Words in/not in the dictionary

[doe_witch]

I think this recent edition of Dinosaur Comics wonderfully sums up why linguistic creativity is awesome and prescriptivism is made of fail.

Comments

[un_sedentary]

Haha, awesome. I particularly like "sexplosive".

I have a love-hate relationship with prescriptivism, though... my linguistics prof called me a prescriptivist on the first day of the course, because the topic was linguistic pet peeves and I complained about a friend of mine "abusing the English language" by misusing grammar. And I hate chatspeak (I can't even bring myself to use it when texting and definitely never when IMing). If that makes me one, then fine. (Although I do like internet slang like "made of fail" and the like. It's simply that I don't think chatspeak serves any creative purpose - it's pure laziness in my eyes.)

But I am all for the advancement and evolution of language, forming and using new words, etc. Linguistic creativity is awesome. There's quite a lot of grey area between total prescriptivism and total descriptivism.

[muckefuck]

If you need convincing that chatspeak embodies linguistic creativity, you should read David Crystal's txtng: the gr8 db8. (Sure, there's plenty of "pure laziness", too, but ask yourself: How much of my routine speech acts is fresh and creative rather than rote and lazy?)

[doe_witch]

This.

[akamaru]

I agree... I always use full words in texting, and fairly proper sentences in IM/in-game chat. My brain doesn't even operate in txtr slang. I still like net slang and neologisms. I'll creatively abuse the language when it's appropriate. I just don't like slang or misuse that only comes across as... inarticulate and uneducated.

(I'm also not some jerk who'll jump on someone for moderate misuse or mistakes if they're unintentional, but I do tend to notice it... I'm certainly not perfect myself so who am I to criticize?)

[flamingspinach]

"chat-speak" is an amazing resource, actually. Just like any other, uh... dialect, you can borrow from it into your own dialect (of "full words and fairly proper sentences") for effect. There are really so many shades of expression you can encompass with some judiciously chosen netspeak - usually of the "sarcasm" variety, of course :P For a few examples, take the ever-popular "amirite", or "gr9", or just the supremely emotionless "o". It's well nigh an art after a couple decades of internet culture :)

[doe_witch]

"Inarticulate," I'll accept, insofar as it can hinder communication. Written articulation is important when you can't hear someone's tone or see their face. (Although if anyone wants to indicate to me a level of txtspeak/chatspeak that does count as articulate enough to overlook suprasegmental or gestural ambiguity, please tell me, I just haven't noticed it myself

[sollersuk]

I'm a middle-class white intellectual of considerable education and A Certain Age, and I use chatspeak when appropriate (eg when actually texting, largely to keep the length down), just as I use the dialect I grew up with when appropriate. My only beef with it is when it is used in inappropriate situations.

[doe_witch]

That's fair enough, I figure.

[pedantic_tomato]

"omg did u c derek 2day he wuz so hottt lmao"

Whenever I read something like that, say in a text, I don't read it in the voice of the person who texted it to me. In my head I hear the words being said in a pretty ridiculous voice: the words are said in a low tone and kind of slurred, and it just sounds... dumb. So for me, that's where the uneducated part comes from. It's not necessarily that the I think the person using chatspeak is stupid, but I think it sounds stupid.

[doe_witch]

Well, it's certainly funny to try and imagine how you'd pronounce certain chatspeak-isms, given that they're often acronyms or they're varied homophonic spellings that, spoken aloud, would be hard to distinguish from their non-chatspeak counterparts. It kind of forces me to accent my speech in weird ways if reading aloud or vocally imitating, which generally results in humor.

But for me that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it, it's just a little wacky and doesn't feel overly natural for my own language.

[deltasunlight]

For some reason I hear it in an American teenage girl's voice. Make of that what you will :P

[primroseburrows]

Yes, someone using inarticulate language online may appear uneducated in the ways of the middle-to-upper class, mostly "white" English generally found in the more intellectual sphere

I never saw this as a race issue. The chatspeak I've read is written by people all over the racial map.

but I don't think this can be a valid criticism unless you want to back up why it is bad to sound like you don't have that educational background.

Chatspeak doesn't sound to me like someone doesn't have an upper-middle-class intellectual background, but rather like the writer is twelve. It's not that it's uneducated, it's that it's immature (unless the writer indeed IS twelve, in which case the point becomes moot).

That said, I do use a lot of internet terms (IMO, YMMV, etc.) because it's a shortcut that everyone understands. I also think using emoticons is necessary in a "world" where communication is blind. I guess it's a matter of personal taste which terms sound like chatspeak and which don't.

[devils_workshop]

Ha! A linguistics prof nailed me as a prescriptivist when I referred to something as a "bastardization."

[primroseburrows]

I feel your pain. I still space twice after a period, even after being told that it Really Isn't Done Anymore. I do this in IMs, which is even sadder.

[miconazole]

Me too! I have to consciously not do it while doing design work, because InDesign (and probably most word processors) automatically insert extra space after periods. Eee.