VILNIUS PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH PHILOLOGY
VILMA KARDAUSKIENĖ
LANGUAGE OF ENGLISH CHAT ROOM MESSAGES AS A VARIETY OF ELECTRONIC ENGLISH
MA Paper
Academic Advisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Linas Selmistraitis
Vilnius, 2008
VILNIUS PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH PHILOLOGY
LANGUAGE OF ENGLISH CHAT ROOM MESSAGES AS A VARIETY OF ELECTRONIC ENGLISH
This MA Paper is submitted in partial fulfilment of requirements for the degree of the MA in English Philology
By Vilma Kardauskienė I declare that this study is my own and does not contain any unacknowledged work from any source.
Academic Advisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Linas Selmistraitis
2
CONTENTS
ABSTRACT...... 5 INTRODUCTION ...... 6 1. ELECTRONIC ENGLISH – THE SPHERE OF USAGE ...... 8 1.1. Internet Language and Electronic English...... 8 1.1.1. Internet Language – the Universal Language of Today...... 8 1.1.2. Popularity of Internet English...... 10 1.2. Types of Chats ...... 12 1.2.1.Chat Types According to the Category of Space...... 14 1.2.2. Chats According to the Degree of Privacy ...... 16 1.2.3 Chat Types According to the Category of Time...... 19 1.3. Using a Chat Room...... 21 1.3.1. Chat Room Users and Topics Discussed ...... 21 1.3.2. Reasons for Chatting...... 23 2. PECULIARITIES OF CHAT ROOM ENGLISH ...... 24 2.1. Internet English as a Variety and Register...... 24 2.1.1. Variety...... 24 2.1.2. Register ...... 25 2.2. Chat Room English as a New Medium...... 26 2.2.1. Spoken and Written Language Forms...... 26 2.2.2. Electronic English and Speech...... 27 2.2.3. Electronic English and Writing...... 31 3. GRAPHOLOGICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF CHAT ROOM MESSAGES...... 32 3.1. Writing Peculiarities in Chat Room Messages ...... 33 3.1.1. Causes for Violation ...... 33 3.1.2. The Netspeak Graphology ...... 34 3.2. The Building of Internet Neologisms ...... 37 3.2.1. Agglutination ...... 39 3.2.2. Compounding...... 42 3.2.3. Conversion ...... 44 3.2.4. Abbreviations...... 45 3.2.5. The Introduction of New Roots ...... 47 3.2.6. Portmanteau Words...... 48
3 3.2.7. Word Form Alteration...... 49 4. SYNTACTIC PECULIARITIES OF INTERNET ENGLISH...... 50 4. 1. The Constituents of Chat Room Sentences...... 50 4. 2. Sentence Patterns in Internet English ...... 53 4. 3. The Functional Types of Sentences in Chat Messages...... 54 4. 4. Types of Ellipsis in Online Communication...... 56 CONCLUSIONS...... 62 SANTRAUKA...... 64 REFERENCES ...... 65 APPENDICES ...... 70
4 ABSTRACT
Internet English used for online communication influences spoken and written language forms. However, little analysis on the question of electronic English can be found – it is studied in a superficial way in literary sources present. The purpose of this study was to explore the language of English chat room messages as a variety of Electronic English. The objectives of the research included the analysis of chat room English in comparison to speech and writing as well as the study of graphological, morphological, and syntactic features of the language of online communication. Qualitative content analysis, comparative analysis, and descriptive method were chosen for the study. To support the scientific data discussed 1100 of chat room sentences were surveyed and 153 presented as practical examples. For a clearer view of the points analysed visual aids in the form of tables, figures, and Web page copies were included into the thesis. The research demonstrated that English used for online communication is a separate mode of language possessing features different from the ones of spoken and written forms of language.
5 INTRODUCTION
The problem of the English language changes in general is widely analysed in various literary sources. Linguists have traditionally studied English variations adopting a synchronic and diachronic approach. However, little analysis on the question of electronic English can be found. What is more, the language of English chat room messages as a variety of electronic English is discussed in a very superficial way. There are only a few literary sources present on this topic and it is quite problematic to find exhaustive explanation concerning the question under discussion. As chats are widely and intensively used nowadays for online communication, the electronic form of chat room language developed specific changes in standard norm. To add to this, electronic language is greatly influential on spoken and written forms of English. The hypothesis of the thesis is as follows: the language of English chat room messages is a variety of electronic English possessing specific graphological, morphological, and syntactic features, belonging neither to speech nor writing, and being declared as a separate mode of language. The research significance lies in the analysis of theoretical points discussing the language of English chat room messages as a variety of electronic English. The present thesis contributes to the knowledge concerning the resemblance of electronic English to spoken and written language forms. Moreover, the present study extends the existing knowledge of graphological, morphological, and syntactic features of chat room English. The purpose of the present MA paper is to analyse the English language of chat rooms as a variety of electronic English and research major changes occurring in this type of language. The objectives of the research are as follows: 1) to present the sphere of usage of electronic English; 2) to analyse chat room language as a variety of Netspeak; 3) to discuss the resemblance of chat room English to spoken and written English; 4) to study graphological and morphological features of the language of online communication; 5) to analyse the syntactic peculiarities of the English language used in chat rooms. The methods used in the thesis are qualitative content analysis for a thorough literary overview discussing the topic of the paper, and comparative analysis of different literary sources and chat room messages so as to discuss the language used in chats, highlighting language norm violation. Descriptive method is used for the presentation of practical data analysed.
6 The present MA thesis consists of an abstract, introduction, four parts, conclusions, summary in Lithuanian, the list of references, and appendices. The introduction includes a short overview of the problem of the analysis of electronic English, presents the hypothesis of the thesis, discusses the significance of the research, the aims of investigation, the materials and methods used for the analysis, as well as the structure of the paper. Chapter 1 reviews the sphere of usage of electronic English. Chapter 2 focuses on the peculiarities of chat room English and discusses electronic English in comparison to speech and writing. Chapter 3 investigates the graphological and morphological features of chat room messages. Chapter 4 concentrates on the syntactic peculiarities of sentences used in chat room messages. To support the scientific data discussed 1100 of chat room sentences were surveyed and 153 are presented as practical examples. To draw a clearer view of the points discussed visual data in the form of tables, figures, and Web page copies are included into the thesis. The analysis of this paper is based on my personal studies of literature (Crystal D., Clarke V., Giles H. & Clair R., Lea M. & Spears R., Neuage T., Penka J.T., Rumšienė G., Strassmann P., etc.), online statistics and other data (Recommendation on the Processing of Personal Data on the Internet by State Data Protection Inspectorate, Internet World Stats, Dave’s beginners’ guide to the Internet, Alta Vista’s Babel, Net Lingo Internet Dictionary, Translate World Lingo, Concept Websites, AOL Glossary, ELC- Electronic Learning Community), as well as other sources concerning electronic English and chat rooms (ICQ Inc. Chat, Chat Family, Chat Avenue, Java Chat Rooms, All Chat Sites, etc.). The data analysis is presented in the form of qualitative and comparative literary overview as well as using descriptive method. Supporting tables and figures are either included into the text or referred to as appendices.
7 1. ELECTRONIC ENGLISH – THE SPHERE OF USAGE
In this part of the paper different approaches towards electronic language are analysed. Then the concept of electronic English itself is explained. General features of Internet English are also discussed in comparison to the spoken and written forms of language.
1.1. Internet Language and Electronic English
The development of information technologies since 1950 encouraged the evolution of information society: a new set of social values and types of communication appeared (Rumšienė 2007, 27). Internet became an inseparable part of the present day socializing and is often called “more a social creation than a technical one” (Crystal 2001, vii). Crystal (2001, 5) also compares Internet to a “global village” the population of which share some common features distinguishing the members from those elsewhere. Then, they share common culture, traditions and dialect. These features are discussed in more detail in the subsequent part of the work.
1.1.1. Internet Language – the Universal Language of Today
In 1997 Strassmann wrote: “Electronic communication is becoming an established form of communication. Some authors are certain that this mode of language is the latest in a long line of socially evolving cultural locations controlling and forming communication. Computer- Mediated Communication is regarded by some as the fourth age of civilization and its prime new model of communication”. Due to the universal accessibility of the Internet and the relative absence of controlling institutions, the Internet may contain any kind of information. Thus, communication can take place on any topic in any technically possible way. That is why the language of today is often regarded as universal (Table 1).
Table 1. Information Systems and Literacy
Period Medium Economic Civilization Organization 1 million BCE-10,000 BCE speech tribal hunting 10,000 BCE-1500 AD script feudal agriculture 1500 AD-2000 AD print national industrial 2000 AD- electronic message universal information
8 The World Wide Web brings new ways of engaging in conversation which are emerging with the growing wide spread use of computers as a form of communication. Stanford University Statistics suggests that the amount of time some people spend communicating on the Internet is disproportionate to the amount of time they communicate face to face with others. As Rumšienė (2007, 28) states, “human-to-human relationships are often reduced to human-to-computer-to-human relationships”. According to Neuage (2004), as the result of Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) advance, the World Wide Web activities of ordinary users have taught a new form of communication to hundreds of millions of people in less than a decade. Such learning is a social and interpretive activity in which multiple members collaboratively construct explanations and understandings of materials, artifacts, and phenomena within their environment. In the past five to ten years millions of people have learnt how to send e-mails and use computers to participate in chat rooms. The Internet Survey “How Many Online” indicates that there were approximately 544.2 million people online at the beginning of 2002, while an estimated thirty million people were online worldwide in 1995. Based on Internet Worls Stats [http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm], Table 2 presents a noticeable growth of Internet usage according to different world regions in 2007.
Table 2. World Internet Usage and Population Statistics
Usage Population Internet % Usage Population Growth World Regions % of Usage, Population % of (2007 Est.) 2000- World Latest Data (Penetration) World 2007 Africa 933,448,292 14.2 % 43,995,700 4.7 % 3.5 % 874.6 % Asia 3,712,527,624 56.5 % 459,476,825 12.4 % 36.9 % 302.0 % Europe 809,624,686 12.3 % 337,878,613 41.7 % 27.2% 221.5 % Middle East 193,452,727 2.9 % 33,510,500 17.3 % 2.7 % 920.2 % North America 334,538,018 5.1 % 234,788,864 70.2 % 18.9% 117.2 % Latin 556,606,627 8.5 % 115,759,709 20.8 % 9.3 % 540.7 % America/Caribbean Oceania / Australia 34,468,443 0.5 % 19,039,390 55.2 % 1.5 % 149.9 % 100.0 WORLD TOTAL 6,574,666,417 100.0 % 1,244,449,601 18.9 % 244.7 % %
In 2007 there were approximately 1.244 billion of people online, i.e. the number of Internet users increased more than two times in comparison with year 2002. Internet users already exist as a distinctive community with their specific traditions and culture. They are considered to be equal regardless state boundaries, religion or culture. “They are often called netizens (network citizens), trying to emphasize their close social and cultural relationships” (Ryklienė 2000). Netizens use Internet langue also named “Netlish”, “Netspeak”,
9 “Weblish”, “Electronic language”, “Computer Mediated Communication (CMC)”, etc. (Crystal 2001, 17). The “Netspeak” being characteristic of high levels of informality and casualness differentiate the netizens from the laymen- strangers who are not representatives of the Internet subculture and are incapable of understanding the secretive code of collective beliefs. “The general aim of the symbolic code system is twofold: firstly, to prove one’s belonging to a certain social subgroup, and secondly, to conceal <…> the information from the outsiders, especially from the ones who are not initiated into the subculture without any consideration to whether the textual information contains any secretive content or value” (Rumšienė 2007, 48). As communication processes are not controlled, the users feel free to break behaviour norms. They introduce a specific code of information exchange, involving special vocabulary and style kept in communication. Communication processes are free regarding the participants’ language contexts, vulgarity level, vocabulary, etc. The Internet society being highly tolerant every member is expected to sound creative and original. Besides, netizens feel self confident as every creative step remains anonymous. Like any other group or community, netizens form their language etiquette that not only influences traditional language norms but also determines changes in speech and writing. However, in some chat groups there are moderators controlling discussions and expelling insulting information. As Crystal (2001, 71) states, this kind of control is “recognition by the participants that some kind of external presence is needed to avoid anarchy and to resolve internal disputes <…>”.
1.1.2. Popularity of Internet English
English and computers seem to be inseparable. Computers and the programs, which make them useful, were largely the invention of English speaking countries. The hardware and software reflected the needs of the English language. Because of the work done by Microsoft and other English centred software companies Online communities have to date been dominated by English speakers. “The dominance of English often remains undisputed simply because of the sheer number of Anglophone users and the fact that communication software is mostly invented and produced in English-speaking communities” (Rumšienė 2007, 30). According to Graddol (2000, 50), a frequently quoted statistic is that English is the medium for 80% of the information stored in the world’s computers. English is deeply established among scientists as the international lingua franca and appears to have extended its domain of use to become the preferred lingua franca for a great deal of new kinds of users. The English language is now the operating standard for global communication. The latest data from
10 Internet Worls Stats (Figure 1) also proves Internet English to be the most popular language used online.
Figure 1. 10 Top Internet Languages, 2007
However, there are many language-cultures entering the computer age of communication today. The second dominant online language after English is Chinese. Moreover, Spanish and Japanese languages are also quite common in CMC. Nowadays the online communication is no more restricted to the English language: there are Chinese versions of all major American programs, including the Windows operating system and Microsoft Word processor. Interface design and onscreen help now make new software more easily and rapidly customized for lesser-used languages. This adaptability of recent software is a significant characteristic. It has allowed new technical vocabulary to develop in languages other than English, while desktop publishing systems have made possible short-run printing in minority writing systems. The close linkage that once existed between computers and English has been broken (Graddol 2000, 30). What is more, English has often been associated with global youth culture. As youth culture is also shifting from Western countries to Asia and Latin America, researchers claim that Internet English may also decline because of this fact. “English is likely to remain one of the world’s most important languages for the foreseeable future, but its future is more problematic — and complex — than most people appreciate,” said language researcher Graddol in Technology and Science
11 [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4387421/]. He sees English as likely to become the “first among equals” rather than having the global field to itself. The researcher also suggests that it is misleading to suggest English is somehow the native language of the Internet. As computer usage spreads, it is predicted that English content on the Internet may fall to 40% of the total material. Languages other than English are now being used on the Internet and this trend is likely to be of growing importance. However, another approach is possible. In the globalized world of today English is widely used for immense numbers of various international transactions. Trade and economy develop on the level of international communication where English is used predominantly. As the evolution of computer technologies is closely linked to the situation of economic process and progress it can be assumed that Internet English will be widely used in future as it is nowadays. Of course, there are factors contributing to the popularity of the usage of English online. English grammar simplicity, the prestige of the language, high percentage of internationally used words and terms may be regarded important reasons for the dominant role of English on the World Wide Web. What is more, to ensure the maximum exposure, non-native speakers often publish in English to say nothing of English researchers and professionals. In that way language dominance is also reinforced. As far as the present paper concentrates on the language of chat room messages, before moving onto the detailed analysis of chat room language, chat types will be discussed in the following part of the paper.
1.2. Types of Chats
“Chat, in all its various forms, is doubtless one of the most popular uses of the Internet and has been since its beginnings in asynchronous systems such as bulletin boards. With connection speeds still rising and an ever-increasing number of participants, it is now possible for immense numbers of users to engage in real-time interactions, and today it seems very true that such interactions constitute an important new communication modality” (Clarke 2002, 3). According to Friendly Internet [http://www.draugiskasinternetas.lt] we find that chats are groups of open discussion where it is possible to chat with other users on a certain topic in the real time. Webopedia [http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/c/chat.htm], the online encyclopaedia of computer technology, defines chats as real time communication between two users via computer. Dave’s beginners’ guide to the Internet [http://www.davesite.com] explains chat as online conversation in which one is immediately able to send messages back and forth to someone another. According to Concept Websites
12 [http://www.conceptwebsites.com/SEO/common-terms.htm], chatting is defined as talking in real-time to other network users from any and all parts of the world. SOA Definitions [http://searchsoa.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid26_gci211777,00.html] explains chatting as talking to other people who are using the Internet at the same time. In State Data Protection Inspectorate Recommendation on the Processing of Personal Data on the Internet (2001, 8) [http://www.ada.lt/images/cms/File/rekomendacijos%20asmens%20duomenu%20apsaugai%2 0inernete.pdf] we find that “two or more people, who want a direct conversation, can enter a chat room and participate in this conversation in the real time – they send messages which appear on other users’ computer screens almost at the same time they are sent”. However, Crystal (2005, 129) argues that chat cannot be restricted to a real-time context only: he distinguishes between synchronous and asynchronous settings engaging “a multi-party conversation”. As we see, all the definitions discussed are more or less similar: they claim that chatting is an online activity happening in real or postponed time between users connected on the same chat room. The concept of a chat room is also defined in various sources. According to Expedite Email Marketing [http://www.expedite-email-marketing.com/internet_marketing_glossary_internet marketingtermsdefinition.htm], chat room is an area online where one can chat with other members in real time. Wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chat_room] gives that a chat room is a term used primarily by mass media to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing. Basing us on UMW Style Guide [http://www.umw.edu/policies/style_guide/computer_terms__email_etiq/default.php], a chat room is a virtual room where a “chat session” takes place; “technically, a chat room is really a channel, but the term room is used to promote the chat metaphor”. One more definition offered by Coursestar [http://coursestar.org/] is that a chat room is a virtual "place" offered by an online service provider in which one or more people can participate in live chat. As it can be observed from all the above definitions, chat room is a virtual place users meet for an online conversation. There are several different kinds of Internet chat. In this paper they are analysed according to the categories of space, privacy, and time.
