Instant Messenger Lingo

From LoveToKnow SocialNetworking

With the advent of the internet came the creation of instant messenger lingo. In spite of the proliferation of chat clients such as AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Chat, Google Talk, MSN Messenger, ICQ, or the messaging services offered by blogging groups such as MySpace and Facebook, there has emerged a pretty standard vocabulary of instant messenger lingo. Even sound and video based chat clients such as Skype have chat built in, and the same conventions are used.

Instant Messenger Lingo

Types of Instant Messenger Lingo

Loosely, instant messenger lingo falls into three categories: status messages, expressions, and intentions. The first type are used to indicate some current situation or pending situation, such as being away from the keyboard (AFK). The expression type of instant messenger lingo is used in the same way body language and sounds are used in everyday conversation. The most famous example is "LOL" for "laughing out loud," an expression that has worked its way into common culture with the verbalized "ell-oh-ell." Third, intention, is most often used as greetings, or farewells, such as "TTYL" for "Talk to you later."

Here are further examples of each type:

Status Lingo

  • AFK - Away from keyboard
  • SR - Shower
  • POS - Parents over shoulder
  • G2G - Got to go
  • LOL - Laughing out loud
  • ROFL - Rolling on the floor laughing
  • ROFLMAO - Rolling on the floor laughing my a** off
  • YTB - You're the best
  • JK - Just kidding
  • JMS - Just making sure
  • JW - Just wondering

Intention Lingo

  • BBL - Be back later
  • BRB - Be right back
  • BBS - Be back soon
  • CU - See you
  • L8R - Later
  • TTYL - Talk to you later
  • KOTC - Kiss on the cheek
  • LYL – Love you lots
  • TY - Thank you
  • SRY - Sorry
  • TTFN - Ta ta for now

Expression Lingo

  • FITB - Fill in the blank
  • G - Grin (these and other facial expression lingo terms have largely been replaced by smiley expressions)
  • EG - Evil grin (see above)
  • IMO - In my opinion (also IMHO, in my humble opinion)
  • WB - Welcome back
  • FYI - For your information
  • NFC - No f**king clue
  • BF - Boyfriend
  • GF - Girlfriend
  • NM - Never mind
  • NP - No problem
  • OMG - Oh my gosh
  • WTF - What the f**k?
  • TMI - Too much information

Aside from the terms above, it is also common practice when using lingo to substitute single numbers or letters for homophonic words – for example, "How R U?" instead of "How are you?" or "Nice 2 C U 2day." This method is especially used when sending a text message via phone, which uses many of the same conventions of instant messaging.

When NOT to Use Instant Messenger Lingo

While it is understood by a large part of western culture, IM lingo is not appropriate in all situations. Some people react very strongly to a person who uses the phrase "Double-you tee eff?" in a verbal conversation, because it does stand for an expletive.

  • Do not use instant messenger lingo in any school or business documents. The only exception would be in a work of fiction where the characters were using an instant messaging client.
  • Do not assume that the person you are chatting with will already know the same instant messenger lingo that you do.
  • While IM lingo may speed up chats and phone texting, it is often more impressive to express yourself in complete sentences with proper punctuation in your non-virtual communications.

As the world of technology changes, the phrases and abbreviations will change as well. It is always appropriate, when confused, to simply ask a person what they meant. In the end, it's all about communication.

Retrieved from "http://socialnetworking.lovetoknow.com/Instant_Messenger_Lingo"

 


Comment on Instant Messenger Lingo



(Displayed with your comment)                        (Will not be displayed)
Verification Code:   
    

Social Networking Categories
LoveToKnow Tools
More Articles