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‘r u online?’: The Evolving Lexicon of Wired Teens
Kris Axtman
(1) The Conversation begins on the computer, nothing too atypical for a pair of teenage boys bored on a
Friday night:

Garret : Hey
Josh : sup
Garret : j/cu
Josh : same
Garret : wut r u doing 2nite
Josh : n2m
Garret : cool
(2) Need a translation? Not if you’re a 13-year-old who’s been Internet-connected since birth. For the rest
of us, welcome to the world of Net Lingo—the keyboard generation’s gift to language and culture. “sup” is
not a call to supper, but a query: “What’s up?” And Josh’s “n2m” reply? “Not too much.”

(3) As in every age, teenagers today are adapting the English language to meet their needs for self-
expression. But this time, it’s happening online—and at lightning speed. To some, it’s a creative twist on
dialogue, and a new, harmless version of teen slang. But to anxious grammarians and harried teachers,
it’s the linguistic ruin of Generation IM (instant messenger).

(4) Whatever it is, the result fills Internet chat rooms, e-mail, and the increasingly popular instant
messenger, of which correspondents fire off confessions, one-liners, and blather in real-time group chats
or, more often, fleet-fingered tete-a-tetes.

(5) “This is really an extension of what teenagers have always done: recreate the language in their own
image. But this new lingo combines writing and speaking to a degree that we’ve never seen before,” says
Neil Randall, an English professor at the University of Waterloo and author of “Lingo Online: A Report on
the Language of the Keyboard Generation.”
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(6) The result, he says, is the use of writing to stimulate speech—a skill not formally taught. In the
process, typed communication has entered a new era of speed.

(7) In a third-floor bedroom in Houston, Garret Thomas has three online conversations going at once.
That’s nothing, he says. Sometimes he chats with as many as 20 people at a time—chosen from his 200-
plus “buddy list” that shows which of his friends are online and available. “I’m a really fast typer,” says the
redhead.

(8) Though creating unique speech patterns is nothing new for the younger set, this generation is doing it
in a novel way.

(9) New acronyms, abbreviations, and emoticons—keyboard characters lined up to resemble human
gestures or expressions, such as smiling --are coined daily.

(10) Indeed, almost 60 percent of online teenagers under age 17 use IM services, offered free by Internet
providers such as Yahoo and America Online, according to Nielsen/Net Ratings.
(11) “All of my friends are on instant messenger,” says Garret, not looking up from his cryptic chat with
Josh. “It’s just easier to talk to them this way.”
(12) Not like the fate of the universe depends on what they’re saying. With one friend, he’s talking about
his rotten Spanish teacher who actually expects the class to participate. With another, he’s debating the
evening’s options: the mall, a movie, chillin’ at his house. With a third, he’s deep in a discussion about
how he never gives more than one-word answers. “who cares,” Garret types.
(13) “hey, that’s two getting better,” comes the reply.
14) In between all this, there’s a whole bunch of “j/j” (just joking), “lol” (laughing out loud), and “brb” (“be
right back”). In other words, typical teen chatter.

