What is Net Speak?
Net speak, sometimes spelled netspeak, is a sub-dialect of English which uses replacements for words or syllables and abbreviations in order to speed the typing of common phrases or words. This is nearly indecipherable to those not used to the abbreviations and codes, but when used sparingly the meaning can usually be inferred from the surrounding context, and is simply a component of casual online conversation between netizens - citizens of the internet.
Like many things, however, it is best used in moderation, occasionally sprinkled into one’s speech. If used to frequently other netizens will not take the user of net speak seriously, and may shun them as being childish and unintelligent.
Of late net speak has seen a huge resurgence with the advent of text messaging. Not only does saving one’s self characters save time when typing on those tiny phone keypads with to few keys, but it also saves space in messages which are to long for the fixed message length one is allowed to send.
Problems can occur when someone uses net speak sends messages to someone who dislikes it due to developing a dislike for it elsewhere. This is especially true when an SMS message sender “Ttwitters,” slang for when someone sends several short messages at a rapid pace… and decided to use netspeak to shorten messages where the entire message could be seen on the receiving phone’s screen even if net speak was not used.
Examples of Net Speak
Some examples of individual substitutions and abbreviations can be found below with their English equivalents. This is not an all inclusive list, but if you feel something really should be added, please leave a comment, and I will add it to the post.
| Net Speak | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| lol | laughing out loud | often used to indicate that one finds something is funny. |
| bff | best friend(s) forever | Specifically from the realm of texting. Despite the fact that in normal English one would usually use this phrase as follows: “We’ll be best friends forever” rather than saying “That’s my best friend forever Jill!” bff is often used as an adjective for someone very well liked by the texter. |
| idk | I don’t know | Another texting gem |
| pos | Parent over shoulder | This can also stand for other things, especially when used to describe something |
| rae | raising/raises an eyebrow | An expression often used by Mr. Spock on Star Trek: The Original Series, and by many Vulcans in that universe since. The expression represents intrigue, often mixed with skepticism or confusion. |
| afk | away from keyboard | This is often used to let others one is having a conversation that you will not be reading or typing messages for a while. The length of time is indeterminate unless an estimate is given. For example, “afk for 30 minutes.” It may also include a reason for them to be afk. “afk. Have to do the dishes” or “afk, I need to get some food” In chat services such as IRC this is also often added after one’s normal user name (or a portion of it) to indicate your current status as not being present, while one may leave the chat window open so that they can catch up on messages when they get back. |
| brb | be right back / bathroom break | Since most people will “be right back” from a “bathroom break” it’s hard to tell how much each of these is used. This one is most often used on the internet when someone goes “afk” for a short time. |
| c | see | |
| u | you | |
| ur | your | |
| l8r | later | |
| Cya | See ya | |
| ltns | long time no see |
April 10th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
AIM. Always in Moderation. Sometimes I’ll just not respond if someone doesn’t take the time to type things like “you” out… ‘c u at home’….must resist urge to strangle….after all, my sister still can kick my ass….
April 11th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
[…] the confusion people purposefully or idiomatically mis-spell words, often inheriting idioms from net speak. Unfortunately, like with net speak, most of the time the spelling skills in question are poor […]
April 11th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Hey. Thanks for the suggestions. I’ve added some of them to the list, along with a few expressions that you reminded me of.
April 13th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
An example from the world of MMOs
bio
Short for “biological break,” indicative that the user will be unresponsive for a hopefully brief period of time while they tend to one or more biological needs, whether these be bathroom-related or linked to a need for food and/or “programming fluids” (aka caffeine).