stick."
7. Positive Aspects of Slangs
It is also believed, however, that slang words are not just gradually
destroying English as a language, but modernizing it. Slang is often used as a way
to appear friendly to someone or to show that you belong with a certain group of
people or that you understand popular culture. It shows that you are part of the "in
crowd" and that the slang you share is part of your secret language.
Some slang words have been part of the English language for many years.
For example, if you review the history of American slang words you will find that
"dude" was first used as a slang term for a man in the 1870s.
Slang words can be a good indicator of what was going on during a specific
period of time. For example:
The free love, hippie movement of the 1960s can be seen in "vibes"
(feelings) and "far out" (amazing).
The fast-paced times of the 1980s can be seen in "go postal" (go crazy) and
"melt down" (total collapse).
Slang freshens and enhances the English language by adding words that
describe what people of the era are doing and feeling.
8. Is Classical English Doomed?
The question bothering, perhaps, everyone: whether classical English as we
all know is doomed. Fortunately, English as the language itself may not be
doomed, however, due to that slang fashion. It is most likely that common English
words may soon be replaced with “cool” new words and abbreviations. The slangs
are spreading via mass media such as Internet and television with quite a rapid
speed, eventually becoming our new way of speaking, and due to that, we probably
cannot fight that alone. However, that does not mean there is no solution for this
problem. So, what can we do about that? Certainly, we may spend lots of time
thinking of how to respond that question, but ironically, the answer is quite simple.
We cannot probably fight that, however, that should not mean we cannot resist that
either. The action we take about that is to simply avoid using slangs and
abbreviations in our everyday speech, speaking classical English instead of
“modern” English. This may be a tiny step for us, however, if we all take action,
we will probably make a huge step in saving English in the way we have all known
it for years and even centuries.
As a part of this research, we studied people’s opinions on a number of chat
forums. They helped to make the conclusion, which was based on balanced views
from the TripAdvisor website. The overall standpoint of the people on the forum is
the following: people shouldn’t be lazy when writing. Complete sentences, clear
thoughts are signs of maturity. Understanding the differences in different cultures
and age groups is really needed to communicate successfully. For example, when
people share opinions on chat forums, they should respect each other. So, if you
use shorthand writing and emoticons while posting comments, you should be
aware about the proper etiquette on this particular website.
9. Conclusion
Summing up, we would like to restate that Internet slang spreads all across
the world rapidly, making Standard English change. It can be suggested that
classical English is doomed, although we would still not rush into conclusions. To
begin with, there are still a lot of spheres of our lives were people use common,
classical English avoiding “netspeak”. Besides, at some point, slang makes the
English language develop. In fact, the developing of any language will never stop.
In our opinion, though, slang, and “netspeak” in particular, should not become our
everyday way of speaking or communication.
10. Bibliography
1. Tong, V; McIntyre, T; Silmon, H. What's the flavor? Understanding
inmate slang usage in correctional education settings. J. Correct. Educ.
1997, 48, 192–197.
2. Webster Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language,
GRAMERCY BOOKS, New York/Avenel, 1993.
3. Silvio Laccetti and Scott Molski (September 6, 2003). "Cost of poor
writing no laughing matter". Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
4. Shirley H. Fondiller and Barbara J. Nerone (2007). Health Professionals
Style Manual. Springer Publishing Company. p. 98.
5. David Crystal (September 20, 2001). Language and the Internet.
Cambridge University Press. p. 34.
6. www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkAwIVoNUx0
7. www.ted.com/talks/steven_pinker_on_language_and_thought?language=
en#t-10520
8. www.ted.com/talks/anne_curzan_what_makes_a_word_real?language=e
n#t-971512
9. http://nsportal.ru/ap/library/drugoe/2011/10/18/issledovatelskaya-rabotapo-russkomu-yazyku-vliyanie-internet-slenga-na
10.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_slang
11.https://ru.scribd.com/doc/30906442/Influence-of-Slang-Language-onEnglish
12.https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g1-i12104-k2212064Ban_netspeak-Help_us_make_TripAdvisor_better.html
Moscow, 2017