1) On the list I first subscribed to, the language used was pretty much standard American English. There were a lot of older women on the list, so 'Netspeak wasn't often used. They used tags like *g*, but I was able to figure them out after a while.
Later, however, I ran across other groups with their own lingo and inside jokes, and I watched in disbelief for a while before deciphering the code.
2) I usually stay in lurk mode for a bit after joining a new group. I hang back and watch how people interact. Now, I feel almost like a linguist--I can interpret different forms of fandom lingo for different fandoms just through context and timing. I'm sure there are others for whom unfamiliarity with fan-speak caused problems, but it didn't for me. :-)
3) I watched, basically. I looked up some words in a fan dictionary at one point. Like I said above, I learned mostly through context. I'm pretty stubborn--I don't like to ask people for help if I can help it. I'm glad to give help, though.
1) I was lucky enough to find people who spoke standard English at first. Actually, while I and others I know use emoticons/netspeak to some extent, I see more netspeak tendencies (ignoring the fact that one has a shift key, things like "thx" and "plz") in my conversations with people I know in real life first and then speak to on the 'net
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1) When you first entered online fandom or online culture in general - what was your experience of the use of language?
I was working on my Master's Degree in English literature when I discovered online fandom. I am a native speaker of American English.
2) Did your or other's unfamiliarity with net-/fan-speak ever cause any misunderstandings? Did you stay in "lurk mode" for a while, etc?
Not so much misunderstandings in general but confusion on my part. I tried to pick up the abbreviations and slang from context and when stymied, I'd ask someone friendly for help. I suspect, given my experience in contrast with the other answers given, that I have been very lucky in my fandom experience. I have no horror stories of humiliation or exclusion. I've been able to find one friendly face in almost every crowd.
I do lurk when entering a new arena, but then, I lurk in familiar territory as well. Mostly.
3) How did you learn net-/fan-speak? Asking people? If so, how did they respond? Looking for online fan dictionaries? Context? All
( ... )
Mmm, I remember being baffled by some of the terminology when I first got into online fandom, but I'm used to new jargon in new circumstances ;) I don't remember any specific misunderstandings, although I certainly got into some accidental arguments over what makes a story slash vs het, etc etc.
I did, indeed, lurk for a while. In fact, I always lurk before diving into a new fandom, just to get a feel for how people communicate and what they talk about.
I picked up the terminology through all of those methods. There used to be a great dictionary on CFAN that somebody pointed me to, occasionally I asked people (who were always really nice about explaining), and often I figured it out in context or guessed. (The other day I saw someone use STFU and I finally figured out what it meant. I always meant to look it up, but never got around to it.)
The other day I saw someone use STFU and I finally figured out what it meant.
Hee! I only just worked that one out recently, myself. I mean, I could tell what the basic, uh, sentiment behind it was, but I couldn't work out what it stood for. Mostly because it automatically translates into 'stuff you' in my head, and even though I know that a) the abbreviation doesn't work, and b) most people probably wouldn't be using vague Australian insults (particularly since 'get stuffed' is far more common), that's still how I read it. ;)
Eventually, I made myself read it as separate letters, and went, 'oh, that's what it means'. Heh. [/random]
1) I entered via USENET forums in my first online fandom, and a high emphasis was placed on proper spelling and grammar and an avoidance of 'Netspeak'. If you attempted to post in Netspeak or did not have what was seen as a valid reason for poor written English skills (i.e.: English was not your first language), then the mockery and ignoring would commence
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Comments 35
Later, however, I ran across other groups with their own lingo and inside jokes, and I watched in disbelief for a while before deciphering the code.
2) I usually stay in lurk mode for a bit after joining a new group. I hang back and watch how people interact. Now, I feel almost like a linguist--I can interpret different forms of fandom lingo for different fandoms just through context and timing. I'm sure there are others for whom unfamiliarity with fan-speak caused problems, but it didn't for me. :-)
3) I watched, basically. I looked up some words in a fan dictionary at one point. Like I said above, I learned mostly through context. I'm pretty stubborn--I don't like to ask people for help if I can help it. I'm glad to give help, though.
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1) When you first entered online fandom or online culture in general - what was your experience of the use of language?
I was working on my Master's Degree in English literature when I discovered online fandom. I am a native speaker of American English.
2) Did your or other's unfamiliarity with net-/fan-speak ever cause any misunderstandings? Did you stay in "lurk mode" for a while, etc?
Not so much misunderstandings in general but confusion on my part. I tried to pick up the abbreviations and slang from context and when stymied, I'd ask someone friendly for help. I suspect, given my experience in contrast with the other answers given, that I have been very lucky in my fandom experience. I have no horror stories of humiliation or exclusion. I've been able to find one friendly face in almost every crowd.
I do lurk when entering a new arena, but then, I lurk in familiar territory as well. Mostly.
3) How did you learn net-/fan-speak? Asking people? If so, how did they respond? Looking for online fan dictionaries? Context? All ( ... )
Reply
I did, indeed, lurk for a while. In fact, I always lurk before diving into a new fandom, just to get a feel for how people communicate and what they talk about.
I picked up the terminology through all of those methods. There used to be a great dictionary on CFAN that somebody pointed me to, occasionally I asked people (who were always really nice about explaining), and often I figured it out in context or guessed. (The other day I saw someone use STFU and I finally figured out what it meant. I always meant to look it up, but never got around to it.)
Reply
Hee! I only just worked that one out recently, myself. I mean, I could tell what the basic, uh, sentiment behind it was, but I couldn't work out what it stood for. Mostly because it automatically translates into 'stuff you' in my head, and even though I know that a) the abbreviation doesn't work, and b) most people probably wouldn't be using vague Australian insults (particularly since 'get stuffed' is far more common), that's still how I read it. ;)
Eventually, I made myself read it as separate letters, and went, 'oh, that's what it means'. Heh. [/random]
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