How do YOU say...

Peter Thomas · Tue 23/03/2004 07:10:01

internet abbreviations??

You know - words like 'lol' and 'brb' and 'gtg'. I'm just curious as to what different people actually hear inside their heads when they see the words on the screen.

For example, when someone types the word 'lol', I actually say "lol" inside my head, whereas with 'gtg', I hear the words "got to go", but strung together really quickly like "gottago". I put together a brief list of the way I say words. I was just wondering you you say them:

Lol = lol

Brb = Brrrb

gtg = Gottago

imho = In my humble opinion

j/k = sometimes 'joking', sometimes 'just kidding', sometimes 'J.K'

roflmfao = roff=ell-maff-ow

stfu = stuff-you (said really really quickly)

n00b = N-oooooo-b

So..... how do YOU say?

Nine Toes · Tue 23/03/2004 07:15:07

When I see them, I usually say what they stand for.

Well, I was never really quite clear on "lol"... I never really knew if it meant "laughing out loud", or "lots of love".... maybe I'm just stupid.

Some of these acronyms, I have absolutely no clue what they mean.... I can't think of any specific one, but I see a lot of them on IRC.

Peter Thomas · Tue 23/03/2004 07:26:14

yeah - I'm kind of confused about lol myself (although I find 'laughs' is more common than 'love' (?))

There are also some acronyms that I don't know - others that just took me ages to figure out. I think most of them are just so stupid. People who type whole messages using acronyms should be shot.

Babar · Tue 23/03/2004 08:27:05

what I hear inside my hea when I see these words on the screen?
"KILL! KILL! KILL!"
I never got it with internet abbreviations. They just annoy me. Like some idiot trying to sound cute by saying "lolllllllzzzzzzz!!!!!11!!" every second line. Then they make some stupid excuse about how "in the fast world of the internet" it takes less time to type in abbreviations. Yeah sure, you can save a few seconds by typing "lolllllllzzzzzzz!!!!!11!!" instead of refraining from touching the keyboard till you have something useful to say.
hahahah...I sounded like Maddox there for a few seconds. Ok, with the abreviations I usually hear it in letters, like brb would be B-R-B and gtg would be G-T-G

GuestDude · Tue 23/03/2004 09:25:04

I feel compelled to mention that STFU may be interpreted that way politely, it commonly stands for Shut the F__K Up.

Privateer Puddin' · Tue 23/03/2004 09:39:14

imho = in my honest opinion, no?

Gilbert · Tue 23/03/2004 09:52:05

Well... All your answers are here...

Femme Stab Mode >:D · Tue 23/03/2004 13:23:28

IMHO= in my HUMBLE opinon

I don't use shorthands much, I only ever used brb, lol,imho and gtg. Others I jsut spelled out, like If I Remember Correctly and Talk To You Later. Those are ugly when abbreviated.

Timosity · Tue 23/03/2004 13:42:08

Actually IMHO is either 'Honest' or 'Humble', I think of it as 'Honest' in my head. (but if I use it I usually drop the 'H' and just leave it as 'IMO' [which could also be mistaken for 'In Memory Of'])

When I see 'LOL' I think "League Of Losers", cause that's what you are.

ROTFLMFAO and the like are the most pathetic acronyms I've ever heard, I'm glad I don't see it often around here. and I don't think of how to say it cause I just ignore it, and think "LOL"

Esseb · Tue 23/03/2004 13:44:41

If it was "honest" then IMNSHO doesn't make all that much sense.

Darth Mandarb · Tue 23/03/2004 13:47:41

Typed messages are so impersonal that people feel the need to convey their 'attitude' by using these abbreviations (or the emoticons).

The only one I REALLY can't stand is LOL.

LOL = lahl

I can't stand when it's used at the end of statements. "So I decided to do it myself lol"

I think the reason I hate this so much is because I HATE, HATE, HATE, and CAN'T STAND when people do that nervous giggle after saying something, "I went to the store, hehehe". "I needed a break, hehe" It drives me up the effin' wall. LOL comes across that way because it's usually put after a statement.

