Linguistic features of internet slang in language change
Maftuna Bozorovna Bozorova
bmaftuna@yahoo.com
Termez State University
Abstract:
This article analyzes how to use slang language so that people would
not be confused and understand how to use slang and abbreviations, and aims to
develop fundamental basis to assist people learn more about what Internet slang is
and what it means when used.
Keywords:
slang, English language, functional use.
Language is widely considered the most important
communication tool for
transmitting information. Surprisingly, a feature of language meaning is not only
related to the choice of words, but also to the way they are expressed. Today, slang
has become a phenomenon in the Internet age. On formal occasions like educational
settings, we usually use standard language. In contrast, in informal settings, such as
one community or virtual world, people use non-standard language. One of the
greatest inventions of the twentieth century is undoubtedly computer technology.
Naturally, like any invention, the computer has created a new Internet language that
evolves on the basis of general semantic rules and at the same time has its own
characteristics.
One non-standard language you encounter is slang.
Today teenagers prefer to
use slang rather than formal language. According to observation, slang is more
suitable for them to use in daily conversations such as chatting on Facebook,
Telegram, Instagram, etc. These social networking sites have become the largest
virtual community in the world, where people can
express their linguistic
characteristics, their feelings, how they conduct conversations on social media, and
share their thoughts and opinions.
The concept of social media is a term used to bring together people who use
collaborators, exchange information, and communicate via web-based message
content. Usually people get information through the content they post on social
networks, and establish friendship or relationships through
chats and conversations
on social networks. All people using the application can see how people feel in social
networks and can make response. This can be called indirect interaction. Twitter,
Facebook and Telegram are used by everyone and do not know the age, gender,
young or old, men or women who use these applications most often. Slang
abbreviations and acronyms widely used by Internet users are currently popular
words, so some of them are not listed in the dictionary. Some words are not easy to
"Science and Education" Scientific Journal / ISSN 2181-0842
December 2021 / Volume 2 Issue 12
www.openscience.uz
488
understand for ordinary people, or people who are not actively using social media, so
they have meanings that are difficult to understand literally. The extensive use of
slang leads some people to use it without knowing and understanding the meaning of
the word, which confuses people and makes these words not based on the context in
which they are discussed or used on social media.
Have you seen LOL, OMG, GOAT, 4you, bae, 2morrow
or any other similar
terms in text messages? If you have seen, then you will know exactly what these
terms mean. They are examples of English Internet slang – abbreviations, acronyms
and graphic symbols that are used in chatrooms, forums and blogs. They are used as
linguistic shorthand in daily life in text messages. People use such terms all over the
world. At first glance, you might think that Internet slang cannot help you to learn the
language. However, as the world embraces these terms, they can help you become
more immersed in English.
One of the most popular elements of Internet slang is
LOL
, which means
“laughing out loud”
or
“lots of laugh”
. This classic slang has become so widespread
on the Internet and textual languages that is used more and more both in online and
offline conversation and is a source of inspiration for
other related terms such as
ROFL
(rolling on the floor laughing) or
hahaha
.
Researchers are interested in understanding and learning chat language, but first
they must understand its characteristics. The linguistic features of Internet slang are
clear and well known. Scholars have pointed out that typographic changes include
orthographic and lexical, grammatical and sociolinguistic features. Zelenkauskaite
states that several orthographic and lexical characteristics have been discovered in
different languages and observed to be common in SMS messages: abbreviation and
insertion of extra characters
1
.
Internet slang varies depending on the user and Internet media type and settings.
One method is to replace all or part of the word with the
equivalent of a letter or
number. Some examples are: 2 =
too
, 4 =
for
, 2moro =
tomorrow
, 4u =
for you
, gr8 =
great
, 2nite =
tonight
, y =
why
.
Example:
IloveAlasia: hmm… ttly, I’ll think of more, just give me time!
Ellas: But I’m not sure about that! Also g2g… I’m interested 2 lol…
2
Other common Internet symbols are
“<3”
which resembles a heart and means
“love”,
using “@” in place of the word
"at",
and using the number “2” instead of
typing
“to”
or
“too”
.
Example:
1
Asta Zelenkauskaite “Symbolic Capital in a Virtual Heterosexual Market: Abbreviation and Insertion in
Italian iTV SMS” ResearchGate. January 2009
2
www.forumwordreference.com/threads/common-internet-slang.69759
"Science and Education" Scientific Journal / ISSN 2181-0842
December 2021 / Volume 2 Issue 12
www.openscience.uz
489
I <3 you; I’m @ the hospital; I’m going 2 school.
Letter homophones include abbreviations and acronyms. Examples of
abbreviations are “CU” or “CYA” for
“see you”, “see you again”
, “IDK”
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