13 1.2.1.Chat Types According to the Category of Space
Neuage (2004) states that early forms of text based interactive sites began in the mid to late 1980s with Internet Relay Chat (IRC) and MUDS (Multiple User Dimension, Multiple User Dungeon, or Multiple User Dialogue). According to the Recommendation on the Processing of Personal Data on the Internet (2001), Chatting on the Net [http://www.new2chat.com/], and Friendly Internet there are several kinds of Internet chats. The most common types distinguished are IRC, Web page (Java) Chat, and Instant Messenger Chat. Internet relay chat, which is traditionally abbreviated IRC, Irc or irc, is a form of real-time Internet chat or synchronous conferencing and communication. It is mainly designed for a group (many-to-many) communication in discussion forums called channels, but also allows one-to-one communication and data transfers via private message. IRC is the original chat medium on the Internet, and is still the most widely used means of chatting with people around the world. IRC is worldwide. More than 100,000 people are online chatting at any given hour, 24 hours a day. This is where the “chat” action is. It gives people all over the world the ability to talk (type) to one another in real time. To run IRC, an IRC program is needed, commonly called a Client. There is a wide variety of IRC programs available. The most popular Macintosh IRC client is Ircle. The best Windows based IRC client is mIRC. It's easy to use, menu/icon driven, and highly configurable. The picture of mIRC given in Appendix 1 presents that it is possible to enter any of several channels for a conversation. According to Dave’s beginners’ guide to the Internet “IRC is probably the best way to meet new people. Most people who use IRC are very friendly and helpful”. As a form of IRC we can distinguish the Instant Messenger Chat programmes. In comparison with IRC they are just simpler to use. According to Chatting on the Net, the most popular Instant Messenger clients are ICQ (standing for “I Seek You”), AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, and MSN Messenger. For two users to talk to each other, they must both be running the same Instant Messenger client program. AOL's Instant Messenger (AIM) client is the most popular instant messenger client on the Net. AOL Instant Messenger was first introduced only for AOL users but is now available to anyone with Internet access. In addition to instant messages, AIM also offers users the ability to participate in group chat rooms, get instant news and stock quotes, receive e-mail alerts, find friends and family online, share pictures and documents with other users, search the web, and exchange voice messages.
14 “Yahoo!” Messenger rates right up there with ICQ and AOL Instant Messenger. Features include instant messaging, voice chat, file transfer, and conferencing capabilities, as well as news, weather, stock, and sports reports. The MSN Messenger Service is also amongst the most popular. MSN Messenger is a client for exchanging instant messages with friends and acquaintances: it is possible to create groups, talk (instead of type) in real time, send voice clips, share files and images. Trillian is an interesting new instant messaging program. It supports AOL instant messenger, ICQ, MSN messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, and IRC (Trillian). In spite of being distinguished as a form of IRC by Chatting on the Net, ICQ is still being considered as a separate form of chat by other sources- it is regarded as one of the most widely used communications programs on the Net. ICQ enables to find friends online in real time- it is an instrument, which informs the user about people participating in a dialogue at any time. It is possible to create a contact list containing only people we want to. The user is informed when people from the previously arranged contact list enter the dialogue. Then the user can connect them and send messages, files or talk. If someone we wish to contact is not on the Net, the programme allows us to send and leave a message for him or her. Later on when they connect to the Net, ICQ will deliver the message (Appendix 2). One more type of chat mode is Web Page Chat. It is the simplest way to communicate with others, as no special programme is required to be installed before using this type of chat. Everything what happens is online, so only Internet connection is needed. There exist two types of Web Page Chat: dedicated Web Page Chat (it is on the majority of web portal search sites) and Web Page Chat (it can be fixed by a separate individual on his/ her own Web Page). Although it is simple to use Web Page Chat, its scope is restricted – using this mode it is only possible to send texts. Unlike with IRC or ICQ, in this case we cannot change colours, send sounds, files or adapt everything in connection with interface (State Data Protection Inspectorate Recommendation on the Processing of Personal Data on the Internet). There can be mentioned lots of examples representing Web Page Chat type: ICQ Chat, Chat People, GeeSee Chat, Chat Family, Wire Club, Teen Chat, Teen Say, etc. Forums can also be grouped as a special type of Web Page Chat. According to Wikipedia, “an Internet forum is a Web application for holding discussions and posting user generated content”. In forums there are various topics offered for the users to give an opinion on. There may also be questions given by users who want support or help. Then a discussion of a certain type appears. In my opinion, forums in most cases are more intellectual than chats and also have a better inside order. The main difference between chat rooms and forums might be that
15 forums are for discussion on quite serious topics and chats are for chatting, in most cases just for fun. In Appendix 3 a visual example of how a Gentoo Forums Web page looks like is given. As it has already been mentioned above, on this page various forum topics can be chosen, in this case for a discussion on distribution, Linux applications, installation, administration, portage, etc. The above-presented types of chats are the ones discussed in literature most often. Actually, SMSs could also be considered as a type of chat. Using SMSs users type certain texts that can be sent to a number of users simultaneously. Additionally, MUDs (multi-user dungeons, domains or dimensions) and MOOs (certain types of MUDs) are also certain types of chatting. Crystal (2001, 171) ranks them as language of virtual worlds. Neuage (2004, 73) also takes a very similar approach- according to him MUDs and MOOs are “role-playing chat sites which have played a large part in the development of what has become the popular current text based chat rooms”. Journal on media culture VOICE (BALSAS) also gives an approach on MUDs and MOOs. Here they are considered as community multi-user Internet space where people can directly communicate on the Net. At their beginning MUDs and MOOs were just textual environments and became popular as character game spaces. Actually, MUDs are a form of computerized game, usually played over networks and longer-range telecommunications links, in which a number of participants operate characters that can interact with both the environment and each other (Maters 1999). MOOs in this case can be explained as “MUD Object Oriented” referring to the programmed objects (roads, furniture, weapons, etc.), which can be created and manipulated in the imaginary world (Crystal 2001). To sum up, the most common types of Internet chats discussed in various literary sources are IRC, Web page (Java) chat, and Instant messenger. However, SMSs, MUDs, and MOOs can also be considered specific kinds of chats as information is rendered using them. The most popular and worldwide used chat medium on the Internet is IRC.
1.2.2. Chats According to the Degree of Privacy
“All exchanges within chat rooms, accessible to the public, are legally public, unless there is a notice saying all the dialogue is copyrighted. A chat room where the participant has to log on as part of an organisation such as a university, company or government web site can be regarded as private and confidential – at least to that specific community of users” (Neuage 2004, 47). In Skynet [http://www.skynet.lt/page.asp?DL=L&TopicID=104] public chats are
16 defined as the ones that let us keep in touch with the world and meet new people who share our interests. AOL [http://help.aol.co.uk/the-different-types-of-chat-rooms/article/2006080209510 9990046?n=collection&p=The%20different%20types%20of%20chat%20rooms%20help_porta l&c=help_portal] declares that public chat rooms are communal meeting places. The numbers of people simultaneously participating in this type of chat can be quite big. Each public chat room is devoted to a different topic. After entering a chat room, we see a list of all the people who are already there and anything typed can also be seen by the others. Extremely large public chat rooms can be called auditoriums. Examples of public chats could be ICQ Inc. chat site, Gee See Chat, Chat Family, Wire Club, Teen Chat, Teen Say etc. On the ICQ Inc. chat site one can observe a great number of topics to chat on as well as chat rooms to join (Figure2). Topics and chat rooms here are classified according to age groups, countries, regions, languages, religious beliefs, etc. Each category entered offers a great number of various topics to chat on.
Figure2. Organization of ICQ Chat
Other chat sites also offer big numbers of topics to select for chatting. It is important to note, that public chat sites are found online and there is no need to install a special programme on a personal computer.
17 As far as private chat rooms are concerned partially they work in a similar way as public chats. However, they can hold fewer members simultaneously. The other difference is that private chat rooms are not listed in the public chat area, so they are useful when we want to chat with friends, family or colleagues online and want to keep the conversation among ourselves. In this case a special programme should be installed on the computer so as to be able to chat with someone we want to. The most important thing is to know certain details about the person we want to reach for chatting (name, address, nick etc.). Appendix 4 presents a typical page of Skype programme installed on a personal computer. It contains contacts, addresses, tools, conversations, etc. Very similar to Skype is ICQ mentioned in chapter 1.2.1. Other examples of private chats can be chats run with one of the following programmes: “Yahoo!” Messenger, Gadu-Gadu, Trillian, MSN Messenger, AOL Messenger etc. So, in each case special software has to be installed on the computers of the users of a certain type of a private chat. Using private chats there is an opportunity for a number of people to join into the so-called conferences. In this case the private chat will become public for the people in the conference, as message typed will be seen by all conference members. On the other hand the type of conversation still remains private as anyone wishing cannot join the conference (he/ she may not even imagine one exists) unless he/ she is invited. There is also a possibility for a public chat become private. According to SOA Definitions, in some cases, a private chat can be arranged between two parties who meet initially in a group chat. In this case firstly the type of chat will be considered as public, secondly- as private. To have a look at how it works we can go to any public chat room. In this case let us analyse the example from Chat Family Forums (see Appendix 5). As it can be seen, the user named Jordon is participating on a public chat room Chat Family. Under the user’s name there is a small table for selection: the user’s profile can be viewed, all posts by Jordon found or a private message to this user sent. Another example can be taken from Diskusijos.XZ, a Lithuanian chat site (see Appendix 6). Here, at the bottom of the Web page analysed, we can also either view the user’s profile or send a pm (personal message). So, as it can be observed from the analysis, according to the degree of privacy, chats can be public, private, and the ones of a mixed type (public transformed into private and vice versa).
18 1.2.3 Chat Types According to the Category of Time
Considering all the examples analysed in the previous two chapters (chapter 1.2.1. and 1.2.2.) it is possible to make a conclusion that there exist synchronous and asynchronous chats. In a synchronous setting, a user enters an ongoing conversation in real time. Named contributions are sent to a central computer address and are inserted into a permanently refreshing screen along with the contributions from other participants (Crystal 2001). The users’ messages appear on screen and then a response is expected. A pure example of a synchronous online communication could be Web Page Chat – this type of communication can in any case be considered as synchronous as no messages are stored for a later observation by the users- they just disappear the time the user exits the chat room. In this case the messages are regarded as temporary. MUDs and MOOs would also fall into the category of synchronous temporary form of online communication as the common game ends when the user exits it and no previous information is stored for later entertaining. As a type of synchronous chat could also be mentioned any form of IRC (ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger, “Yahoo!” Messenger, MSN Messenger, Trillian, Gadu-gadu, Skype, etc.) with the condition all the users participating are online. Whenever the user is not connected to the chat room, the communication becomes of asynchronous type, as the information transferred is stored for the user’s later overview. However, in any case of this type of communication (whether the user is online or off-line), the messages are permanent and possible to be referred to after a period of time. Having in mind SMS type of chatting, it can also be synchronous (if the addressee replies instantly) or asynchronous (if he or she writes an answer message after some time). But in both cases, as well as with IRC message types, these messages will be of a permanent category. To add to this, forums can also be included into the group of asynchronous chat type. Though in this case the information sent is always permanent. It can be obtained after some time has passed. So, “in an asynchronous setting, the interactions also go to a central address, but they are then stored in some format, and made available to members of the group upon demand <…> even after an appreciable period has passed” (Crystal 2001, 130). Figure 3 shows how chats can be arranged according to the category of time. As the figure indicates, synchronous chats can be either temporary or permanent, whereas asynchronous type of chats is always permanent in its nature.
19
Figure 3. Chats According to the Category of Time
Going into a deeper analysis of synchronous and asynchronous chats the question arises whether the permanence and simultaneity/ non-simultaneity of this type of chats is the only difference between them. Actually no. Another distinction could be made between the linear nature of synchronous chats and the non-linear of asynchronous. As in synchronous chats all the messages typed by all the users appear line after line below each other; it may sometimes become quite problematic to follow the situation (especially with multiparty interaction or a considerable gap of time between the messages belonging to the same topic). However, the non-linear nature of asynchronous chats makes them easier to follow. The messages resemble the written style of language (see chapters 2.2.1. and 2.2.3). As Crystal (2001, 159) states, a distinctive feature of synchronous chat group language is the use of nicknames (nicks). “Some use of nicks is also found in asynchronous groups, <…> but nick practice is primarily associated with synchronous groups and the interactions of virtual worlds”. What is more, “the management of each
20 In the case of any type of IRC communication (whether synchronous or asynchronous) someone sending offensive messages is also controlled by a moderator. He or she can be removed from participating in the chat room. However, the situation is different with synchronous Web Page chatting or SMS (synchronous or asynchronous). There is no moderator present to control the flow of messages in this case (example from ICQ. Inc Chat in Appendix 8). The analysis of this paper concentrates on the peculiarities of language produced in : • public (the degree of privacy), • synchronous (the category of time) • Web Page Chats (the category of space).
1.3. Using a Chat Room
To proceed with the analysis of chat room language the users of chat groups, the main topics under discussion as well as the reasons for chatting are discussed in short.
1.3.1. Chat Room Users and Topics Discussed
Having analyzed a number of various chat rooms (ICQ Inc. Chat, Chat Family, All Chat Sites, etc.) it can be claimed that people of almost all age categories participate in chat rooms. The examples in Appendix 9 reflect the situation: in the majority of cases, after entering a chat site there is a possibility to choose chat partners according to their age categories. On the ICQ Inc. Chat site they welcome teens, 20 “something” year olds, 30, 40, and 50 “something” year olds. On the Chat Family site four categories are offered according to age: adult, teens, kids, and youth – in a very similar way like it is done on Chat Avenue as well as on Java Chat Rooms. In All Chat Sites one is again offered to choose which chat room to take according to his or her age category. So, there is no doubt that people of all age categories use chats: there would not be any offer without a demand. After a number of studies of chat rooms and their users a conclusion can be made that young people over 20 till 30 are the most active chat participants. Observing any chat site it can be noticed that they are chatting in big numbers simultaneously (215 users at the time of connection). They are joining and leaving chat rooms very intensively, too. The topics in the age group of 20 “something” mostly include searching for a partner, dating, compliments and advice of that kind. Users of 30 “something” are also active in chats (207 people at the time of connection).
21 However, teenagers appear to be a little less active than both of the groups discussed above (187 at the time of connection). The most popular topic under discussion in this group is dating, making personal contacts, and giving frequent advice. In spite of being invited to chat about their parents, school, friends, love, etc. teenagers concentrate on relationships. School affairs take a very small part of their chats. What is quite surprising the 40-year-olds are approximately of the same activeness as teenagers (180 people chatting) and that participants in the 50-year-olds’ age group are also not much behind in numbers (93 at the time of connection). The frequency of joining and quitting the chat in the last two groups was less intensive than in the groups discussed above. 30-year-olds and 40-year-olds are invited to talk to others with similar interests about their work, job, and family. Still, cases concerning relationship are also not rare. As well as participants in all the groups above, the 50-year-olds are interested in making friends, some of them- finding a partner. In contrast to other groups they are more active in discussing sports, family life, leisure activities. According to the study of chat rooms, the least active of chat groups were kids, presumably, because of the slower ability to type. There were 296 kids registered on the Chat Family site but only a few chatting at the time of connection (Figure 4).
Figure 4. Chat Users
The topic range discussed among kids is probably the widest in all groups. Topics include food, friends, sports, school, family, pets, etc.
22 So, generalizing all the examples above a conclusion can be drawn that 20 and 30-year-olds are the most active chat users of all. Finally, people of all ages are participating in online chats what is a surprising fact. As far as topics discussed are concerned they are of a big variety with kids and concentrating more on relationships within other groups.
1.3.2. Reasons for Chatting
The stimuli for people to use chats vary according to age categories: searching for a partner, finding friends, giving advice, discussing certain topics and finding information, sharing ideas or just a wish to communicate with someone might be the reasons stated. According to Crystal, chat groups provide a person-to person interaction that is predominantly social in character. So, according to the author, the search for a personal contact outweighs all the other reasons. What is more, the relaxing atmosphere enables everyone to express his or her opinion without any worry and stress it will or will not be supported. Chatters are just playing with language, enjoying themselves, and participating in “an enormous, never-ending, crazy game” (Crystal 2001, 169). In most cases no facts can be found in common chat rooms, just opinions. Sure, the situation becomes different if one uses a personal chat programme enabling to get or send information. “Participating in large chat rooms with dozens of participants and the chat moving at a rapid rate provides an arena of the highest safety for a chatter to be non- committed in a discussion. The aura of invisibility is heightened and it is easier to be a lurker hiding amongst many voices than it would be in a chat room of only a few speakers. The least safe arena to be in and not participate would be in an Instant Messenger chat room, where the one-on-one mode invites a social relation of intimacy, demanding active participation and an expectation of disclosure” (Neuage 2004). However, the involvement in chats can be discussed from the psychological point of view. Sometimes the specific type of online communication reveals weaknesses of an individual. The individual as if becomes depersonalised and lacking spiritual roots. The member of the traditional Internet society tries to compensate for the inadequacies in a full-scale social life. He/ she thus uses alternative forms of expression: communicates in chat groups, makes virtual friends, and even dates. Anyway, the most important reason for people to use chats comes from the human nature. It is the desire to communicate and make personal contacts. That is why the majority of people in all the age groups discussed above were interested in making friends, finding a partner, dating.