Now, if somebody says [types] something really funny, LOL is okay as a response, because it lets them know you're actually laughing at what they said.

LOL, when used wrong, is as annoying as this rediculous leet speak shit that's so popular these days.

~ d

jetlag · Tue 23/03/2004 13:56:57

LOL = laugh out loud

Kinoko · Tue 23/03/2004 14:46:33

I have to say that most internet speak drives me nuts. Lol especially, because it's often used, as Darth pointed out, in such a stupid way.

I'm guilty of writing 'btw' instead of 'by the way' all the time but I had a bit of a think about it and I think my problem is with abbreviations that, when expanded, wouldn't be naturally said anyway.

I mean, wouldn't it look extra stupid if someone said, "Wow, you're funny, laughing out loud!". I certainly think so. If I have to communicate my laughter, I just write "haha" or "hehehe!" or something. I think it sounds much more natural.

While we're on the subject, another pet hate on top of my list is people not bothering to properly type the thousands of exclamation points they use, eg. "omGLOL!!!11!!!!!!!!1111111"

If you must over-use exclamation points, how hard is it to keep your finger on the shift key for one second?

IMHO and btw, etc (and etc I guess!) don't really bother me because expanded into their normal form, they'd make sense in the conversation.

Oh, and ROFL is another one that's just as, if not more annoying than LOL.

As for how I read them in my head:

lol = L O L (I just pronounce the letters)
rofl = roffle
btw = by the way
imho = in my honest opinion
brb = B R B
j/k = Sometimes "joke", sometimes "just kidding"...
nOOb = noob

To be honest, I've -never- heard of 'stfu' before.

Fuzzpilz · Tue 23/03/2004 15:04:25

It's rare that I read anything as though somebody was saying it, which means I generally don't "hear" anything in my mind. I tend to treat certain common abbreviations as symbols of their own, though of course with the usual meanings, connotations and undertones attached to them as with any real word. [And the H is, and always has been, "humble".]

TerranRich · Tue 23/03/2004 15:59:01

Yes, the H has always been humble, and I figured out "STFU" the first day i saw it...years ago. And yeah, it is extremely annoying when people use "lol" at the end and beginning and middle of every damn sentence. My friend Courtney and ex-g/f Sara do that and it's annoying as hell. "I just went out lol" - "Yeah lol so how was your day lol"

Like STFU!!!

Meowster · Tue 23/03/2004 20:18:16

MrColossal · Tue 23/03/2004 21:15:10

I say roffle with my friends [as in ROFL] when we make stupid jokes that we know aren't funny we say "ROFFLE ROFFLE!" and slap out knees. Usually the Roffling gets out of hand and soon we're saying "ROBBLE ROBBLE!" and we end up burglering a lot of ham...

Ben · Tue 23/03/2004 21:43:21

Before I knew the meaning of the abbreviation, I used to read IMHO as "I'm a ho'."

I don't mind leetspeak, but I suppose I'm just used to it due to the Helms and Ghormaks of teh AGS worldLOLORZZZOMGROTFLMAOLOLOLLLOLLO!!!!!1111

Of course, they just use it ironically.. People who think it's cool to do it should be fed to lions.

Sluggo · Tue 23/03/2004 21:44:32

Wait what? You guys say "noob" (nube) instead of (newbie)? Anyway that's what it looks like you wrote.

Chicky · Tue 23/03/2004 22:08:25

btw = By the way I tried to say
I'd be there... waiting for
Dani the girl
is singing songs to me
Beneath the marquee... overload

Steak Knife Caro Shark
Con Job Boot Cut

Skin that flick
She's such a little DJ
Get there quick
By street but not the freeway
turn that trick
to make a little leeway
Beat that nic
But not the way that we play

Dog Town Blood Bath
Rib Cage Soft Tail

-OSC

How do YOU say...

GuestDude

jetlag