(15) “Instant messaging has just replaced the phone… for their generation,” says Mary Anne Thomas, a
Houston mother on the other side of town, with two teen boys addicted to IM. She has noticed that her
oldest son, who’s normally quite shy around girls, feels more comfortable talking to them online—a
positive, she thinks.
(16) A negative, though, is that their grammar is becoming atrocious, and Net lingo is starting to show up
on school assignments: “They talk with these abbreviated words and run-on sentences with no
punctuation. I call it speed talking, and it’s starting to carry over into their homework,” she says. That’s an
issue that teachers around the country have been struggling with recently as instant messaging grows in
popularity.
(17) Another doubled-edge consequence comes in a culture of multitasking. Mrs. Thomas’s oldest son
spends about three hours on instant messenger each night. He’ll talk to friends, download music, do
homework, surf the internet---all at the same time.
(18) Because of the Internet, experts say, kids today are able to multitask like no other generation. But
with that frenetic multitasking, others say, comes easy distraction---and the shrinking of already-short
attention spans.
(19) Garret says he gets onto IM when he’s doing homework, and manages about eight different at one
time. Showing incredible focus---or frenzy--- he flips from one screen to the next, rapidly firing off
messages while surfing the Net and gabbing on the phone. (No, IM hasn’t replaced the phone entirely.)
(20) Now a high-school freshman, he says most of his friends were on IM by junior high, and he picked up
the lingo as he went along. New terms get passed between friends, and different groups and regions of
the country have their own IM lexicons, with particular acronyms, abbreviations, and emoticons that mirror
their inside jokes and experience. Tonight, he tells a friend that he’s “j/c.” She asks, “what is j/c.”
(21) “just chillin’,” he types, certain that she will use it in the future.
(22) Experts say the intent of lingo---in any generation—is to signify “inness” with a particular group. And
while teens have long pushed the boundaries of language, they are now doing it in written form.
(23) “This is a new kind of slang, a written slang. We’ve never had anything like it before,” says Robert
Beard, professor emeritus of linguistics at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., and creator of
yourDictionary.com
(24) Some parents worry that teens could get into trouble by talking to so many different—and sometimes
unknown—buddies. Certainly, that’s happened. But Dr. Randall says he found in his study that teens are
quite aware of that issue and know how to protect themselves.
(25) Even with his large buddy list, Garret gets it. He begins chatting with someone he hasn’t talked to in
awhile, and when that person attacks him and uses profanity, he quickly ends the conversation.
(26) “I’m not talking to him anymore,” he says, slightly shaken and then uses the software to block all
incoming messages from the screen name.
27) “I guess it’s time to clean out my buddy list.”
Some Common IM Lingo
AFK: Away From Keyboard
BBL: Be Back Later
BRB: Be Right Back
IMHO: In My Humble Opinion
JK: Just Kidding
LOL: Laughing Out Loud
LYLAS: Love You/ Like You Like a Sister
NP: No Problem
OMG: Oh My God
OTP: On the Phone
ROFL: Rolling on Floor Laughing
TTFN: Ta-Ta for Now
TTYL: Talk to You Later
YW: You’re Welcome
 Is Bad Language Unacceptable on TV?
BBC Online
(1) The use of racially abusive language on television and radio is an area of increasing concern among
viewers and listeners, a new study has revealed. The report also suggests most adult with children want
their homes to be expletive free. Stephen Whittle, Director of the Broadcasting Standards Commission in
England, says there is an acceptance that swearing and offensive language is used in daily life, and may
be appropriate if a program is aimed at adults.

(2) But he says people “would prefer their homes to remain an expletive deleted zone for children.” Is
swearing still a matter of major concern to you? Or have swear words and offensive language become an
accepted part of TV output? Here are some responses to this question featured on the BBC Online’s
“Talking Point”:

(3) There’s a simple answer to all those complaining. If you don’t like it then don’t watch it. There is
nothing more annoying than listening to outraged people complaining about what they had to watch the
night before. No one makes you watch them so if you hear bad language/ see sex scene/ view violence
then change the channels instead of watching all three hours and then complaining about afterwards.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO WATCH IT. It’s true that at times in films/programs it seems the language is used
purely to shock rather than as part of the script/plot/characters but if you sit and watch it all instead of
turning over/ switching off then you can’t then blame your shock and outrage on the program makers.

James, UK
(4) There is no justification to the use of bad language on TV. It is unacceptable. How can a parent
positively correct a child who uses bad language if all they hear on TV is filthy language every minute?

Ruskin Kwofic, USA

(5) Not only is swearing wrong and extremely offensive, even worse than that is the constant blasphemy
on TV. This is especially hurtful to a Christian like myself when it is done to make people laugh. We
should not be blaspheming or condoning this when we laugh or otherwise accept it passively or actively. It
is too easy to say,” ...use the off switch...,” this is not the answer. Does any parent want to encourage their
child to swear and adopt negativity? Rather it would be more constructive to teach them the values of right
and wrong. To sum up, all who own a television license are entitled to be informed and entertained by its
purchase and that means all.
K.D., Wales
(6) Protecting children is a big chunk of what responsible parenting is about, and protecting their minds
and emotions is just as important as physical protection, if not more so. Of course they’ll come across it
elsewhere, but it’s clear that the extent will be increased or decreased by the levels of exposure of their
peers. As a parent I find the so-called watershed is no guarantee at all that my kids won’t hear swearing
on the television. Please can we have a consistently regulated watershed?