23 2. PECULIARITIES OF CHAT ROOM ENGLISH
Chat room English is a variety of electronic English. It is Internet language used in chat groups for communication of the users. This part of the paper is intended for the analysis of the peculiarities of chat room English. Firstly, Internet English is discussed in terms of variety and register. Secondly, spoken and written language forms are considered. And finally, Internet English is compared to the spoken and written forms of language discussing similarities and differences between them.
2.1. Internet English as a Variety and Register
The present chapter analyses specific features of Internet English. After explanation of the concepts of register and variety Internet English is discussed in comparison to spoken and written language forms.
2.1.1. Variety
Internet language is often discussed as a variety of language by a number of linguists (Graddol, Crystal, Neuage, Clarke, etc.). A variety of language is a system of linguistic expression whose use is governed by situation factors. The distinctive features of a language variety are graphic, orthographic (graphological), grammatical, lexical, discourse, phonetic, and phonological (Crystal 2001, 6). Graphic features stand for the general presentation and organization of the written language including distinctive page design, spacing, color, use of illustrations, etc. Orthographic elements encompass distinctive use of alphabet, capital letters, spelling, punctuation, ways of expressing emphasis. The many possibilities of syntax and morphology (sentence structure, word order, word inflections) represent grammatical features. Lexical features are explained as the vocabulary of language and discourse features are connected with structural organization of a text, defined in terms of coherence, relevance, paragraph structure, and the logical progression of ideas. Phonetic and phonological features comprise voice quality, vocal register, use of intonation, stress, pause, etc. According to Wikipedia, examples of varieties can be dialects (varieties spoken by geographically defined speech communities), sociolects (varieties defined by socially defined speech communities), standard language (for education and public performance), idiolects (a variety particular to a certain person), registers (the specialised vocabulary and/or grammar of certain activities or professions), ethnolects (for an ethnic group), and ecolects (an idiolect
24 adopted by a household). We can also talk about British English, American English, legal English, Internet English as separate varieties of language. Internet English is claimed to have distinctive graphic, orthographic, grammatical, lexical, and discourse features. On the one hand, phonetic and phonological features may be excluded as Internet English is presented in the written form. However, on the other hand Internet English has phonetic expression through the usage of specific symbols in the written form.
2.1.2. Register
A register as a form of variety can be explained as a subset of language used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting. The register is determined by the field or the subject matter of the discousrse, the tenor or the participants and their relationships, and the mode or the channel of communication. Vocabulary, syntax, phonology, morphology, etc. vary according to a register. Internet relay chat communication can be treated as a subset of language used in a particular social setting as it has morphological, vocabulary, syntactic and even phonetic peculiarities. According to formality registers can be considered as very formal, formal, neutral, informal, very informal (Figure 5).
Figure 5. Formality Scale of Registers
The style of electronic communication is always informal or very informal. Public communication dominates and the content of conversation is often accessible to anyone. “A unique combination of the unofficial and the public distinguishes both the content value of the communication and its expressive style including the usage of icons to reveal emotions” (Rumšienė 2007, 37). According to Neuage (2004), and Crystal (2001, 10) the main situations electronic language is used in are e-mails, chat rooms, virtual worlds and worldwide Web. So, Internet language is a type of language displaying features that are unique to the Internet and are found in all the above-mentioned situations as a result of electronic interaction. It can also be defined as the process of one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many communicative exchange using a computer-based communication channel; currently at least, taking place predominantly in a text-based environment. The current paper analyses Internet English produced in synchronous chat conversations.
25 2.2. Chat Room English as a New Medium
The introduction of computers has changed the communicative act of “conversation” by allowing new forms of discourse exchange, which are not possible with physical off-line person-to-person contact. Many of future communicating practices, even person-to-person conversation will be determined on pople’s reliance on the Internet or other computer-based mediating devices, as a source of communication (Neuage 2004). Scientists tend to analyse Internet language in a number of approaches: some of them regard it as a hybrid of spoken and written language forms (Ferrera, Baron), others – as spoken language which is written down (Trofimova, Butorina), the third group of linguists define electronic language as speaking when writing (Davis, Brewer), and the last group say that it is neither speech nor writing from any viewpoint (Collot, Belmore) (Ryklienė 2000). The main feature of electronic English is its written form. The mode of language is varying between the spoken and written language, having the features of one and the other. So, analyzing the peculiarities of Internet English the electronic form of communication will be compared with the spoken and written forms of language.
2.2.1. Spoken and Written Language Forms
Speech is a type of interaction in which both participants are usually present and the speaker has a particular addressee or addressees in mind. Speech is time-bound, dynamic, transient. In comparison to speech, writing is space-bound, static, and permanent. It is the result of a situation in which the writer is usually distant from the reader, and often does not know who the reader is going to be. Then, there is no time lag between production and reception of speech, unless the recipient deliberately introduces one. The spontaneity and speed of most speech exchanges, the pressure to think while talking promote looser constructions, repetition, rephrasing. Intonation and pause divide long utterances into manageable chunks, but sentence boundaries are often unclear. As for the written form of language, there is always a time lag between production and reception. Writing allows repeated reading and close analysis, and promotes the development of careful organization and compact expression. The sentence structures are usually complicated but units of discourse easily identified through punctuation and layout. What is more, participants are typically in face-to-face interaction using spoken language. They can rely on extralinguistic cues as facial expression and gesture to aid meaning. The lexicon of speech is often characteristically vague, using words, which refer directly to the situation (deictic expressions such as “that one”, “right now”, etc.). On the contrary, in written
26 texts there is a tendency to avoid deictic expressions as they may cause ambiguity. To add to this, participants cannot rely on context. Immediate feedback is also not possible. There are also words and constructions characteristic either of speech or writing. In speech (especially informal) contracted forms are common. Then, nonsense vocabulary, obscenity, slang are sometimes used. However the written form of language is characteristic of a more elaborate style: avoidance of contractions, specific syntactic patterns, and extremely long sentences. Certain speech items are never used in writing. In some cases they may be represented as graphic euphemisms (e.g. f***). Apart from that, speech is suited to social functions, such as passing the day or any situation where casual and unplanned discourse is desirable. It is also good at expressing social relationships, personal opinions and attitudes. Whereas writing is very suited to the recording of facts and the communication of ideas, to tasks of memory and learning. Written records are easier to keep and scan, text can be read according to personal abilities. In speech there is an opportunity to rethink an utterance while the other person is listening. However, certain facts rendered cannot be corrected and the speaker must live with the consequences. Errors in writing though can be eliminated in later drafts without the reader ever knowing they were present. Interruptions and overlapping speech are normal and highly audible. Interruptions, if they have occurred while writing, are also invisible in the final product. Finally, the unique features of speech and writing are different. The many nuances of intonation, loudness, tempo, rhythm, pause, etc. in occurring when speaking cannot be written down with much efficiency. Unique features of writing thus include pages, lines, capitalization, and several aspects of punctuation. Only a few graphic conventions relate to prosody (such as question marks and italics for emphasis). Several written genres (timetables, graphs, complex formulae) cannot be read aloud efficiently, but have to be assimilated visually. Discussing Internet language, and especially Internet English it is not difficult to observe this form of communication possessing features of speech and writing at the same time. The following two chapters discuss features making Internet English get close to the spoken and written language forms. Apart from that differences from the traditional forms are also analysed and the uniqueness of the electronic mode is discussed.
2.2.2. Electronic English and Speech
To start with, let us consider similar points between electronic language of chats and the spoken form of language. The situations of chat groups though expressed through writing, display properties of speech. They are time-governed, expecting or demanding an immediate
27 response, transient in the sense that messages may be lost as they scroll off screen. The utterances display urgency and force which is characteristic of face-to-face conversation. Chat groups are for “chat” and people certainly speak to each other there. Still, differences between “real” speech and electronic form of communication are present. First of all, in chat rooms it is possible to speak with others over large distances through synchronous textual dialogue. This is not possible in natural face-to-face communication. Besides, traditionally it would also never be possible to communicate with quite a number of people at the same time. In the traditional way of communication we pay more attention to the person we talk to and try to concentrate on the topic discussed: here we are not allowed to “listen” to multiple conversations at once and to participate in them. Whereas on a chat site we can react to as many of conversations as possible according to our interest and ability to type rapidly. However, because of the technology the chat feedback is not possible to be as simultaneous as in real life. The whole message is sent at once and the receiver does not have any opportunity to react to the message as it is being typed. So, after he/she reads the total message it is only then the response is possible. Correspondingly, there is no way for the sender to get a sense of how successful the message was until he/she gets a response. “There is no technical way of allowing the receiver to send the electronic equivalent of a simultaneous nod, an “uh- uh”, or any of the other audio-visual reactions which play such a critical role in face-to-face interaction” (Crystal 2001, 30). Another difference between Netspeak and face-to-face conversation also results from technology: Internet interaction is slower than that found in speech situation. The time delay (lag) is a central factor in many situations: the sender of the message is uncertain when he/ she is going to receive a response. Even if the response is immediate there might be other interference such as traffic density on the host computer, or some problem in the sender or receiver’s equipment. What is more, the sender waiting for a response is not sure whether the response is delayed because of the lag or some attitude of the respondent. The situation may become even worse when the number of participants involved in the conversation is large. When two people chat there is a possibility to retain turn taking that may be slower but resembling natural conversation (it depends on the speed of the Internet connection and typing skills of the interlocutors participating in the conversation). With a number of participants the situation becomes complicated as several people may be talking at a time. Turn taking as well as the topic under discussion may be easily lost as messages appear linearly on the screen, in the order they are received by the system. So, in this situation the turn taking, as seen on screen, is dictated by the software, and not by the participants. However, as messages are
28 remaining on screen for some time, participants entering the conversation a couple of turns after an utterance has been made can still see the utterance, reflect upon it, and react to it. This is not possible in natural speech. It is evident that communicating via computers is more time consuming than face-to-face as in face-to-face communication participants are able to quickly shift from person to person. Moreover, in real life situations people expect adjacency pairs (questions–answers, complaint- apology), while it might be difficult online. According to Neuage (2004, 289), in a natural conversation there are discourse markers or conversation markers. Words such as “oh” and “well” can be called discourse markers or conversation markers. Likewise, some words and constructions are likely to occur only in spoken English. Words like “thingamajig”, “dohickey” and “whatchamecallit”, and phrases like “bla bla bla” or “yada yada yada” are unlikely in written text, unless it is reflecting spoken forms deliberately. Natural conversation can also have simpler constructions and fillers, such as “um”, “uh” and “err”. In a chat room the user can use symbols and abbreviations or just a series of letters as discourse markers in the conversation. However, it is very difficult for people chatting to write as they talk. As Netspeak lacks facial expressions, gestures, body posture other ways of transferring meaning then become important, including specific chat room features, such as emoticons1 or smileys2, abbreviations and font style, size and colour of text. Such features of spoken language as short constructions, phrasal repetition, looser sentence construction are also present in Internet messages. However, chat room language generally lacks the features of spoken language, which indicate most spontaneity: reaction signals (m, mhm, yeah…) and comment clauses (you know, you see…) (Crystal 2001, 40). According to Crystal (2005, 155), “there have been somewhat desperate efforts to replace tone of voice on screen in the form of an exaggerated use of spelling and punctuation, and the use of capitals, spacing, and special symbols for emphasis. Examples include repeated letters (aaaaahhhhh, soooo), repeated punctuation marks (whohe????, hey!!!) and conventions for expressing emphasis, such as the real point”. Online it is impossible to show the same level of warmth, friendliness, softness as it can be conveyed in a natural conversation. To add to this, silence can also be meaningful. We are aware that in person-to-person communication silence does literally “speaks”, as a conscious act of non-participation. In
1 Several researchers have found for instance that the more emoticons a person uses, the more friendships he or she builds (Neuage, 2004). 2 A smiley, or emoticon, is a sequence of typed characters that creates a rough picture of something, such as a facial expression (Net Lingo Internet Dictionary).
29 electronic communication without visual cues, we cannot fully know the purpose of a person’s silence, and in the rapid stream of other conversational postings and responses, may not even notice it. What then is the social or relational impact of online silence? In Instant Messenger chats there is a notice that appears that reads the “respondent is writing a reply,” but in multivoiced chat rooms it is impossible to know whether a person is slow in responses, otherwise occupied, or is actively “lurking” for a reason. So it might be very complicated to indicate the reason of silence at times (Neuage 2004). The impact of participation in casual electronic chat on privacy is another area of research. According to Neuage (2004), chat has tendencies towards the establishment of casual and even intimate social relations. Still, many participants consider this non-proximate and non-physical social relation to be a secure space in which to interact with a broader than usual range of others, and to test out various ideas, behaviours, and even personae. Attitudes to online security have however altered after aspects of the events connected to the capacities of the Internet to offer ease of international communication to terrorist groups. Subsequent security measures taken in the US to detect terrorist activity online may mean that chatters become more careful with their “talk”. However, in face-to-face communication it is always possible to know whom we are communicating with. Person-to-person talk involves the changing or learning of elements of language-centred behaviours such as accents, in order for a speaker to “fit in” with their environment. In chat rooms we also find change in language, just as would be found in oral communication. “Language is not a homogeneous, static system. It is multi-channelled, multi-variable and capable of vast modifications from context to context by the speaker, slight differences of which are often detected by listeners and afforded social significance” (Giles and Clair 1979). People make themselves accommodative to those they are with. So, in chat rooms there is a widespread use of substitute codings in texting. Indeed, as users play across language to display their communality with other chat participants, they create many elements of online texted-talk, which make it a distinctive new set of linguistic creations (Neuage 2004). One more aspect when discussing CMC is the social-psychological dimension. This aspect was explored in Lea and Spears’ (2002) SIDE Model (social identity model of de- individuation effects). According to it, groups communicating via computer as well as face-to- face sometimes make more extreme decisions than individuals. Another similar feature to face- to-face communication could be that chat room users tend to display analogous thinking when discussing the same topic. Identical points can also be observed in the natural flow of communication. To summarize, in comparison to speech, the language of chat groups is:
30 • time-bound, but in different ways; • spontaneous, but with restrictions; • loosely structured; • socially interactive, but with restrictions. It is neither immediately revisable nor prosodically rich (Crystal 2001, 42). “Internet English is the mode of language which is used in informal communication processes on the Internet. <…> Internet language is the maximally informal language whose distinctive feature is the adherence to the manners of colloquial English in the written form” (Rumšienė 2007, 13).
2.2.3. Electronic English and Writing
“Computer-mediated language is for the most part written text <…>” (Goodman and Graddol 1996). As the language in chat groups is expressed through writing this chapter is intended to discuss whether Internet English resembles written English. To start with, a piece of natural written text is usually static and permanent on the page. In contrast, chat messages replace each other depending on the speed of connection, interlocutors’ abilities to type rapidly, the number of participants chatting, etc. As soon as the chat window is filled up, previous messages disappear. So, in comparison to traditional writing chat room messages are short-lived. What is more, message language is not carefully planned, elaborate in construction or repeatedly revisable when chatting; the interlocutors need to be in a hurry. This aspect also makes electronic English different from traditional writing. The asynchronous form of online communication has more resemblance to natural writing- many of the interactions are often similar to the traditional writing genres such as letter or essay and tend to be long-term lasting (Crystal 2001, 130). “The chatroom situation is a paradigmatic case of “the death of the author” (Neuage 2004). However, a specific style of online language is still retained. Another feature, which makes chat room English similar to traditional writing, is the absence of immediate visual feedback: because of connection speed or the participants’ typing abilities the response time may vary. One more aspect to mention could be factual communication of Netspeak. According to Crystal (2001, 46), the more academic and professional chat groups are, the more factual content of messages is presented. But in majority of cases Internet language is regarded as a game and factual content is negligible. The users often play freely distorting the traditional language: they feel free to use grammatical forms, devise alternative ways of spelling and punctuation, introducing neologisms, abbreviations and complex signs. Rumšienė (2006, 73) states that the reasons for the introduction of functional shifts of language units might be
31 “publicity, informality, individual freedom, conciseness and actualisation” and in most cases almost all components are combined. Being a very colourful process the coinage of new words in Internet English actually fills in many word formation gaps that are present in standard language. Anyway, “computer-mediated communication is better seen as written language which has been pulled some way from in the direction of speech than a spoken language which has been written down. However, <…> it is identical to neither speech nor writing but has properties of both” (Crystal 2005, 158). Crystal calls Internet English “a genuine new medium” (2005, 158) or “third medium” (2001, 48). Being the new third medium of language Internet English should not become a substitute for speech or writing one day. However, the constant influence of online English over natural speech and writing is inevitable. To sum up, in comparison to writing, chat language is: • space-bound, but with restrictions; • visually decontextualized; • variably factual. It is not elaborately structured, repeatedly revisable, or graphically rich. However, it may be contrived with some adaptation (Crystal 2001, 43).
3. GRAPHOLOGICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF CHAT ROOM MESSAGES
Internet English is dynamic in production of new words. The users of various chat rooms feel free to experiment when communicating online. What is more, netizens have more power to influence the language than in any other medium because they operate on both sides of communication: as receivers and producers of certain information. To add to this, the alteration of Internet language is so rapid that it surpasses the most dynamic jargons and greatly influences the development of a new type of language. New words in chat room messages are as if required to possess certain qualities: to look and sound attractively, to have an original form, to demonstrate exceptional value. The points mentioned may be identified as reasons for the distortion of traditional spelling and the coinage of new words, or neologisms. To produce neologisms word formation methods of Standard English are used most often. However, various cases of word form violation may be observed. “The multiplicity of the original words and symbols, abbreviations and
32 combinations of the graphical signs may lead to the usage mistakes and deviation from the earlier established norms” (Rumšienė 2007, 39).
3.1. Writing Peculiarities in Chat Room Messages
Alteration in spelling is one of the most frequent methods of traditional norm violation. The principal feature of the introduction of new variants of this kind is the preservation of the same phonetic value with some economy of symbols or intentional parody on some writing norms of Standard English. According to Rumšienė (2007, 60), the main difference of electronic discourse in comparison to other linguistic media is that Internet communication combines the functions of writing/ reading and pronouncing/hearing.
3.1.1. Causes for Violation
Generally computer texts are only read but not pronounced in mind. That is why great numbers of peculiar combinations resembling colloquial language may be used in online communication. The most frequent causes for violation can be enumerated as follows. The netizens, existing as a separate community, formulate their culture and certain mode of language. They introduce a specific code of information exchange, involving special vocabulary and style kept in communication. The aim of certain style of language is to differentiate the netizens from the laymen- strangers who are not representatives of the Internet subculture. What is more, communication processes are free regarding the participants’ language contexts, vulgarity level, vocabulary, etc. and no controlling institution is present – the users feel free to break behaviour norms. To add to this, netizens feel self confident as every creative step remains anonymous. The Internet society being highly tolerant every member is expected to sound creative and original. The economy principal is also of great importance while chatting online: the users need to be quick sending messages and non- standard spelling used in conversational settings is not assumed as indicator of lack of education. As chatting online is performed through writing, new variants have to be introduced to express the phonetic value and emotional shade: Internet communication has to combine the functions of writing/ reading and pronouncing/hearing. The only thing that matters on the Internet is the mutual understanding within the subculture, which allows free use of language and introduction of novel elements. The factors presented above may account as basic causes for deviation in writing, which is analyzed in the next chapter in more detail.
33 3.1.2. The Netspeak Graphology
The language of chat room messages is produced according to a number of principals enumerated above. As the language of chat room messages has a distinctive use of alphabet, capital letters, spelling, punctuation, and ways of expressing emphasis each of these cases will be considered separately. The usage of alphabet. The Netspeak graphology is characteristic of a wide range of special fonts and styles. Usually the traditional alphabet is used but there occur certain cases of replacement: the plural -s is changed into -z to refer to pirated versions of software:
e.g. friendz (= friends) 3063, pleaz (=please) 229; teenage users introduce k for c, f for ph: e.g. kool (=cool) 551, fone (=phone) 1023; zero for a lower-case o is sometimes used: e.g. 0k 368; double o is replaced by percentage sign (%): e.g. c%l (cool) 869; s is replaced by the dollar sign ($): e.g. bo$$ 768; l is replaced by the pound sign (£): e.g. pp£ (= people) 471. Capitalization is also variable. In some cases there is a strong tendency to use capitals, in others- no capitals at all. In chat groups no capitalization or punctuation is common inside the whole sentence: the sentence/ phrase starts with no capitals: e.g. hiya all those girls out there 173; theres this girl at my school but i barely even know her 155; the first person pronoun is not capitalized in most cases: e.g. i just wanna make sum friends, wot bout u 173; im hungry 330; im gonna choke up the whole earth 662. However, considering the cases of compounding in chatroom English, bicapitalization (BiCaps) is applied. In this case two or more words are written as one and two or more capitals are used: one initial, one/ more medial (Crystal 2001, 87): e.g. AltaVista, ScienceDirect, PeaceNet, PostScript, GeoCities, ItemStateChanged, OutOfMemory, etc.
3 The numbers of the examples refer to Appendix 12.
34 It is odd that the feature is used in chats because it is time-consuming. What is more, there are also cases when messages are written wholly in capitals. These instances will be presented below considering the case of emphasizing. Spelling practice is distinctive in Internet English too. According to Crystal (2001, 88), in Internet English US spelling is more common than British. It might be explained as a consequence of partly historical reasons (the origins of the Internet), and partly economical: US spellings are shorter than British ones (color vs colour). Non-standard spelling is used in conversational settings of chartroom messages without any sanction and it is not assumed as an indicator of lack of education. To start with, chat users almost always avoid apostrophising: e.g. theres (there’s) this girl at my school but i barely even know her. All i know is her name. But she likes be but i dont (don’t) know if shes (she’s) not my type 155; im (I’m) watching a python swallowing a deer 827. Within a community where economy of time and space belong to major values, surplus elements are often eliminated. Terms and technically oriented words are written without breaks between words; sometimes they are introduced in the text in italics. It is possible that some compounds originate from the names of particular websites, where no spaces are possible and a few words are written as one. Chat users do not hyphenate words that are traditionally written with a hyphen: e.g. toonice 920, comeon 859, getconnection, textbased (Rumšienė 2007, 87). Chat group users also produce a great deal of words spellings of which reflect pronunciation – words are written just to sound right phonetically: e.g. yep (=yes) 236; nope 973, noooo 354 (=no); noe 1001 (know); sum, som (=some) 173, 253, 169; wot (=what) 585; luv 176 (=love), tabbin (tabbing) 4, shuld (should) 162; words are shortened, usually the endings or initial letters are not written: e.g. shoul (should) 447, ind (mind) 530, ello (hello) 612, swee (sweet) 168. Rumšienė (2006, 75) also distinguishes cases, when derivatives are spelt under the same standard: e.g. curious – curiousity (=curiosity), clear – clearify (=clarify); spelling is simplified in the case of morphemes with the same pronunciation form: e.g. beautifull (= beautiful). The English adjective full spelt with double l coincides with the suffix –ful in cases of Internet English chat language as spelling is simplified. Several or just one letter stands for the whole word: e.g. Msg (message) 153, plz (please) 185, n (and) 280, cos (because) 514, w/ (with) 957, sht (something) 162, cd (could) 382, fv (favourite) 162, ur (your), ppl 255; how old r (=are) u (=you) 1051;
35 m (=I’m) 72 65; hiya (=hi you) all those girls out there i just wanna make sum (=some) friends, wot (=what) bout (=about) u (=you) 173; numbers are used in the case of compounding, instead single words or for some part of a word; the numbers frequently have a very close or similar pronunciation pattern as the word omitted: e.g. 4 now (=for now) 413, 2 U (=to you) 508, 2 know (=to know), 4 ever (=forever), 2B or not 2B (=to be or not to be), 2nite (=tonight), re4m (=reform), 121 (=one to one), 143 (=I love you), 1h82 (=I hate you) Netlingo; digits may also be integrated into the graphology of words not as substitutes for word pronunciation but just to shorten the spelling; in this case there is no influence to the meaning value: e.g. 11ty billion dollars (Rumšienė 2006, 78). This spelling strategy is based on the accepted structure of ordinal numerals (1st, 22nd, 39th etc.) Acronyms take an extremely big part of chat language. They help to save time as well as make the language itself more vivid and creative: e.g. AAR (at any rate), ZZZ (sleeping, bored, tired), WU (what’s up), TQM (total quality management), ALTG (act locally, think globally), HO, H/O (hello) Netlingo. Punctuation tends to be minimal or even completely absent in most situations. However, it depends on the user himself/ herself whether punctuation is maintained even at a minimum case. On the other hand, there is an increased use of symbols that are not normally part of traditional punctuation system: non-traditional punctuation symbols such as #, dots (…), hyphens (---), commas (,,,), semicolons (;;;;;;;;;) are used and repeated in any number. Odd combinations can also appear at the end of a sentence (!?). Moreover, such signs are not pronounced: e.g. boooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 648; you ???????? 441; Is there liiiife on Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaars...? 788. There might also be symbols borrowed from programming languages used for punctuation. However, these symbols are claimed by Crystal (2001, 90) to be very restricted to a certain group of enthusiasts and not used universally. e.g. !interesting (=not interesting); P at the end of a sentence (= a question mark); In the language of chatroom messages emphasizing is expressed in a number of cases: messages are written wholly in capitals: they are considered to be “shouting”. Words in capitals add extra emphasis: e.g. I SAID NO 844;
36 VERY desperate 848; emotional expressions of horror, shock are composed of varying numbers of vowels and consonants: e.g. yay 111, 707, woohoo 128, hehe 50; the usage of such symbols as asterisks (*), angle brackets (<>), carets (^), and spacing in a variety of ways may also serve as an emphasis signal: e.g. this here flute plays *very* well 17; u r
3.2. The Building of Internet Neologisms
Neologisms tend to occur more often in cultures which are rapidly changing, and also in situations where there is easy and fast propagation of information. As chat users form a certain subcultural layer they try to create specific language among themselves. This language is abundant in neologisms, that “along with non-verbal signs aimed at the expression of paralinguistic elements of speech represent the specific symbols of this mode of language” (Rumšienė 2006, 72).
37 Before discussing Internet neologism building the concept of neologism types as such must be explained. According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (1998) and Merriam- Webster online dictionary [http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi- bin/dictionary?va=neologism], a neologism is explained as a new word or expression. Wikipedia defines this term as a phrase that has been recently created (or “coined”), often to apply to new concepts, to synthesize pre-existing concepts, or to make older terminology sound more contemporary [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page]. In Internet communication neologisms may be created because of a couple of reasons. Firstly, neologisms are created just for mockery, parodying the universally accepted standards. The language resembles a linguistic game and is more interesting. Secondly, neologisms are created when the users are unable to find an existing word with the meaning needed or the one found does not convey exactly what is intended to. In this case the language is as if enriched. In comparison to the changes in spelling produced because of the principal of economy, morphological changes are targeted mostly at making language more interesting and challenging. What is more, if the newly created element is accepted and used by other people on a chat site that means it has been successful and accepted. In this case the neologism has the best chances to get established. And if it gets established, the creator of the neologism has a better status among the netizens. Neologisms may also become accepted parts of standard language. In other cases, however, they disappear from common usage. Whether a neologism becomes an element of the language depends on many factors, probably the most important of which is acceptance by the society. Sometimes strange new words succeed because the idea behind them is especially memorable or exciting. But in most cases it is unusual, however, for a word to enter common use if it does not resemble another word or words in an identifiable way. The majority of patterns to form new word stock in Internet English coincide with the ones of traditional English. Rumšienė (2007, 57) introduces 4 different models of morphological neologism derivation: morpheme-based method: words may be described in terms of the patterns of word structure. This type is sometimes called word syntax; word-based model concentrates on the schemes represented by the common features of morphologically related words; analogy: applying common structures to new cases provided they fit in terms of their morphological, phonetic, etc. features; reanalysis: the method dealing with bilateral relationships of already existing words and thus providing insights into historical morphology.
38 Plag, however, categorizes Internet English neologisms according to the methods of agglutination, compounding, conversion. He also distinguishes abbreviations, new roots and portmanteaus as separate categories. In the following chapters 3.2.1. – 3.2.6. of the present paper neologisms are grouped and analysed according to the most applicable methods of formation discussed by Plag (2003, 72-159). Part 3.2.7. discusses word form alteration on the basis of Rumšienė’s (2007, 107-111) study. The examples of neologisms are taken from Netlingo, Chat Family, ICQ Chat, Everywhere Chat, All Chat Sites, Chat Avenue, GeeSee Chat, Java Chat Rooms, Friendly Chat Rooms.
3.2.1. Agglutination
Agglutination, or affixation, is the process of forming new words from existing ones by adding affixes (prefixes or suffixes) to them. Affixational word building type is the most common in Internet English. Prefixational and suffixational patterns in word formation processes in Internet English are explored below.
3.2.1.1. Prefixation
English is abundant in prefixes expressing negation (a-/ ab; dis-; dys-; il-/im-/in-/ir-; non-; un-). However, only prefixes un- and non- occur in Internet English neologisms. What is more, the online language being produced under the principle of economy, any word can have its negative in Internet English (Rumšienė 2007, 68). Netizens do not pay attention towards such types of misspellings and the deviations are not corrected as long as the messages are possible to be understood. Then, not all chat users have a good command of English. That is why it is much more advantageous to use a couple of prefixes to form Internet neologisms than try hard to differentiate among all variants used in Standard English searching for the correct one. As mistakes are highly contributing to creativity (as long as the newly coined variant remains understood) there is a wide tendency of deviation in producing neologisms adding just a couple of negation prefixes.
As for neologism adjectives, they tend to retain their full paradigm:
e.g. uncool- uncooler- uncoolest (Rumšienė 2007, 69).
Nouns are also negated in Internet English in spite of not having this feature in Standard English:
e.g. unword (= not said, not spoken) (Rumšienė 2007, 70).
39 Un- used with Verbs expresses a reverse action. Thus, the function of the prefix has not altered in comparison to Standard English but its scope of use has extended to all actions having reverse (Rumšienė 2007, 71):
e.g. unpause (= stop the pause), unmute (= switch the sound on again), unshow (= to show after hiding).
Other prefixes used to express a reverse action are re- and de-/ di-:
e.g. relogin (= to log in again) 820, redid that? (= did you do that?), debuff (= weaken), dispel (= eliminate spell) (Rumšienė 2007, 71).
Quantity, size, and degree prefixes are also commonly used in Internet English. It is extremely fashionable to add these types of prefixes for stylistic or decorative reasons:
e.g. superinteractive, hyperboy (= having something very good) (Rumšienė 2007, 73). Neologisms can also be composed of a group of prefixes without having a traditional word root: e.g. supermicro (Rumšienė 2007, 73). A widespread feature in Internet English is the treatment of prepositions as prefixes: they are spelt together with the word because of the principle of economy.
Nouns, adjectives, and verbs can be spelt together with prepositions:
e.g. ingame (= the process of playing) 526.
The joint structure means the same as being written separately and does not violate the logic of the language. What is more, those prefixes which have the variants of a free morpheme and a bound morpheme tend to become exceptionally bound morphemes. On the whole, it can be observed that Internet English does not invent new prefixes but retain analogy to Standard English prefixation.
3.2.1.2. Suffixation
As for affixation, Internet English also relies on the patterns of Standard English word building. This is a popular word building method since it enables the receiver of a message to understand it independently of the wider context. However, the difference is that in Standard English affixes depend on the part of speech they are added to. Considering Internet English, there are much fewer restrictions and often most roots acquire noun-verb-adjective sets. In some cases Standard English word gaps are filled in using the pattern of suffixation for neologism coinage. Noun-building patterns often reject the outdated members but no new meanings are created. The most frequent suffixes used include -y, -er, -ness:
40 e.g. a meanie (= a thrifty person) 473, gamers (= the ones playing games) 654, bestness (= the quality of being the best) (Rumšienė 2007, 76).
Internet English Nouns may also be formed with the help of suffixes -ie, used mostly in colloquial English, and -itude, present in Latin:
e.g. a homie (= a pleasant person), winnitude (= way of winning) (Rumšienė 2007, 78).
Moreover, the suffix -age can be used on the principle of analogy: French-origin nouns comprise this suffix in Standard English (garage, baggage, luggage, etc.): e.g. laggage (= something delayed), ownage (= absolute victory) (Rumšienė 2007, 79).
The suffix of foreign origin -oid is widely used in Internet English with the meaning of something inferior:
e.g. marketingoid (unsuccessful business(wo)man) (Rumšienė 2007, 83).
In addition, archaic suffix-laden neologisms frequently are semantically related with those words or patterns, which have been taken as a matrix: e.g. cool - coolth (according to warm – warmth) 849. Adjective-building patterns also resemble the ones of Standard English. Suffix –y is usually added:
e.g. laggy (= slow), lossy (= of poor quality), sheepy (= hopeless) (Rumšienė 2007, 80).
Comparative and superlative adjective forms are built according to the rule and no exceptions are accepted in Internet English:
e.g. baddest (= worst) (Rumšienė 2007, 82), goodder (= better) 80.
Rumšienė (2007, 81) presents one more case of adjective building online when suffix –ish is added to foreign nouns:
e.g. diabloish (= stronger in meaning than devilish).
Allomorphic suffixes -able/ -ible are reduced to the allomorph -able in Internet English:
e.g. accessable (= accessible) (Rumšienė 2007, 82).
Neologism verbs in Internet English are made up using various patterns. Suffixes like -ate, -le are added (here -le is derived from adjectival suffix -ly):
e.g. imaginate (= imagine many times) (Rumšienė 2007, 77), hugle (= hug tenderly) 704.
Both suffixes above mean intensified action. However, this type of verb-verb formation has no analogical equivalent in Standard English. As for the suffix -ate, it rather occurs in verbs of foreign origin. In the cases of verb formation suffixation may be substituted by conversion:
41 e.g. to error (= to err) (Rumšienė 2007, 82).
