New slang comes from technology

R U 404?

By Emma Hughes Wednesday, 10 December 2008, 15:42

NEW SLANG terms have been creeping into our language for years and the trend has only been accelerated by the invention of the text message. Now a new study posits that technology could be driving and perpetuating the adoption of new slang terms.
Lexicographer, Jonathon Green specialises in slang and has been working closely with the telecommunications arm of the Post Office in order to come up with some answers.
Certain slang terms such as "404" have entered the English language. This particular number is of course the error message given when a web browser cannot find a webpage, and the term has now come to mean 'clueless'.
Other technology related terms that have become popular include 'Code 18', which refers to someone who cannot use technology; the term stems from the distance between a person and their computer screen.
Another is 'CGI Joe', a takeoff on the term 'GI Joe' that means 'a bit of a geek'. It comes from the reputation of CGI script programmers for being way nerdy.

The study suggests that these terms are emerging and, although not widely used now, will be soon enough.
"What we're seeing is the influence of technology coupled with current events and, inevitably of the young, who in many cases drive language," says Mr Green.
New language emerges from the world of mobile phones as abbreviations are perfectly suited to those little screens, he said.
Not only is technology driving the takeup of new terms, it is also influencing their creation. As mobile phones seem to be the driving force for this new lexicon, it is not surprising that this technology's predictive text is throwing out new uses for words.

An example of this are simple, predictive text algorithms that come up with the word 'book' before they come up with the word 'cool', so instead of simply changing the word, 'book' has now come to mean 'cool'.
But there is more new technology, such as the Oyster card system, that is also bringing out new terms, such as 'Code 35' which has come to mean broke. This comes from the fact that when the card has run out of money, it shows the number 35.
The Oyster card also brings us 'Code 11', which appears if you use an out-of-date card. This term has now come to mean 'behind the times'.
Yet although this all seems very hip and certainly not Code 11, a study by psychologist Nenagh Kemp at the University of Tasmania shows that this language benefits the sender far more than the recipient.
Among a group of 55 students asked to send and read out text messages either in standard English or its vowel-impoverished cousin 'textese', nearly half the students took twice as long to read messages aloud in comparison to standard English versions.
Contrary to the idea that shortenings and deliberate misspellings are dulling our language skills, Dr Kemp argues that expertise with phonetics and grammar is directly tied to the ability to decipher messages in textese.
Although some may argue that this is just another manifestation of the laziness of the yoof of today, Green argues that it is the natural progression of our language, "It's just another form of the Queen's English - not better, not worse," he says.
Just in case you're still Code 404 we thought we'd put together a little table to help you out.

BTW=By the way
LOL=Laugh out loud
GSOH=Good Sense Of Humour
ATM=At The Moment
SWALK=Sealed With A Loving Kiss
OMG=Oh My God
@=At,Taken from the internet address meaning ‘at’
4EVA=Forever
CU L8R=See you later
Up2D8=Up to date
URSelf=Yourself
BOOK=Cool, From predictive text
KPC=Keeping Parents Clueless
P999=Parent alert,‘P’ from parent and 999 for emergency
LAMP=Lost money,Lost Another Million Pounds
CYA=Cover Your Ass
GOOD Job=Get Out Of Debt Job
RAB=Massive faux pas, Taken from doing a Ross and Brand
ROFL=Very funny, Roll On the Floor with Laughter
COS=Someone who’s obese, Customer of Size
143=I Love You, Taking the number of letters in each word

The Oxford English Dictionary 'cuts it loose' and 'kicks back' by releasing a new edition with 6,000 slang terms

by Rachael Wheeler. Thursday, 18 September 2008

PICKING up a new slang word is like getting a new toy – until it is used to death and becomes a little annoying.

From today, people will be spoiled for choice as the Oxford English Dictionary produces a new edition with 6,000 slang terms.

Take your pick from the thousands of buzzwords listed, such as “cockamamie” (to be foolish or silly) and “zowie” (an expression of astonishment).

This is down to the launch of Stone the Crows: Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang, a slightly lowbrow but entertaining version of the famous dictionary.

“Builder’s bum” (to describe the exposure of one’s bottom when bending over in ill-fitting trousers) has made the cut, as has “phwoar” (a linguistic outburst that exclaims an approval for another’s aesthetic qualities).

We suggest the production of a pocket edition for adults to prevent a language barrier when the terms are released upon teens.

Proud parents should be more wary when their child says she’s “reading the dictionary” – she might come out with “shagtastic”* at the dinner table.

* An adjective for someone that you may wish to conduct sexual relations with, first introduced by Austin Powers.

Brush up on your teenglish

London News: Teen jargon-buster for parents is nang innit bedrin? by Rachael Wheeler.
Thursday, 11 September 2008

PARENTS left behind by teenage slang are no longer on their jays (on their own) thanks to a new online guide.Confused mums and dads can work out what their teens are cussing about by logging on to a jargon-buster, created by Parentline Plus.The charity has set up a social networking website for parents to sooth the struggle of coping with real-life Kevin and Perrys.Parentline Plus provides help and advice, plus offers the chance to blog and chat about teenage trauma, in what looks like the parent’s version of Facebook.One of its most popular features is the jargon-buster, which provides an alphabetical list of crunk (crazy) terms, along with their meaning and an example of context.

Brush up on your teenglish below…

Bedrin - friend, mate

Buff - attractive, fit

Butters - ugly

Chirps - chat up

Clock - caught out

Cotching - chilling out

Crunk - crazy, drunk

Dissed - disrespected

Endz - neighbourhood

Feds - Police

Flossing - showing off with material possessions

Hench - to be strong

Jacked - stolen

Jook - to stab or steal

Nang - brilliant

Neeky - out of fashion or geeky

Off the hook - excellent, wicked

On your jays - on your own

Phat - great

Rinsed - overused

Wagwaan - what’s going on

Whack - crazy

from thelondonpaper