Tom Richards, UK
(7) I consider the television to be a guest. I would not allow a visitor to my house to use swearing and foul
language in front of me or my children. I consider the television to be a guest, and when it offends, off it
goes!

J.Herbert, UK
(8) It really is stupid to campaign for protecting young people against swearing on TV. By the time you
reach 12 years old you’ve heard every word under the sun a million times in the playground. Anyone who
fails to realize this is just completely ignorant.

Darren Meale, UK
(9) Bad language is nothing compared to all the violent shows on so many series. I prefer to hear
someone pronounce a four-letter word than to see them beaten to death or killed in a TV series. Bad
language is part of the everyday life of most people. Violence is not.

Luc Masuy, Belgium

(10) The use of bad language in TV or cinema is not a reflection of society, but rather an excuse by
writers and actors to hide the facts that they can no longer produce real drama or real emotion. The use of
swearing is to emphasize a point is only there to mask the lack of understanding and talent. Media twenty
years ago didn’t need to use bad language—the skill in presenting drama and emotions was there
anyway. Sorry, no swearing on TV or cinema at all for me.

Steve Gittins, UK
 (11) In writing drama one of the first rules is to make your characters believable. Censorship of bad
language could lead to some of the most unbelievable characters ever portrayed on television. People
swear. For instance, a prison drama in which no one ever swore would be ridiculous. What sort of
programs you allow your children to watch is up to you. But they will hear swearing in the real world—you
can’t censor that.
Colin Wright, UK
(12) Why is it necessary? Surely we can use descriptive adjectives without resorting to bad language.
It is not enough to say it is a part of life. We have the power to adopt better social attitudes; instead many
people seem content with debasing everything.

Jill Doe, Wales

(13) All drama revolves around conflict and jeopardy so bad language in itself is not wrong, it all depends
on the context it is used in. Imagine if Shakespeare or Chaucer had been prevented from writing and
performing their works without the “bawdy” language, the swearing of their day. As long as it doesn’t
become meaninglessly used and the watershed is observed to my eyes at least, it is acceptable.

James Newman, UK
(14) Please keep it off our screens. You only have to listen to children going to school to see how
commonplace it has become.

Gerry, Scotland
(15) It may be the duty of our media/entertainment outlets to reflect the standards and behavior of our
society and culture, but they surely also have some responsibility to set the standard. By merely reflecting,
because they permeate every level of society, they take the lead in the general debasement of “generally
accepted standards of behavior.” I am not prudish or offended by bad language/behavior on TV and radio,
per se, but if often makes me wince!

Mark M. Newdick, USA

(16) As a relatively liberal minded young person, I am not outraged by occasional bad language on
television, but at the same time, I do not think that it is necessary. Bad language is neither amusing nor
particularly effective in stressing a point.

It is just fashion—and a very cheap fashion at that. It’s best to leave it in the cinemas (if it is really required
there) and edit the more stronger language out before it appears on television. Personally, I have never
found that a movie is lacking punch just because a few profanities have been deleted. Indeed, this should
be the test to see whether a films is worth its weight at all.
Robert Kidd, Australia
(17) My personal experience of working in an environment where swearing was the norm was to swear
more. When I changed jobs where swearing was banned I stopped. The best thing to do is to avoid
swearing in the main but keep a little to be realistic, and hence cut down on the excessive use of
profanities in society.

Gavin Pearson, USA

(18) As adults, we can accept bad language on TV programs, as long as it relates to the program in
question (i.e., drama series or films). However, children should not have to hear that sort of language. I’m
not a prude by any means, but I find it really depressing when I hear children from toddler age and up
using foul language. Of course, they may learn this from their parents and other family members, but let’s
minimize their exposure by keeping it out of children’s programs.

Karen, UK
(19) The simple fact of the matter is if you don’t like the swearing then turn over! Anything that your
children may or may not hear on TV they are certainly going to hear in the real world. People need to
wake up and understand that the censorship of television is going beyond a joke. I’m all for restricting bad
language before a time when children are likely to be up but can someone please explain to me the
necessity to cut swear words from a film at 10:30 or 11:00. People can say they are offended as much as
they like but the simple fact is that you control what you watch, if you’re offended by swearing then turn it
off. Welcome to the real world people, people swear!

Richard Tacke, England