There are cases in Standard English that lexical units possessing negative suffixes do not have positive counterparts. In Internet English negation morphemes are simply dropped to create words with positive meaning (Rumšienė 2007, 84):
e.g. despise – spise, disgusting – gustin (according to such patterns as dislike – like, disappear – appear, etc.).
Adverb building rules may also be violated in Internet English. Suffix -ly may be added to a noun or a verb; -al- is sometimes eliminated when adding the suffix -ly:
e.g. chatly (= in the manner of chatting), automaticly (= automatically), misticly (= mystically) (Rumšienė 2007, 82-83).
Deviation is also observed in numeral formation. Numerals are built according to standard logically limited patterns such as seventy, twenty, etc. (Rumšienė 2007, 78): e.g. eleventy (= infinite, a very high number).
Summing up, the patterns of prefixation and suffixation are frequently used in Internet English as Net speakers employ Standard English patterns. No new prefixes are introduced in Standard English and there are very few new suffixes offered. However, they also resemble traditional suffixes. Differently from Standard language where new words are created as a reaction to the development of new phenomena, Internet English has a wider variety of motifs for the extension of the lexical stock including stylishness, foregrounding issues, etc. Word building patterns are extended and a new aspect of meaning is added. There are cases when Internet English neologisms are intended to parody the tendencies and the relative infexibility of the standard mode of language.
3.2.2. Compounding
A compound is a word composed of more than one base. This is one of the most frequent methods of derivation in Internet English (Rumšienė 2007). As spaces between words are frequently against the formal technical requirements and are avoided in file or website names, Internet English compounds are also built according to these requirements.
Some of Internet compounds are initially used as website names:
e.g. wannabegirl (= a dream girl, originated from www.wannabegirl.com (Rumšienė 2007, 88).
Internet English compounds are neither hyphenated nor open because of the economy of space and time. What is more, chat users regard their communication similar not to “writing” but to “speaking”. It is common knowledge that in oral communication breaks, gaps, or spaces
42 are not accented. That is why this strategy of compounding is transferred to compounding in chat room language: a solid compound remains in the same line and is easy to read and understand:
e.g. pagerank (= order of pages), teenagerware (= clothes for teenagers) (Rumšienė 2007, 86).
Electronic language favours bound compound words singling them out from the whole text.
Two actions always coming together are often expressed in one word in Internet English:
e.g. copypaste 852.
Set or fixed phrases as well as of-phrases may also be compounded in the language of chat room messages because of the economy of space and time:
e.g. howcome (= how on earth) 1056, youknowwho (= you know who) 1053.
Neologisms featuring metonymic shifts are also developed:
e.g. a pretygood (= a beautiful girl) (Rumšienė 2007, 88).
Every lexical unit with a high collocability rate may turn into an affixational morpheme, which is not common in Standard English:
e.g.singleclick, paperclick, clickrate, etc. (Rumšienė 2007, 88).
Compounds may be split entering additional words. This is to mock formal language, emphasize that the activity may be interrupted in an innovative way:
e.g. break ma fast (= have my breakfast) (Rumšienė 2007, 92).
In Internet English compounds may also acquire pejorative, ironic, or humorous connotations:
e.g. badass (= hopeless) 222.
Compounds may also include new roots (Rumšienė 2007, 93):
e.g. dingleberry (= something that does not exist: dingle (nonce root) + berry).
The amount of compounds is higher in Electronic English than in Standard English as no restrictions are imposed to link words into compounds. This way of neologism formation is very convenient and popular among netizens because of its simplicity. The newly coined compounds are easy to be read and understood. What is more, space is saved as no other signs are included into compounds (hyphens or spaces). Speed of typing also increases this way. In Internet English there are no restrictions concerning the part of speech involved into compounding. Free morphemes are used in high numbers of compounds and such morphemes
43 are gradually turning into affixes. The majority of Internet English compounds are fully transparent.
3.2.3. Conversion
Conversion is forming a new word from an existing identical one without any changes to the initial stem. The initial word and the one formed belong to different parts of speech. Conversion is not a very frequent word formation process in Standard English. However, Internet English actively applies conversion as it is one of the most economic and rational methods of word building. Space and time is saved in this case. As suffixes frequently indicate the part of speech but do not distinguish a word from its derivatives, words tend to lose suffixes and become root-only words. In this pattern the newly created neologism is similar with the basic word consisting of a root only (Rumšienė 2007, 94):
e.g. a read (= one time of reading- a countable noun not similar to abstract noun “reading”), a feel (= feeling), a speak (= a speech, a sentence- a countable noun, not similar to abstract noun “speaking”).
The cases of neologisms produced under the principle of conversion may be indefinite. However, “conversives are most frequent in cases of a lexical unit being narrowly related to a single action” (Rumšienė 2007, 95). According to the linguist, conversion may also be applied for a specific root to fill in a gap in the noun-verb-adjective chain:
e.g. to heart (= to love, adore).
One more pattern of this type of neologism building may be metaphorical conversion:
e.g. to troll (= to deceive, to mislead).
There are cases when to be + adjective phrases, which are common in Standard English are transformed into verb or noun units in Internet English:
e.g. he sorries (= appologizes) 857.
Internet English does not accept some monosyllabic verbs and repeats noun form containig suffix:
e.g. to err – an error – to error (Rumšienė 2007, 97) .
So, conversion being a very simple derivational pattern common in Internet English. It is economical process with no restrictions in terms of parts of speech, easy to remember and use. Conversion based neologisms not only fill in the lexical gaps of Internet English but also work as subsitutes for words with affixes.
44 3.2.4. Abbreviations
Abbreviations are often explained as shortened forms of words. They include acronyms (words formed from initial letters of the words in a phrase sometimes adding other specific symbols) and clippings (taking part of an existing word). Clippings may also be called abbreviations proper. Acronyms and clippings reflect the specific character of Internet English and are an important part of the culture of online communication. Acronyms. Certain set phrases that are used in online communication consist of three or more words. Because of the need to be short and original when chatting online such phrases are often replaced by acronyms. What is more, the human eye easily deciphers acronyms consisting of a number of symbols, as they are not pronounced. According to Rumšienė (2007, 106), while in Standard English it still takes three syllables to pronounce BBC or USA, on the Internet cul (= see you later) requires no more time then and. Internet English acronyms are often initialisms, i.e. formed from the first letters of the words in a phrase: e.g. AAR (= at any rate), LOL (= laugh out loud), AFC (= away from computer), IRC (= Internet relay chat), TTTT (= to tell the truth), TTT (= to the top, that’s the ticket, thought that too), OOO (= out of office), OO (= over and out), MM (= market maker), KK (= kis kiss), AAAAA (= American association against acronym abuse), DDD (= direct distance dial), LTTIC (= look the teacher is coming), PIR (= parent in room), PW (= parent watching), AYSOS (= are you stupid or something) Netlingo.
As the examples above indicate, some acronyms are simply technical terms (AFC, IRC), others reflect informal phrases (LOL, AAR, PIR, LTTIC, AYSOS). There is also a group of creatively made acronyms where the same letter stands for several times (TTTT, TTT, OO, MM, KK, AAAAA, DDD). This group is the most difficult to be deciphered. Acronyms in Internet English may also be formed of the first letters of some words and symbols having the same pronunciation as some lexical units (e.g. 2 = too, to; 4 =for; c = see; u = you; @ = at; ^ = up):
e.g. BB4N (= bye bye for now), 4EAE (= for ever and ever), 2B or not 2B (= to be or not to be), 2G2BT (= too good to be true), 2U2 (= to you too), CU (= see you), @TEOTD (= at the end of the day), ^URS (= up yours) Netlingo.
As such patterns are not read aloud but deciphered by the human eye they are easier to understand than they would be in oral communication.
Acronyms may also become a constituent part of compounds: in this case acronym is read letter-by letter and the word is read as a total:
e.g. htaccess (= hypertext) (Rumšienė 2007, 105).
45 Acronyms sometimes stand as substitutes for one word or even the whole phrase. In this case it may cause difficulties for an inexperienced user to understand the meaning:
e.g. KOK (= knock), L8R (= later), M8 (= mate), kewl (= it means cool), meh (= who cares, whatever), S^ (= what’s up), W00T (= we own the other team), ZERG (= to hang up on someone), GTG (= I have to go) Netlingo.
As Rumšienė (2007, 106) states, a number of acronyms become stems for further derivation and transform to new roots:
e.g. LOL (= laugh out loud) – LOLLER (= the one who laughs out loud) – LOLLING (= laughing out loud).
On the whole, acronym usage is popular among netizens keeping in touch. Initialism are used most often. However, other types of acronyms are also frequent in online communication. Using the secretive code of language chat users protect themselves from laymen often having poor skills of Internet English.
Clippings. Online chatting expressed through typing cannot be as quick as the natural flow of communication. What is more, the majority of Internet vocabulary consists of long technically related terms. Because of the principle of economy requiring to be short and productive online long terms are often shortened producing clippings.
Often the first syllable or initial letters of a certain word are employed transforming words to short variants:
e.g. ans (= answer) 320, quest (= question) 456, def (= definitely) 856.
Abbreviation compounds are also regarded as clippings. They are sometimes called syllabic abbreviations.
The difference between this type of clippings and portmanteaus is that abbreviation compounds are made of the initial syllables of a number of words while portmanteaus usually consist of the first syllable of the first word and the final syllable of the last word.
Clippings may also consist of initial and final letters of a word: e.g. IDL (= ideal), MSG (= message), NRG (= energy), PPL (= people), PLS (= please), KBD (= keybord), FWD (= forward), BC or B/C (= because), ADR (= address) Netlingo.
It can be noted that some of the clippings like MSG, KBD, FWD represent technical terms whereas others are simple everyday words (IDL, PPL, PLS, BC).
Rejection of unnecessary affixes is favored in Internet English as well. When a word does not have positive form its negative affix may be rejected. In this case the minimum understandable part of a certain word is left (Rumšienė 2007, 104):
e.g. barkeep (= barkeeper), gustin (= disgusting).
46 For more examples of abbreviations refer to Appendix 11. Summing up, all types of abbreviations are common among netizens as they help to preserve the secretive code of online communication. Abbreviations are more common in Internet English in comparison to Standard English as not all forms abbreviated online are possible to pronounce.
3.2.5. The Introduction of New Roots
Introduction of new roots is a specific word building pattern in Internet English as “English seems not to be very likely to accept new roots from other languages” (Rumšienė 2007, 63). In Internet English new root neologisms are based on phonetic, orthographical or structural features of already existing words. However, the understanding of such new roots may appear quite problematic as they are not asociated with any definite objects, qualities, actions, etc. To add to this, there are no specific standards or rules for the development of this type of roots among netizens.
Most often new roots are formed with distinctive spelling but resemble the traditional phonetic form:
e.g. noob (= incompetent, fool- developed from newbie) (Rumšienė 2007, 64).
In some cases spelling distortion occurs because of misprint. As Internet users do not care much about the spelling traditional letters are often changed by the ones located next to them on the keyboard. There are also cases when letters in a word are simply counterchanged:
e.g. explian (= explain) 305, pwn (= own) 472, teh (= the) 280, thanls (= thanks) 419, magners (= mangers) 573.
New roots may also be introduced for emotive effects:
e.g. badonkadonk (= large buttocks) (Rumšienė 2007, 67) .
In this case the impression of largeness is created. New roots are not only associated with the basic parts of speech:
e.g. w00t (= exclamatory word, used to express joy) (Rumšienė 2007, 67).
The number of new roots is quite small in Internet English vocabulary. The reasons for that might be the flexibility and richness of Standard English word building patterns and the difficulty of mutual understanding using new roots. However, when new roots are formed they have distinctive spelling and are difficult to understand for a person not belonging to Internet culture. New roots are mostly introduced accidentally but there are cases when they aim at
47 purposeful mocking of undesired addressees in chats. The numbers of new root neologisms having no analogues in Standard English or any other language are relatively rare.
3.2.6. Portmanteau Words
Blending or portmanteau words are words formed by joining parts of two or more different words playing on their phonetic or orthographical similarities. As Rumšienė (2007, 97) states, it is a relatively rare word building method in Internet English. They are mostly coined to achieve expressive economy and express individual creativity.
Internet English portmanteaus usually combine the beginning of one word and the end of another:
e.g. sheeple (sheep + people), chilax (chill + relax) Netlingo.
This kind of portmanteaus is easily understandable to experienced Internet users as the initial words may be deciphered. What is more, words belonging to the same part of speech are blended. In the case of a portmanteau-noun formation it may serve as a substitute for a noun phrase.
The creation of a portmanteau may also be based on phonetically or graphically close units:
e.g. fugly (= fuckingly + ugly) Netlingo.
There are cases when a portmanteau is coined under more complex processes:
e.g. lollercaust, lollerskates (= everybody laughs: lol (laugh out loud) + anything) (Rumšienė 2007, 99).
This type of portmanteaus is more difficult to decipher and the same part of speech of both components is not important. It is only the first morpheme that reflects the function of the word while the second element is used without considering its grammatical forms and functions.
In most cases portmanteaus are based on the strategy of sharing two features. But there are cases when two morphologically/ semantically similar words may be tranformed into one:
e.g. otherway (= otherwise + anyway) (Rumšienė 2007, 100).
In this case it is creativity and novelty that matters because the portmanteau neither includes features of two words nor satisfies the principle of economy.
Generally, portmanteaus may include any combination of parts of speech:
e.g. thif (thus (Adv)+ if (Conj)) 278.
Portmanteaus may also involve acronyms:
e.g. roflcopter (= laughing at you: rofl (rolling on the floor laughing) + helicopter)) (Rumšienė 2007, 100).
48 On the whole, Internet English portmanteaus are often developed to parody the vocabulary of Standard English. What is more, being creative and economical plays an important part in the majority of cases.
3.2.7. Word Form Alteration
According to Rumšienė (2007, 107), word form alteration is the strategy of word formation in which a word is produced as a result of artificial and intentional changes of its syntactic (flexional) paradigm while its meaning remains stable. This type of word formation is not used in Standard English as words develop new forms according to certain rules. In Internet English this word formation model is applied, however, it is not very frequent. The main reasons for word form alteration can be stated the strife to express oneself sounding new and original or not being able to express one’s ideas using existing standard forms. Internet English usually simplifies existing patterns applying them in alteration of word forms. When the patterns are simplified even inexperienced Internet participants can understand them and use successfully. As English features three parts of speech paradigms (verb, noun, adjective) it is natural that form alteration is directly associated with paradigms for a particular part of speech. Verbs feature the greatest variety of alterations. Verbs are concerned with the majority of cases of form alteration, especially in the cases of irregular Past Participle and Past Simple forms:
e.g. beated (= beaten) (Rumšienė 2007, 107), bringed (= brought) 280 .
There are cases when regularized forms are produced on the basis of second and third forms of verbs:
e.g. wented (= went), goned (= gone) (Rumšienė 2007, 108).
However, it might seem surprising, but the standard verb paradigm including the –ing form remains virtually unaffected in Internet English. This fact may indicate high linguistic knowledge of chat participants. The reason for alteration stated by Rumšienė (2007, 111) is the intent to regularize the paradigms of Internet English words. The researcher rejects the possibility that there is a large group of people who alter forms because of the lack of linguistic knowledge. A more reasonable cause for alteration could be a purposeful activity in order to adhere to the dominant Internet communication style.
49 Nouns in Internet English do not acquire many changes. As the process of regularization has been taking place in Standard English (e.g. numerous nouns of Latin and Greek origin acquire two plural forms, as cranium – craniums/ crania or medium – mediums/ media) no space has been left for specific changes online. However, certain changes happen. Irregular plural forms are mainly employed on the basis of -en paradigms (child – children, ox – oxen):
e.g. bitchen (= bitches) 92.
The nouns employed usually end in –x, -s(s) or –ch and acquire the –es plural allomorph in Standard English. Adjectives deviate from Standard English in degree forms. The syntactic variant –er/ -est used forming comparative and superlative degrees of adjectives in Internet English is more popular than the analytical one with more/ most. The syntactic variant is also applied for polysyllabic varints and for irregular adjective degrees:
e.g. dificultest (= the most difficult) 581, interestinger (= more interesting), goodest (the best), gooder 80.
For more examples concerning the building patterns of Internet neologisms refer to Appendix12. Summing up, verb form alteration is the greatest in Internet English while nouns and adjectives feature significantly less cases. The alterations presented are mostly aimed at simplification of paradigms as well as unconventionality and self-expression.
4. SYNTACTIC PECULIARITIES OF INTERNET ENGLISH
Internet language features frequent syntactic peculiarities and Internet English is not an exception. This part of the paper discusses syntactic structure of sentences in English chat rooms and analyses types of ellipsis in online communication. Practical examples are taken from a number of online chat rooms including Icq. Inc. Chat, GeeSee Chat, Chat Avenue, Java Chat Rooms, Everywhere Chat, and Friendly Chatrooms. The analysis of the syntactic structure of chat sentences will be based on the theoretical points discussing Standard English sentence structure.
4. 1. The Constituents of Chat Room Sentences
The syntactic structure of sentences in English chat room messages is analyzed according to the study of standard sentence structure by Valeika and Buitkienė (2006, 103 – 111).
