Internet slang

:This article discusses general features of Internet slang. For detailed usages, see List of Internet slang.

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Internet slang consists of slang which users of the Internet have developed and/or utilized. Many of its terms originated with the purpose of saving keystrokes: as a result of this, many use the same abbreviations in text messages (see txt). The terms often appear in lower case, with capitals often reserved for emphasis — the pronoun "I", for example, often appears simply as "i".

Related Topics:
Slang - Internet - Txt - Lower case

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The untrained eye often finds Internet slang difficult to interpret. This occurs largely because written text lacks the physical context and aural variety which speakers of spoken language convey with intonation and tone of the voice - such as sarcasm.

Related Topics:
Intonation - Tone

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Emoticons (or smilies) such as ":)" can go some way towards clarifying emotional intent in Internet messages. As with other Internet slang, netizens may use emoticons both genuinely and sarcastically; for example the ":P" emoticon, which can express either genuine amusement and a sense of fun, or express a negative sarcastic comment on something another user might have said.

Related Topics:
Emoticon - Netizen

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