So, what -- you're saying I guess that it's now evolving in internet circles as just another facet of the language? Fair enough, but what I was talking about, and sadly everyone who has replied to me has been niggling, was that the way people type and talk on the internet has been leaking into speech (so out of 'internet circles') for about 10-15 years now. People use memes in conversation, people use phrases popularized on the internet within the last decade in normal conversation without a trace of irony. Mostly as shortcuts, or internal references with loaded meaning. I'm not a linguist unfortunately, but I'm pretty sure the speed of this, absent an obvious external source, is relatively unprecedented. Shakespeare's time was one of paramount upheaval for the English language and it still wouldn't have approached this scale at all -- surely. So that's my reply to everyone in the thread. Cheers.One might argue that this is a feature of many languages and to an extent, that's true. But, English is a bit different due to its history as a language that has often gone through permutations among professional circles as well as regional circles and class circles, on such an international scale
I don't know the name for what you're describing, but it has been happening throughout history, notably with the rise of comic books. I still don't get why speed is such a concern though. The speed of the internet is unprecedented and so are changes that occur within it and manifest themselves in the real world. Like bitcoin.
I had a feeling that article was going to be about onomatopoeia (<-- is that a plural and a singular word at once?) and comic oaths -- but it doesn't strike me as immediately relevant, mostly because no one actually says 'cripes' who wants to be taken seriously. (People who say 'lol' -- like that -- out loud, of which there are many -- do they expect to be taken seriously?) It's not ... I mean, of course the speed doesn't matter, it's whether the changes are any good or not. Fuck, if you want people to walk around saying 'lol' out loud or whatever, then I guess we just take polar opposite opinions here.I still don't get why speed is such a concern though. The speed of the internet is unprecedented and so are changes that occur within it and manifest themselves in the real world. Like bitcoin.
I'm not saying I want them to, but I don't hear people saying these things in serious contexts, more as a way of being kind of cutesy. If it starts to become used extensively in high level contexts, like for example, if the CEO of a huge tech company responded to a criticism with something like, "because money, lol" then yeah, I'd be shitting it.