50 The subject of a sentence typically occurs at the beginning of the sentence (position), consists of a noun phrase (form), and indicates the topic of the discussion (meaning). The subject is an obligatory constituent of the clause; it is a complement restrictor of the predicate. The subject of a simple clause can be a single word or a word combination. Words can be formal or notional. Formal subjects are expressed by the pronouns it and there. When these pronouns function as formal subjects, the notional subject is shifted to clause – final position. Subjects can also be simple (e.g. John entered the house) and complex (e.g. John was seen to enter the house). Internet English usually does not face complex subjects: e.g. i love yaaa 252 (= I love you); u really need to work on ur ABCD's !!! 140 (= You really need to work on your ABCDS); its fantastic 563 (= It’s fantastic); there will be no targets in the lobby 773; theres something wrong w/ it tho 980 (= There’s something wrong with it, though). All the examples above contain simple subjects expressed by single words. In Internet English usually no complex subjects are used because the language is produced and shared on the simplest level possible. The examples 252 and 140 contain notional subjects expressed by the pronouns I and you. In the rest of the examples there are formal subjects expressed by the pronouns it and there. In the case of the formal subject it there is no notional subject in the sentence whereas in other clauses with formal subjects the notional subjects (targets and something wrong) are shifted to clause – final position. However, analyzing the sentences of English chat room messages it was observed that the majority of Internet sentences contain notional subjects occupying the first sentence position and there were just a few cases with formal subject sentences. The predicate is a constituent that realizes the verbal categories of person, number, tense, mood, aspect, voice, and order (this is restricted to verbal predicates). So, predicates can be verbal (simple and compound) and nominal (compound). In the case of nominal predicates, the predicate has two parts – verbal (the copula, realizing the verbal categories) and nominal (expressing the content of the predicate). Internet English sentences contain both types of predicates: e.g. love is a feeling that cant be explanie … 285 (= Love is a feeling that can’t be explaned); Lees cryin 286 (= Lee is crying); how is u 271 (= How are you). In the example 285 the predicate is nominal consisting of a link verb (the copula) is and the noun feeling. The next example 286 contains a simple verbal predicate is crying that realizes the verbal categories of person (3rd person), number (singular), tense (present simple), mood
51 (indicative), aspect (progressive), voice (active), and order (independent). However, in the example 271 the category of person realized by the verb is false because of the incorrect grammatical form (is used with the pronoun you). The objective complement then serves as a restrictor of the verb. Complements can be direct (denotes somebody or something directly affected by the process) and indirect (beneficiary or recipient). Direct objective complements are obligatory while indirect objective complements are optional. Objective complements can also be simple and complex, expressed by a noun in the common case, the infinitive, or the participle. Internet English features both direct and indirect objective complements but direct complements are more frequent: e.g. i need somebody's shoulder to rest on !!! 129; i love donuts 425; I will rip there heads off 23 (= I will rip their heads off); gimme some credit 532 (= Give me some credit). The examples 129, 425, and 23 contain simple direct objective complements (namely shoulder, donuts, and heads). The last example includes indirect objective complement me. However, it was problematic to find examples reflecting cases with complex objective complements. The attributive adjunct is considered as a quality modifier of the substantive part of a constituent. Articles, pronouns, numerals, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, non-finites may be treated as attributive adjuncts. Attributive adjuncts are usually placed in a specific order inside a sentence: opinion, size, shape, condition, age, color, material, and origin. However, being as short as possible Internet English sentences usually do not include more than one type of an attributive adjunct, so the placement order of attributive adjuncts in Internet communication is not of a special importance. Even if Internet English featured several attributive adjuncts in one sentence, netizens who try to sound original and unique would probably not follow the order anyway. e.g. i wanna see yunger bois 216 (= I want to see younger boys); i love blaring music 905; i want a ducati 940 (= a type of motorcycles) … and a new camaro (= a car model); that means u hav a horrible internet connection … 1009 ( = you have); … just had one year anniversary … 1012.
In the examples indicated the attributive adjuncts younger, blaring, new, and horrible are expressed by adjectives which is the most common case noticed in online communication. There was only one example found when an attributive adjunct was expressed by a numeral and a noun.
52 Adverbial adjuncts are not constructional elements proper; they are situational and restricting elements. Adverbial adjuncts include a range of circumstances: spatial (adessive, superessive, inessive, ablative, elative, delative, sublative, illative, allative) and non – spatial (instrumental, means, manner, comitative, role, angle, matter, evaluative, modal, behalf, cause, reason, result, concessive, conditional, intensive, frequentive) (Valeika and Buitkienė 2006, 47). Consider the following examples: e.g. get away from me 290; I am quite good, thanks 1058 . In the first case (example 290) the adverbial adjunct is realized by a spatial circumstance indicating a movement away from an entity (ablative). In example 1058 the adverbial adjunct is realized by a non – spatial circumstance of degree (intensive).
4. 2. Sentence Patterns in Internet English
As clauses can be simple and composite, the distinction between them must be made. So, a simple sentence is the smallest sentence – unit. It normally has a subject and a predicate (Alexander 1999, 4). Simple sentences can be short or long, and can express simple or complex thoughts but the thoughts are complete. In simple sentences the boundaries of a sentence and a clause coincide: a simple sentence is a one – clause sentence (Wekker 1993, 29). A composite clause, thus, is formed by two or more fully articulate predicative units. Following the economy principal sentences used for online communication are extremely short and usually having a simple sentence structure. Because of the abundance of simple clauses in Internet English, only simple sentence patterns will be analyzed below excluding composite ones. Although variations are possible, the typical word order for a declarative English one- clause-sentence is subject (subject group)-verb/ predicate (verb group)-object-adverbials (manner, place, time) (Alexander 1999, 3). In the case of a question the word order changes. Statements with be (auxiliary or full verb), have (auxiliary or sometimes full verb), and modal verbs like can are turned into yes/ no questions by inversion. That is, the appropriate form of be, have or the modal verb goes in front of the subject. With all other verbs yes/ no questions are formed with do/ does/ did plus bare infinitive. They also stand in front of the subject. However, when there is a wh- question, the question words take the first position (question word – auxiliary/ be, have, modal – subject) (Alexander 1999, 250, 262). Alexander (1999, 4 – 5) also distinguishes five simple sentence patterns on the basis of which Internet English sentences will be analyzed. The five patterns differ from each other according to what follows the verb:
53 subject + verb: e.g. i know 739; it did 740; i see 725; subject + verb + complement: e.g. its cute 719; were friendz 306 (= we are friends); subject + verb + direct object: e.g. i hate parties 893; i like Russian 718 (= Russians); i like that show 867; subject + verb + indirect object + direct object: e.g. he will buy me flowers 766; i can give him a kick 795; subject + verb + object + complement: e.g. u made me clever 1003. Chat room English possesses sentences of all the five types. However, the sentences containing a subject and a verb are not frequent online. Internet English faces a variety of elliptical sentence types (part 4.4.).
4. 3. The Functional Types of Sentences in Chat Messages
One more point for analysis can be differentiating sentences according to functional types. So, declarative (statements), interrogatory (questions), imperative (commands), exclamatory, run – on sentences, and sentence fragments can be distinguished (Wales 2004). A declarative sentence makes a statement. In Internet English declarative sentences are quite frequent: e.g. took you a while 9 (= It took you a while); so bored 152 (= I am so bored); meanie 749 (= You are a “meanie”, i.e. a mean person). As it is obvious from all the statements above, Internet English sentences frequently lack the beginning: they either start with a predicate or part of it or both the subject and the predicate (part of it) are missing. In the first sentence (example 9) the subject is missing, and the sentence structure is verb + indirect object + complement. In the example 152 subject and verb are not present, sentence structure being adverbial adjunct of degree + complement. In the last example (749) both principal sentence parts (subject and verb) are also missing and complement stands for the whole sentence.
54 An interrogatory sentence asks a question. In Standard English the word order of an interrogatory sentence is different from that of a declarative one. There are cases when Internet English follows this rule: e.g. wats up 410; do you have anxiety? 1008. In examples 410 and 1008 word order that of a question is retained. The first sentence is an informal question and the structure of the second one is represented by auxiliary do + subject + verb + direct object. However, chat room language usually retains declarative statement word order for all types of sentences, which is a peculiarity of spoken English: e.g. menards is a donut shop?? 421 (= Is Menards a donut shop?); u talking to me? 714. The examples 421 and 714 fall into the category of interrogatory Internet sentences when a declarative statement order is retained. In 421 the sentence order is subject + verb + attributive adjunct + complement and in 714 an auxiliary verb be (are) is missing, the sentence structure being left as subject + verb + object. The next group discussed can be that of imperative sentences. An imperative sentence does not require a subject; the pronoun you is often implied. Internet English imperative sentences usually do not differ from standard imperatives: e.g. you pick 297; dnt leave susy 308; get away from me <…>290. As it is seen from the examples above, the subject you is not missing only in the first example 292 whereas in the next two it is implied. The remaining structures of the sentences are subject + verb (example 297), negative verb + direct object (example 308), and idiomatic verb + adverbial adjunct (ablative) in example 290. Exclamatory sentences, then, are quite popular in chat room messages. They are usually short and expressing emotions in the majority of cases: e.g. aw! 288 yay! 289 I LOVE GOOGLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1046 The “shouting” character of exclamatory statements in online communication can be noticed because of the usage (or exaggerated usage) of exclamation marks, writing messages in capitals, creating neologism words expressing emotions (features discussed in part 3.1.2.). A sentence that is too long and should be broken into two or more sentences is considered a run-on sentence. A large number of ands, buts, and similar joining words is one warning sign of a run-on:
55 e.g. Dude i'll give u a tip go for it but dont buy anything toonice cause i was screwed like that just make sure u can like her back 156 (=Dude, I’ll give u a tip: go for it but don’t buy anything too nice. cause I was screwed like that. Just make sure you can like her back). However, Internet English does not produce big numbers of this type of sentences because of the principle of economy and the need to be informative: long sentences are confusing. A phrase that is acting like a sentence but is incomplete is a sentence fragment. In Standard English sentence fragments are acceptable as answers to direct questions (e.g. Where is my sword? - In the bushes.) Sentence fragments miss either subject/ verb or both the obligatory constituents of the clause are missing. In Internet English, however, there is abundance of such sentences: e.g. Only girls pls 211 (= Only girls, please); how creepy 277. This type of sentences is often called ellipsis. The types of ellipsis are discussed in the following part of the paper (4.4.). To sum up, Internet English features all types of sentences: declarative, interrogatory, imperative, exclamatory, run – on, and fragments.
4. 4. Types of Ellipsis in Online Communication
Speakers often reduce redundancy by leaving out superfluous information: i.e. information, which can easily be recovered from the context (Wekker 1993, 154). There are syntactic rules allowing us to delete something that is identical to something else in the sentence or discourse. Such rules are generally called ellipsis rules (Baker 1995, 517). According to Valeika and Buitkienė (2006, 171), ellipsis is a phenomenon when the axis (the subject, the predicate) may be missing in the structure; ellipsis may also cover all the other constituents: the attributive adjunct, the objective complement, and the adverbial adjunct. According to Arnold (1986, 139), ellipsis is the omission of a word or words considered essential for grammatical completeness but not for the conveyance of the lexical meaning. As Galperin (1977, 231) states, ellipsis is a typical phenomenon in conversation, arising out of situation, i.e. ellipsis does not express what can easily be interpreted. Elliptical sentences are usually a norm of spoken language and in writing they may serve as stylistic devices. As stated by Arnold (1986, 140), the ideal setting for ellipsis is a community with a specialized sphere of common interests. Netizens are members of specific community using a particular code of language. Despite the fact that online communication is a type of interaction where participants chat through writing, the language they use resembles and imitates the common features of colloquial language and is full of ellipses.
56 An elliptical utterance occurs when a speaker produces an utterance that, in isolation, would be syntactically or semantically incomplete. The hearer is expected to complete the utterance during interpretation, usually using the current conversational context along with general knowledge about language and about the world. In intersentential ellipsis the antecedent, or linguistic source for the missing material, is in a preceding sentence. Intersentential ellipsis is more frequent in dialogue. Ellipsis is one of several linguistic devices, including definite reference and deixis that exploit the coherence of natural language dialogue to allow shorter, simpler utterances. Natural language interfaces need to be able to interpret elliptical utterances, both because they tend to be quite frequent in dialogue and because they allow briefer and more natural interactions (Frederking 1993, 6). Bonsignori (2008) also supports the idea that spoken as well as written language is very gappy. Especially in face-to-face conversation, we often do not bother to encode information that can be understood from the linguistic or situational context. Linguistic context (contextual ellipsis) can be endophoric referring to elements within the text, anaphoric (e.g. Brian won’t do the dishes, so I’ll have to [E].), or cataphoric (e.g. Since Brian won’t [E], I’ll do the dishes). Contextual ellipsis is usually missing in the sentences of Internet communication, as it is almost impossible to detect the context of a chat in the majority of cases. The contextual ellipsis may also be referred to as syntagmatically restored ellipsis, the term being introduced by Barkhudarov, cited in Valeika and Buitkienė (2006, 171): in this case syntagmatically restored ellipsis is ellipsis, when the missing constituent can be restored, or recovered, by reference to the preceeding sentence. Situational context (situational ellipsis) comprises a variety of extra-linguistic factors that may contribute to our understanding of a language event: setting, participants (role and relation), shared knowledge, paralanguage (gestures, facial expressions, eye-contact). In situational ellipsis the recovery of omitted items is based on non-verbal context and cognitive process. As for Internet communication, elliptical sentences of this type are common in chats. However, paralinguistic elements are missing making it sometimes more difficult to decipher information intended to render. It is exophoric the elements of reference being outside the text. This type of ellipsis is not exclusive of oral communication: e.g. [E] Want some coffee? (= Do you want some coffee?). In fact it is very common in writing, too: e.g. Push [E] (= a sign on a door), do not spray [E] (=on a spray can of air freshener). Chat room language also features situational ellipsis: e.g. [E] wanna chat [E] females! (= I want to chat with females) 165;
57 [E] wanna make sum friends (=I want to make some frieds) 173. Situational ellipsis is a very specific way in which language interacts with its environment. Paradigmatically restored ellipsis discussed by Valeika and Buitkienė (2006, 171), has very much in common with situational ellipsis as the missing elements may be restored with the reference to a specific type of knowledge: the knowledge of the paradigm. Ellipsis is sometimes defined in relation to another important cohesive device, i.e. substitution, since they embody the same fundamental relation between parts of the text. Ellipsis is ‘substitution by zero’. On the basis of the economy principle (“be quick and easy”), the use of ellipsis reduces the amount of time and effort in both encoding and decoding, avoiding redundancy and repetition, but only when it does not lead to ambiguity. So: 1) ellipsis entails the omission or deletion of some items of the surface text, which are recoverable in terms of relation with the text itself; 2) within the frame of Text Linguistics, ellipsis is considered a major cohesive device, contributing to the efficiency and compactness of a text; 3) ellipsis entails syntactic reduction, a form of inexplicitness consisting in the unspoken, the unexpressed, but understood (Bonsignori 2008). Discussing the elliptical types of sentences various classifications are possible. For example, Valeika and Buitkienė (2006, 171) discuss ellipsis inside imperative, declarative, interrogative sentences and infinitival clauses. Wekker (1993, 154 – 155) distinguishes subject deletion, verb gapping, and backward gapping. The first two types of ellipsis can be observed in both simple and composite sentences. However backward gapping (i.e. when the reader/ speaker needs to read/ listen forward so as to find out the information elided) occurs in composite sentences only (e.g. John lives … and Peter works in London). As this thesis deals with simple sentences, this type of ellipsis will be left out in the further discussion. Bonsignori (2008) is also considering the types of ellipsis and distinguishes seven groups of elision: subject, nominal, verbal, ellipsis of subject + lexical verb, clausal ellipsis, ellipsis of predicate nominal, and ellipsis of the object. As this classification is the most detailed the following example sentences of chat room messages are analysed according to it.
Ellipsis of the Subject entails the omission of the pronoun or noun functioning as Subject within the Nominal group. Generally, English does not allow this kind of omission, since the subject is obligatory in English syntax. But, due to its stable role and the fact that it generally conveys given and redundant information, it is possible to omit it, “especially, when it does not lead to ambiguity” (Bonsignori 2008). However, in chat room language elliptical constructions ambiguity is often not possible to escape:
e.g. [E] hide from u (= I hide from you) 94;
58 [E] not complain, twiggy... (= I do not complain, twiggy) 629.
The above examples present sentences where the subject is missing. This type of sentences is common in Internet English firstly because of the principal of economy and secondly because of the endeavor to make chat language similar to spoken language. The language used in these sentences reproduces the typical informal and familiar style of speech. The interpretation of elliptical utterances is possible relying both on the linguistic and situational context, and it is more accessible to inside participants than to outside users. Nominal Ellipsis entails the omission of elements within the nominal group. It varies according to the logical function of the modifier that is the Head in the elliptical group. In the sentence comprising nominal ellipsis deictics (determiners), epithets (adjectives) or numeratives (numerals and other quantifying words) may be present. e.g. A: i lost 10 lbs (= I lost 10 pounds) 1061; B: i lost 45 [E] when I went shopping (= I lost 45 pounds when I went shopping) 1063. Nominal ellipsis is not very frequent among netizens and is more difficult to be found in chat room English.
