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rotf prolly make lol possible. WOOT
by dominathan at 01:23 PM on February 25, 2005
This entry is inspired by my friend Joe.
During an MSN messenger conversation he commented on what a "cop-out" he thought using "lol" by itself was. Essentially he pointed out how with those three simple letters he was essential avoiding the end of a converstaion, but at the same time adding nothing to it.
I have heard others complain of the way prople shorten certain words, the most notable I can think of is prolly for probably. I've heard arguements that it is the degradation of the English language. (really I still balme spell check) It wasn't until i took a sociology class last semester that I realized it is not necessarily so.
Couldn't it just be the evolution of a new language to come? Will somebody look back years from now and think typing laugh out loud is an abomination to the language we are creating present day.
Another example is ebonics. A few years back they tried to get ebonics taught in some schools. The end result was "NO WAY!" I think it is valid though. Ebonics has become the base language used in rap music, a genre that has taken and passed the time test and will be around longer than any of us. So then these lyrics, many of which when manipulated by the proper artists, are said to be very poetic and may be one day studied by our children and their children, could be seen as classic works, the way we see Shakespeare now.
Now I'm not gonna say MSN lingo is the most intelligent evolution of human kind, but it does have value. It is becoming a way of communicating more effectively and faster than we used to. It is bringing back the need for people to understand and use words properly, as it is a written medium. Many people my age do not communicate effectively with only words, they are used to phones, and video, and communicate more thorugh nonverbal cues and inflection of the voice. Maybe MSN is really saving the written word.
comments (15)
I'm too old to relate to all those chat room abbreviations. :-(.
by anna at February 25, 2005 6:22 PM
This has nothing to do with your post but please click on links, then show all favorites, then Daily Abstrucity. Or else just type in search word Ordinary Morning. You'll come to one of the few other blogs I read, Mellie's. This thing used to generate mad comments, dozens per post. But now it seems the comment function is either gone or concealed somewhere. Why is that?
by anna at February 25, 2005 6:34 PM
The first time one of my siblings said "LOL" out loud instead of laughing, we laughed about it for days. Now saying "LOL" instead of laughing is our in-joke. "Lollerskates" and "lollercoaster" are good, too.
I've been reading this book called "The History of English," and it says that during Shakespeare's time there was a lot of controversy because people were putting new words into English left and right, mostly from French and Latin I think. Apparently Shakespeare himself was very adventurous when it came to using new words and phrases. Meanwhile there were people complaining that writers were using so many new and unusual words that it was impossible to understand them, heh.
I mean... LOL ;)
by jean at February 27, 2005 4:29 AM
I don't know if Orwell will be spinning in his grave at stuff like, "lol", or grinning madly chanting, "I told you so."
by Ex Crimson Guard NCO at February 27, 2005 4:55 AM
Personally, I don't think using ebonics or aimspeek is any worse than using spanish words or japanese words when you speak. I'd say it is the evolution of language and the merging of cultures. I can talk on Yahoo to friends in Vietnam and they know what lol means. It's not hurting anyone, so why worry about it?
by Hank at February 27, 2005 1:44 PM
Was just reading an article this past week (wish I could remember where, or else I'd link it) about AIM-speak. Basically, there was a study of HS and collegee students using IM, and besides for the shortening of words, the conversations were remarkably grammatically correct.
by mg at February 27, 2005 2:58 PM
Used to be called leetspeak didn't it, until the MSN messenger and AIM users started to utilise it, it was devised by hackers and such, and they re stopped using because it became common, hah hah.
I think it does have an effect though, especially on teenagers here in the UK, I swear more than half of them couldn't spell 'Laughs out loud' if they were put to a test. It would be 'Laffs owt lowd.' I'm sure a small minority have simply stopped using their vocals too, prefering instead to sit next to one another text talking on their mobiles: "U gun c Claire 2nite..?..! Gr8 m8, av a gud time."
by Ex Crimson Guard NCO at February 27, 2005 5:26 PM
Ebonics. Some people want to put others down for using this variant of English. Who cares if you say "ask" or "axe." We know what you mean and that's what matters. It's like lingustic types debated for years about whether to let "microwaveable" into the language. We all know what that means, so it's a word.
by Anna at February 27, 2005 9:48 PM
I spend a fair amount of time on messenger. It seems to me people invariably talk about how they can't pick up emotion or what somebody is feeling through text. I feel this can be true, showing dry sarcasm is nearly impossible if any subtlety is involved. Yet it still can come across. It seems to put more emphasis into the importance of words, and their proper uses.
No longer will "like, you know, whatever." suffice.
by dominathan at February 27, 2005 11:50 PM
Lol is alright I suppose, but when someone injects lol into an online conversation, I feel the integrity of the conversation decreasing exponentially. I feel that the individual isn't capable of putting their full support behind everything they say because, well, are you *really* laughing out loud? I highly doubt it. I don't mind if you say "lol" if I actually made you laugh so hard that noise escaped your mouth, but if you don't think it's funny, please don't patronize me.
It's somewhat tolerable in a casual conversation, especially whe I'm chatting with someone much younger than me, but when I'm having a more mature discussion with someone over (let's say) 24 years old, and they say "lol" or I hear anyone say "lol" in a conversation in person or over the phone, I can't help but cringe. What's so wrong with actually laughing? Is "lol" the only way to convey your amusement?
Is "lol" the new "haha"?
by Navdeep at February 28, 2005 11:01 AM
Yah mon. My poop smells like shit.
by BallsCoveredInShit at March 1, 2005 2:43 PM
There is a more appropriate string for you balls, entitled "I eat poo, you eat poo". I think it got a little off topic, but i sure many of your friends are there.
by dominathan at March 1, 2005 3:23 PM
Gotta admit when I use "lol" I am rarely even smiling when I lol, I do snort through my nostrils sometimes. If somebody I'm chatting with says something completely anal that I know is supposed to be funny, I just put lol. But chances are my face is scrunched and I'm "sol" - ing. Saying Out Loud: "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?
Those contacts you pick up from nowhere, the ones that pop up and go: "Who's this?" And you obviously click and check their profile, knowing full well they're doing the same. And even though you've just read all the: Emma Whoever, 24, Kent, England. I like horses and walking in rain, I love poetry. No I do not whisper or cyber so don't even ask me. I have a cat named Mitsy and dog named Woof, my ex boyfriend is a bastard. I am a receptionist. - You still go: "Who's this?" Back.
And then after that you realise they were added during a bad multi-messenger convo and the very contact you had who added you to the multi, isn't one you like anyway - usually some tool you used to work with - so the chances are, you won't like this mystery visitor either. lol'ing those contacts, instead of removing them, gives me something to do when I'm downloading. Those who deserve the unsmiling lol, are the people who lol in their own sentences. I'm guilkty on fora, but not in Mess, or ICQ:
Mystery Contact: "lol i thought u woz my friend Rachael, lol, I woz gunna tell u all about my night lmao!"
Crimson: "lol"
Mystery Contact: "that wud have bin orribul! lol, lmao, rofl, roflmFao, pmsl, *giggle* *grin* *pout* *smirk*!"
Crimson: "lol"
Mystery Contact: Has Gone Offline.
Crimson: Is Now Blocking Mystery Contact.
Mystery Contact Has been removed From Your Contacts List.
by Ex Crimson Guard NCO at March 1, 2005 6:12 PM
WTF?
by anna at March 1, 2005 8:26 PM
I have been monitoring my msn habits since I wrote this post. I find i actually write haha when I am actually laughing, and the number of ha's directly corresponds with how funny I think it is.
Kind of like a little humour rating system.
by dominathan at March 1, 2005 9:39 PM