Verbal Ellipsis entails cases of omission within the Verbal group:
e.g. anybody interested in me? (= Is anybody interested in me?) 840; u talking to me? (Are you talking to me?) 714;
A: dnt leave susy (= Don’t leave Suzy) 308; B: i have [E] (= I have (left Suzy)) 309;
A: has any one try everywhere chat? (= Has anyone tried “Everywhere” chat?) 402; B: yeah i have [E] (= Yes, I have (tried “Everywhere” chat )) 403;
A: wat r u doing? (= What are you doing?) 443; B: [E] chatting (= (I am) chatting) 444;
A: im gunna change my name too (= I am going to change my name too) 584; B: so i better not [E] lol (= So I would better not (change my name)) 586.
As it can be inferred from the examples, in Internet English verbal ellipsis is quite a common feature, because interlocutors try to be as short as possible and sound colloquial. What is more, online communication allows grammar distortion not considering it as a lack of language knowledge. That is why no attention is paid to the word order inside a sentence.
Ellipsis of Subj. + Lexical Verb entails the omission of the Subject and Lexical Verb. It generally relates “to be” as a copular verb.
e.g. [E] bored (= I am bored) 686, 152;
59 I just dont like it 573 - [E] too sweet (= It is too sweet) 574; A: wat r u talking about? (= What are you talking about?) 339; B: [E] asl (= We are talking about) age, sex, location) 340; how are u? 688 - [E] fine (= I am fine) 689; [E] hungry...brb ima get me a tart (= I am hungry… I’ll be right back. I’m going to get a tart ) 705; [E] 20 n blond (= I am 20 and blond) 840; [E] very desperate (= You are very desperate) 848; [E] glad ya wasnt alone (= I am glad that you were not alone) 631.
Chat language is full of elliptical sentences where subject and verb are omitted. Chat users save time and do not bother to adhere to the rules of sentence word order. However, they rely on the context and interpret elliptical sentences from it.
Clausal Ellipsis is concerned with the omission of other elements of the clause belonging to the verbal group. It is frequent in question-and-answer sequences and other rejoinder sequences, i.e. where more than one speaker is involved. This type of ellipsis allows conveying only the focus component of the response (Bonsignori 2008). Clausal ellipsis is a type of ellipsis in which an entire clause is elided from a sentence (Dağ, [ell.phil.tu- chemnitz.de/eap/presentations/cohesion_and_coherence.ppt ]).
e.g. A: u talking to me? (= Are you talking to me?) 714; B: hell yea [E] (= Hell, yes. I am talking to you) 715;
A: So wait, ho (= who) typically wins in this? 807; B: me [E] (= I win in this) 808;
A: where u live amber (= Where do you live Amber?) 911; B: [E] utah (= I live in Utah) 912;
A: i wanna leave n get away from my family 924; B: me [E] too (= I want to leave to get away from my family too) 924;
A: do u have 1? 968; B: yea (= Yes, I have one) 969;
A: do u have a laptop? 972; B: nope (= No, I do not have a laptop) 973.
Ellipsis after questions deletes the part of the question that follows the question phrase (if there is a sentence earlier in the discourse that duplicates the meaning of this second – part of the question):
e.g. A: I want to talk with u (= I want to talk with you) 133;
60 B: why (= Why do you want to talk with me?) 136.
As it can be inferred from the abundance of the examples above, the cases when clauses are omitted in chat room communication are quite frequent. It is useful to omit clauses as time is saved and the idea can be interpreted from the context (or the preceding sentence).
Ellipsis of Predicate Nominal entails the omission of the Subject Complement in a clause, so it always occurs when “be” is present and functions as copula:
e.g. A: I’m not a whiskey drinker 562; B: I am [E] lol (= I am a whiskey drinker (laugh out loud)) 564.
Ellipsis of the Object is concerned with the omission of the Object in the clause:
e.g. A: Russians have bombs! Yay! 723; B: we have more [E] (= We have more bombs) 724.
Ellipsis of Predicate Nominal and Ellipsis of the Object are types of ellipsis not frequently used in Internet English.
For more examples concerning syntactic peculiarities of Internet English refer to Appendix12.
To sum up, ellipsis is a linguistic phenomenon, which mainly characterises spoken language and is abundantly found in the sentences of online chat room messages. Ellipsis is very complex and can be distinguished into seven syntactic types. It focuses the reader’s attention on the new information and optimizes the message.
61 CONCLUSIONS
The present study was an attempt to define the language of English chat room messages as a separate mode of language discussing its graphological, morphological, and syntactic features. To achieve the best results 1100 sentences from a number of English chat rooms have been analysed presenting 153 of them to support the scientific data discussed. The analysis demonstrated that: • Electronic English used in chat room messages can be considered neither speech nor writing and must be regarded a separate mode of language. In spite of being used for chat Internet English is highly dependent on technical factors: speed of Internet connection, computer technology specific features, and interlocutors’ ability to type. There is no technical way of allowing the receiver to send the electronic equivalent of a simultaneous nod, or any of the other visual reactions, which play a big role in face-to- face interaction. The fact that chat messages are typed does not prove them to belong to the written form of language, which is usually pre-planed, static, and permanent. • The Netspeak graphology possesses specific features including a distinctive use of alphabet, capital letters, spelling, punctuation, and ways of expressing emphasis. The new type of linguistic community – the netizens – introduce a specific code of information exchange, involving special vocabulary and style kept in communication. As chatting online is performed through writing, new variants have to be introduced to express the phonetic value and emotional shade: Internet communication has to combine the functions of writing/ reading and pronouncing/ hearing. • Word building methods employed in Internet English coincide with the ones used in Standard norm. However, the sphere of application differs: Internet coinages are frequently produced on a simpler level. The scope of prefixation is often extended for the negation of Internet English nouns, formation of neologisms of a group of prefixes, etc. In the case of suffixation comparative and superlative forms of irregular adjectives are built according to the rule with no exceptions. Internet English compounds are made up according to the requirements for technical terms and Website names: they are neither hyphenated nor open because of the economy of space and time. As for conversion, it is actively applied in Internet English as one of the most economic and rational methods of word building. All types of abbreviations are common among netizens too as they help to preserve the secretive code of online communication. New roots having a distinctive spelling are also difficult to understand for a person not belonging to Internet culture. New roots are mostly introduced accidentally but there are
62 cases when they aim at purposeful mocking of undesired addressees in chats. Portmanteaus are mostly coined to achieve expressive economy and express individual creativity. In Internet English word form alteration method not used in Standard English is applied, however, it is not very frequent. • Despite the fact that all sentence constituents can be found in Internet clauses and sentences may be classified into the five types analysed, Internet English features frequent syntactic peculiarities. Netspeak usually does not produce big numbers of composite sentences because of the principle of economy and the need to be informative: long sentences are confusing. Even simple sentences containing full syntactic structures are not popular online: Internet English faces a variety of elliptical sentence types. What is more, a declarative statement word order is often retained for all functional types of sentences. On the basis of these facts it can be claimed that the purpose of this MA paper has been achieved, the objectives have been accomplished, and the hypothesis has been confirmed. English used in chat rooms has been proved to be a separate mode of language possessing distinctive graphological, morphological, and syntactic features. Due to the fact that the scope of the present study is limited, further analysis is recommended to wider explore the specificity of features of Netspeak English concentrating on different age groups of chat room users. The application of chat rooms in English classes could also be explored discussing benefits and the possible harm of participation in chat groups learning a foreign language.
63 SANTRAUKA
Įvairūs autoriai dažnai analizuoja bendruosius anglų kalbos pokyčius tiek sinchroniniu, tiek diachroniniu aspektu. Tuo tarpu informacijos susijusios su internetinės anglų kalbos analize galima rasti vos keliuose šaltiniuose. Vis labiau plintantis bendravimas pokalbių svetainėse įtakoja norminės anglų kalbos pokyčius, sakytinę bei rašytinę kalbos formas. Šio darbo tikslas yra analizuoti pokalbių svetainėse naudojamą anglų kalbą kaip elektroninės anglų kalbos rūšį bei nagrinėti pagrindinius pokyčius vykstančius šioje kalbos atmainoje. Remiantis darbo tikslu, buvo iškelti šie uždaviniai: 1) aptarti elektroninės anglų kalbos naudojimo sferą, 2) analizuoti pokalbių svetainių anglų kalbą kaip elektroninės anglų kalbos atmainą, 3) nagrinėti panašumus ir skirtumus tarp elektroninės, sakytinės bei rašytinės anglų kalbos, 4) tirti grafologinius bei morfologinius ypatumus pokalbių svetainių anglų kalboje, 5) analizuoti sintaksinius šios kalbos bruožus. Darbo hipoteze teigiama, kad pokalbių svetainių anglų kalba yra elektroninės anglų kalbos atmaina, turinti specifinius grafologinius, morfologinius bei sintaksinius bruožus. Ši kalbos rūšis nepriklauso nei sakytinei, nei rašytinei kalbos formoms ir esti atskiras anglų kalbos porūšis. Atliekant tyrimą naudojama turinio analizė, literatūros analizė bei aprašomasis metodas. Analizuojama 1100 praktinių pavyzdžių, 153 pateikiami kaip empirinis darbo pagrindas. Tyrimo rezultatai parodė, kad: • Elektroninė anglų kalba negali būti laikoma nei sakytine, nei rašytine ir turi būti pripažinta kaip atskiras anglų kalbos porūšis. • Internetinės kalbos grafologija turi specifinių rašybos ir skyrybos bruožų. Kadangi pokalbiai svetainėse vyksta rašybos pagrindu, įvairūs variantai turi būti naudojami fonetinei vertei bei emociniam atspalviui perteikti. • Žodžių darybos metodai naudojami internetinės anglų kalbos morfologijoje sutampa su norminės anglų kalbos žodžių daryba, tačiau skirtinga jų taikymo sfera. • Pasitaiko atvejų, kuomet sintaksinė anglų kalbos sakinio struktūra atitinka standartinę sakinio struktūrą, o vientisinius sakinius, labiausiai paplitusius elektroninėje kalboje, galima klasifikuoti į atskirus tipus. Tačiau, nepaisant šių faktų, elektroninėje kalboje dažnai naudojamos įvairių tipų eliptinės struktūros, o konstatuojamojo sakinio sintaksinė forma neretai naudojama visiems funkciniams sakinių tipams reikšti.
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69 APPENDICES
Appendix 1. mIRC
Appendix 2. ICQ Programme Page
70 Appendix 3. Gentoo Forums Web Page
Appendix 4. Skype
71
Appendix 5. Chat Family Forums
Appendix 6. DiskusijosXZ
72
Appendix 7. Genttoo Discussion Forums
Appendix 8. ICQ. Inc Chat
73 Appendix 9. ICQ Inc. Chat, Chat Family, All Chat Sites
74 Appendix 10. Smileys (based on http://www.netlingo.com/smiley.cfm)
@>--;-- A rose O-) Cyclops %-6 All Mixed Up >:-> Devilish O:-) Angel :-e Disappointed 0*-) Angel wink - female %-} Dizzy 0;-) Angel wink - male :3-] Dog (((H))) Big Hug =:-H Football player :-X Big Wet Kiss :-W Forked Tongue =|:o} Bill Clinton smiley :^{= Frank Zappa (:-D Blabber Mouth %*@:-) Freaking Out ?-( Black Eye /:-) Frenchman with a beret (:- Blank Expression 8) Frog }|{ Butterfly }:-) Hair Parted in the Middle Sticking up on Sides })i({ Butterfly - an even prettier =:-) Hair Standing on End one }:-X Cat :-}) Handlebar Mustache q:-) Catcher %-) Happy Drunk C=:-) Chef :-' Has a Dimple 8^ Chicken :%)% Has Acne ;-( Chin up :-# Has Braces *<<<<+ Christmas Tree :(#) Has Braces variation :-.) Cindy Crawford :-`| Have a Cold *<):o) Clown |:-) Heavy Eyebrows :-8( Condescending Stare /;-) Heavy Eyebrows - Slanted %) Confused l^o Hepcat :-S Confused (_8(|) Homer Simpson :-{ Count Dracula (_8^(|) Homer Simpson %*} Inebriated }:^#) Pointy Nosed (|):- Jewish Blonde +<:-) Pope )=II= ?:^[] Jim Carrey :-t Pouting :p Kitty with tongue hanging out :-C Real Unhappy >:-l Klingon ~:-( Really Bummed Out @(*0*)@ Koala - it's a straight-on :-)) Really Happy smiley :-D Laughing ([( Robocop %OD Laughing like crazy [:] Robot (-: Left Hand @};--- Rose :-9 Licking Lips :( Sad Turtle ;-, Like, Duh :-d Said with a smile &-l Makes Me Cry $__$ Sees Money :-(*) Makes Me Sick :-i Semi-Smile :-S Makes No Sense ,:-) Shaved Left Eyebrow (-) Needs Haircut ;^) Smirking ):-( Nordic :-i Smoking a cig :/) Not Amused :-? Smoking a pipe 8-O Omigod! :-Q Smoking while talking :=) Orangutan ~~~~8} Snake 8> Penguin :-( <| Standing Firm =):-) Uncle Sam :-))) Very Happy :-\ Undecided %') Very Tired :-| Unfazed l-O Yawning
75 Appendix 11. Abbreviations (based on www.netlingo.com)
121 One to one MHBFY My Heart Bleeds For You 2B or not To Be Or Not To Be MHOTY My Hat's Off To You 2B 2BZ4UQT Too Busy For You Cutey MIA Missing In Action 2G2BT Too Good To Be True MIL Mother-In-Law 2moro Tomorrow NADT Not A Damn Thing Nearly Almost A Good 2nite Tonight NAGB Bridge 2U2 To You Too NAK Nursing At Keyboard BBSD Be Back Soon Darling NATCH Naturally BBT Be Back Tomorrow N-A-Y-L In A While BR Bathroom NH Nice Hand 4EAE For Ever And Ever NHOH Never Heard Of Him/Her CHA Click Here Asshole NMU Not Much, You? CIAO Goodbye (in Italian) NN Not Now DIKU Do I Know You OAO Over And Out Do I Look Like I Give A On A Totally Unrelated DILLIGAD OATUS Damn Subject DNBL8 Do Not Be Late OAUS On An Unrelated Subject 9 Parent is watching OB Obligatory 99 Parent is no longer watching OBE Overcome By Events A/S/L/P Age/Sex/Location/Picture OBO Or Best Offer Anyplace, Anywhere, A3 OBTW Oh By The Way Anytime OBX Old Battle Axe AAF As A Friend P Partner AAK Asleep At Keyboard P&C Private & Confidential Peace To You For You ACD Alt Control Delete P2U4URAQTP Are A Cutie Pie ACE Access Control Entry P911 Parent Alert ACK Acknowledgement POV Point of View KFY -or- Kiss For You PP People K4Y KHYF Know How You Feel POTUS President of the USA JTOL Just Thinking Out Loud QL Quit Laughing KIBO Knowledge In, Bullsh** Out QLS Reply KIR Keep It Real QOTD Quote Of The Day Quick Question -or- Cry KISS Keep It Simple Stupid QQ More KIT Keep In Touch QS Quit Scrolling Look The Teacher Is LTTIC QT Cutie Coming Locally Undesireable Land LULU RLF Real Life Friend Use LUMTP Love You More Than Pie XOXO Hugs and kisses LUSM Love You So Much RMLB Read My Lips Baby LWR Launch When Ready RMMA Reading My Mind Again LY Love You RMMM Read My Mail Man LY4E Love You Forever RN Right Now LYA Love You All RX Regards Read Your Friendly LYB Love You Babe RYFM Manual
76 Appendix 12. Analysis of Chat Room Messages (based on http://www.icq.com/icqchat/chatroom.php?c_id=7, http://www.geesee.com/sys/geesee.ashx?chatid=1, http://www.chatfamily.com/, http://www.friendlychatrooms.co.uk/ , http://www.javachatrooms.net/, http://www.chat- avenue.com/, http://www.everywherechat.com/chatnow.php)
Examples No Analysis Cited Site Name ICQ 1 sorry mate Punctuation, ellipsis of subj + verb 2 any ladies wanna chat? Spelling, verbal ellipsis 3 tape up me mouth Imperative, grammar 1 4 not tabbin that nic Ellipsis of subj + verb, spelling 5 dang u stole my duct tape Spelling you should alway ask before going into Spelling, clipping 6 someones PVTs 7 Got To Go now nice to see you all gt;:) A run- on sentence, acronym, smiley 8 huggsss tc Windsong^ Emphasis, spelling, punctuation took you a while Ellipsis of the subject, declarative 2 9 statement 10 seeu 2moro Spelling, acronym 11 lol roeschen Acronym also newbe Ellipsis of subj + verb, neologism - 12 compound noun made of adj+verb hugggggggggggggs hi Spelling, clipping 13 sub_DAVE_52__UK how are ya Hon 14 i no katlew sissy me to Spelling, a run-on i always ask katlew sissy even with the Spelling 15 regulars 16 great sub_DAVE_52__UK good to see u Spelling, ellipsis of subj + verb 3 17 this here flute plays *very* well Emphasis, word order 18 i no sissy Spelling, verbal ellipsis 19 mYL Acronym 20 he just called me a
77 recycled teen ager 31 great the room is busy cant keep up Ellipsis of subj + verb, spelling 32 treu jack very true Spelling, ellipsis of subj + verb 33 ohhh ty MaddHutt lol lol lol Emotional expression, acronyms, 34 hiya msVirgo Spelling 35 its always that way for me jack50 Spelling 36 how things goin (((H))) Verbal ellipsis, spelling, smiley 37 hi MaddHutt do i no u Spelling 38 why aren't u guest_282` Spelling 39 hi john Standard greeting 40 ok, fair point Ellipsis of subj + verb 41 don't know about all the here time-zones Ellipsis of the subject 42 aware of poke Imperative, verbal ellipsis, neologism 43 NP Acronym 44 hey countrygirl Spelling, compound noun 45 hi countrygal hw r u Spelling, compound noun 46 Doing well thanks how about you? Ellipsis of subj + verb, punctuation 47 am fine, priv pls Ellipsis of the subject, clippings 48 RX Acronym 49 thank God she left Standard expression 5 50 hehe Emphasis/ emotion evening all...anyone up for a Ellipsis of part of a phrase, verbal ellipsis, 51 chat...37/m/uk? acronyms 52 AAF Acronym 53 Hugsss Miss_Smart =) Emotional expression, smiley 54 hey...pvt me to chat Clipping 55 =%-O Smiley ME CRAZY VIDEO WAYS THAT Run – on – sentence, emphatic (shouting), UNDERSTAND PROB WORDS FULL grammar, clipping, spelling PEOPLES SAME HEADS QUITE I WILL HANDS OUT ONLY AGAINS 56 FACE WHOS ? 57 i bet they do ILL_snickers Standard word order 58 oh lordy Emotional expression 59 any nerdy guy wanna chat nerd Verbal ellipsis, spelling, grammar and yer point Island^Girl Spelling, ellipsis, emotional expression 60 hahahahaaaaaaaaaaa shouthrenman i havent seen you fore Spelling, punctuation 61 ages hi haw are ya 62 i believe Guest 108 is yr man Spelling 63 hehehe Emotional expression, interestinger Ellipsis, irregular comparative adjective 64 degree (suffixation) 6 65 m72uk Spelling ME AM ..KNOW EX-PRETTY FAN Emphasis (shouting), grammar, ellipsis of 66 TOO.. the subject 67 some femaleto chat with me? Spelling, verbal ellipsis, grammar 68 scuse mi Spelling 69 mwaaaaaaaaah missy kiss? Emotional expression, spelling
78 ILL_snickers you would not know how Punctuation, standard word order 70 to take me any other way 71 hi how r u cheryes Spelling 72 explains why he's lonely Ellipsis of the subject, spelling true most people tink men make no Spelling 73 sense anyways, he just cuts to the chase 74 witha goat angela? Spelling 75 cooking looking after my dog Ellipsis of subj + verb u never know Evil^Tyrant u never gave Spelling, punctuation 76 me a chance may or may not know all the words to: Ellipsis of the subject, spelling The Trews - Can't Stop Laughing but 77 ain't admittin nuthin angela i got a question...what's up with Standard word order 78 all these requests? wont get too close in here....ya all more Ellipsis of the subject, spelling, emotional 79 evil than i am..hahahaaaaaaaaa expression it's a fact that if ya dun really pay Spelling, punctuation, irregular attention to what i say it sounds like i comparative adjective degree suffixation, know what i'm talking about but at least word form alteration 7 80 my grammar is gooder 81 any malaysian lady here? Verbal ellipsis anyone else watching bruins/canadians Verbal ellipsis, punctuation 82 playoffs 83 anybody from Cali ? Verbal ellipsis 84 any girls here for fun chat pvt me Verbal ellipsis, punctuation, clipping 85 any girls 4 chat Verbal ellipsis, spelling, punctuation 86 r u hot ? Spelling 87 im the hotest Spelling 88 LOL I am, but I'm no longer interested. Acronym, complement ellipsis 89 interested in wut ? Elliptical question, spelling 90 Talking to you :) Ellpisis of subject + verb, spelling, smiley 91 looool wutever Emotional expression, spelling where da hot bitchen at ? Word form alteration, verbal ellipsis, 8 92 spelling 93 stand up Standard imperative 9 94 hide from u Ellipsis of the subject 95 anybody seen my cow ? Verbal ellipsis (auxiliary) 96 im sorting my kids out Spelling 97 and i aint ur cow Spelling 98 I see lol : ) Acronym, smiley 99 any women wanna see somthng Auxiliary ellipsis, spelling 100 hey faaaye Spelling boy 14-16 nice and cute =) Ellipsis of subj + verb, punctuation, 101 smiley 102 I like nochos Neologism 103 girls 13-19 pvt. me Clipping 104 so Clausal ellipsis 105 not me Ellipsis of subj +
79 106 hugs faaaye ltns Spelling 107 Yea Spelling 108 and single? Ellipsis 109 seem ur bzy Ellipsis of the subject, grammar, spelling 110 tease why havent you banned him yet Spelling, punctuation 10 111 yay I am ignored ^_^ Emphasis/ emotional expression, smiley I'm like a donley acting funky and my Spelling love died faster then a bunch of sea 112 monkeys 113 simonnPwnns is gay^^ Smiley 114 xD Smiley 115 geuss what Spelling, punctuation i aam gay!? Emphasis, declarative word order for a 116 question 117 :D Smiley dont really have a favorite just enjoy Ellipsis of the subject, spelling 118 listening 119 simon yay! Emphasis/ emotional expression 120 oh yea yay Mitch xD Emphasis, emotional expression, smiley 121 WUT NUJJA Emphasis (shouting), spelling 122 kk Acronym 123 hmmfff. Emotional expression any sweet girl want to Punctuation, emphasis, clipping, auxiliary 124 chat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!pvt me ellipsis, grammar 125 Mmm:) Emotional expression, smiley 126 QL Acronym 127 :-))) Smiley 11 128 wooohoo Emphasis 12 129 i need somebody's shoulder to rest on !!! Objective complement, emphasis 130 K4Y Acronym 131 what r u talkin about??? Spelling, punctuation, emphasis 132 nothin Clausal ellipsis, spelling 13 133 i want to talk with u Spelling well should have not been there but just Ellipsis of the subject 134 call it my evilness 135 me? Clausal ellipsis 14 136 why? Clausal ellipsis 137 lots of strangers today :( Verbal ellipsis, smiley hahaha not funny Emotional expression, ellipsis of subj + 138 verb 139 ameer Spelling 15 140 u really need to work on ur ABCD's !!! Subject, spelling 141 :O Smiley 142 ??????? Punctuation, emphasis 143 back to work later Ellipsis of subj + verb, 144 gtg then Acronym, ellipsis of subj + verb 145 me??? Clausal ellipsis, emphasis 146 c'ya Spelling
80 147 see ya later mebbe Spelling 148 hey did i miss anything.. Standard word order, punctuation 149 a lot scary Ellipsis of subj + verb 150 then u take her to lunch Clausal ellipsis, spelling 151 im well loved in the industry lol Spelling, acronym so bored Declarative statement, ellipsis of subj + 16 152 verb Site Name GeeSee 17 153 Anyone from NEW ZEALAND msg me Spelling, clipping, verbal ellipsis 154 any hot guys on Verbal ellipsis, punctuation theres this hot girl at my school but i Spelling barely even know her. All i know is her name. But she likes be but i dont know if 18 155 shes not my type. Dude i'll give u a tip go for it but dont Run-on sentence, spelling, compound buy anything toonice cause i was (toonice), punctuation screwed like that just make sure u can like her back no punctuation to mark 19 156 sentence endings hey i think u should get a time n know Spelling, acronym, punctuation her better n later decide if u stay with her 157 or not 158 maybe u shoul start gettin 2 know her Spelling 159 Wait til your at least 19 Spelling 160 no Clausal ellipsis 161 y that long Spelling all u shuld do is get to know her, types Run-on sentence, spelling, punctuation, of musik she likes sht like that.then,this clippings, smiley always works for me, see if she is missing a cd by her fv band, then buy it for her to surprise her then ur on ur own, 20 162 but it shuld be smooth sailing! ;D DONT LISTEN TO THEM get to know Emphasis (shouting), run-on sentence, her more and then u will figure it out if punctuation, spelling 163 shes the 1 please reply Site Name Chat Family GO OUT WITH HER BRO....whaddya Emphasis (shouting), run-on sentence, have 2 lose u got ur whole life ahead of punctuation, spelling, clippings u...i just go out w/ everyone u should too, just go out w/ everyone u can while 164 u can. wanna chat females! can pm me Ellipsis of the subject and preposition, verbal ellipsis, acronym, spelling, 21 165 punctuation 166 not offering my services Ellipsis of subj + verb, 167 ello Spelling 22 168 22 ohhhh what a swee Ellipsis of subj + verb, spelling, emotional
81 expression Hi my name is Jan and I am looking for Spelling som woman for chat. I am 30 y,190 cm, sport body, black hair. I want to practise 23 169 my knowledge of English and .... 170 wow i don’t Emotional expression, clausal ellipsis 171 hugssssssssss CuddlyOldMan Emphasis/ emotional expression 172 back Ellipsis of subj + verb hiya all those girls out there. wanna Spelling, ellipsis of the subject, clipping, make sum friends, wot bout u tell me run-on sentence, punctuation wot ur fave food, and worst food is. my 24 173 fave is chc clairs, my worst beans 174 sup Spelling 175 asl Acronym Site Name Java Chat Rooms 25 176 showin luv @};--- Spelling, smiley, ellipsis of subj + verb 177 fanx for replyin pplwhats crackin Spelling, punctuation, clipping I like Spahgetti and my worst is potato Spelling, emotional expression 178 saled, yuk what is your favorite kind of sport, if Spelling 179 you dont mind me asking! 180 Heya Im new aswell. Spelling 181 baseball. its awesome. Clausal ellipsis, spelling 182 softball Neologism, clausal ellipsis 183 thats the job of the captain Spelling 184 our boat is sinkin Spelling 26 185 plz help' Clipping 186 do i have cute thoughts?? ..*-( Spelling, smiley WHT???????? Clipping, emphasis (shouting), 187 punctuation 188 huh? Emotional expression 189 wat are d gasbags and valves? Spelling HEY HW ARE U???? Emphasis (shouting), clipping, spelling, 190 punctuation 191 have are you Spelling 192 msn Clipping, clausal ellipsis 193 im on water Spelling WHR U FRM??????? Emphasis (shouting), clipping, spelling, 194 punctuation 195 wtf? Acronym 196 : ..*-( Smiley 197 .:-O Smiley 198 .:-S .:-P Smiley 199 :-) Smiley 200 .8-) Smiley 201 :-* Smiley 202 .o-( Smiley 203 I'M IATLIAN, WHR U FRM???? Emphasis (shouting), clipping, spelling,
82 punctuation WHY U'RE .o-( Emphasis (shouting), spelling, smiley, 204 punctuation 13 y old boy on webcam Ellipsis of subj + verb, spelling 205 (compound) if y r a 11, 12 or 13 year old girl with a Spelling, acronym 206 webcam press 99999999 or pm me 207 123 Acronym 208 hey sxc men Clipping 18 m nw plz talk 2 me! Ellipsis of subj + verb, punctuation, 209 acronyms 210 Any1 on ere into Raving? Spelling, ellipsis 27 211 Only girls pls Sentence fragment Hey grls wanna c2c? pm m’ Clipping, spelling, ellipsis of sublj + verb, 212 acronyms 213 Looking for sxc girls :) Ellipsis of subj + verb, clipping, smiley Site Name Chat Avenue 214 pm me or give me ur addy to msn Acronym, spelling, clippings 215 A/S/L/P Acronym 216 I wanna see yunger bois Attributive adjunct, spelling 217 Anyone wanna chat…i.. am bored Ellipsis of the auxiliary, spelling 218 Any every1 Sentence fragment, spelling 219 Any nsw Sentence fragment, clipping 220 A3 Acronym 221 good shit Sentence fragment, ellipsis of subj + verb you badass Compounding, verbal ellipsis 28 222 223 hey room Standard greeting 224 so why isn’t any1 talkin Spelling 20 m Minnesota any ladies wanna chat Ellipsis of subj + verb, auxiliary ellipsis, 225 p2p me spelling, acronym, punctuation 226 ya you wish Spelling 227 ya your mom wishes Spelling 228 ooooooooh! Emotional expression, emphasis 29 229 Hey pleaz Alphabet usage 230 im not even talking to u!!!!!! Spelling, punctuation, emphasis 231 hey pllz what up Spelling, clipping, punctuation 232 is aany one talkin 2day Spelling, emphasis 233 or what Clausal ellipsis 234 DIKU Acronym 235 i think not Spelling, clausal ellipsis 30 236 yep yep Spelling 237 oh snap Emotional expression 238 wat? Clausal ellipsis, spelling 239 If u are a girl talk to me inprivate talk Spelling, compounding (preposition + adj) WooooooooooooooooooohoooooooooooEmotional expression 240 oooooo 241 No i didnt Clausal ellipsis, spelling
83 i need a hot guy under 19 with yahoo to Spelling, acronym, compounding 242 p2p me esecially withcam 243 yay! Emotional expression 244 what happen fruity Grammar, punctuation 245 hmmm Emotional expression 246 whos da bitch Spelling, punctuation 247 damn Emotional expression 248 who luvz me Spelling 249 say meeee Imperative, spelling, emphasis 250 r u a girl Spelling, punctuation 251 yea i am Spelling 31 252 i love yaaa Subject, spelling 253 any boys n girls wana tlk n hav sum fun Spelling, auxiliary ellipsis 254 meeeee Clausal ellipsis 32 255 actualy alot of ppl do Spelling, clipping, clausal ellipsis 256 ack for now Ellipsis of subj + verb, spelling 257 how is every1 Spelling 258 superrrr Emotional expression 259 ood Spelling 260 g Spelling 261 ive a question if i may Spelling 262 u want sex Spelling 263 p2p me im a girl Acronym, spelling, punctuation 264 some one wanna talk but no pervs Spelling, acronym, word order ne girls wanna chat with me 2day? P2p Auxiliary ellipsis, spelling, acronyms 265 me plz! 266 go ahead burnt Imperative 267 yes wat Elliptical question 268 lll Acronym 269 LUSM Acronym 270 Harder Clausal ellipsis 33 271 how is u? Predicate, wrong grammar 272 %OD Smiley 273 RLF Acronym 274 sick it Sentence fragment 275 ohhhh Emotional expression 276 ;o! Smiley 34 277 how creepy Sentence fragment 278 i see thif Portmanteau 279 not bitter just stating the truth Ellipsis of subj + verb 35 280 teh med student n i bringed her back Spelling, new root, word form alteration 281 hey callie i thought u left gurl! Punctuation, spelling 282 naw Spelling 283 la la laaaaaaaaaaaaaa Emotional expression 284 :( Smiley love is a feeling that cant be explanie Predicate, spelling 36 285 there for not real 37 286 Lees cryin Predicate, spelling
84 287 any gurls wanna chat Auxiliary ellipsis, spelling, punctuation 38 288 aw! Emphatic exclamation 39 289 yay! Emphatic exclamation 40 290 get away from me i hate u Adverbial adjunct, imperative 291 so emo Ellipsis of subj + verb, clipping 292 heyeveryone Spelling, compound Site Name Friendly Chat Rooms 293 thats a load of shite Spelling 294 no it isnt Clausal ellipsis, spelling 295 kenny u kno i dnt hate u Spelling 296 damn striaght Emotional expression, spelling 41 297 you pick Imperative sentence 298 :P Smiley if ur witha hooker right in the middle u Run-on sentence, punctuation, spelling going to tell her u love her because she 299 makeing u fel good 300 yes u will Clausal ellipsis, spelling 301 same diffrence Sentence fragment, spelling 302 who me? Clausal ellipsis 303 im leavin see yea Spelling 304 not like that! Sentence fragment 42 305 explian then New root, imperative, spelling 43 306 were friendz……… Alphabet usage, subj + verb + compl 307 go read up on it Imperative, punctuation 44 308 dnt leave susy Imperative sentence, spelling 45 309 i have Verbal ellipsis 310 wait wat? Spelling 311 coz…. Clausal ellipsis, spelling 312 r we more that that? Spelling every thing i read say it’s a feelin cant be Run-on, punctuation, grammar, spelling 313 explain that dont make it real 314 oOo La la Emotional expression 315 real is sth that u cn see Spelling, clippings 316 thats not a reasone Spelling 317 can see not feel Clausal ellipsis 318 thats bullshit Spelling 319 well answer the damn Q! Imperative, acronym 46 320 the ans is 7! Clipping 321 no its 3 Clausal ellipsis, spelling 322 thats pretty much wat u r sain Spelling 323 grrrrr Emotional expression 324 90% of the ppl say he isnt Spelling, clipping 325 sheesh! Emotional expression 326 itz ok Spelling 327 theres no proff love does either Spelling 328 gossh Emotional expression 329 ppl wanna talk Clipping, spelling
85 47 330 im hungry Capitalization, spelling 331 me 2 Spelling, clausal ellipsis 332 im afrcan amarican Spelling 333 there for u are discusting Spelling, grammar 334 and ur a diva to, im so lucky.. :) Clausal ellipsis, spelling, smiley 335 no it dont Spelling, clausal ellipsis 336 dudes only! Ellipsis 337 r u even talkin to me? Spelling 338 retart Speling, ellipsis of subj + verb 48 339 wat r u talkin about? Spelling 49 340 asl Verbal ellipsis, acronym 341 wanna talki Spelling, ellipsis of the subject 342 haha not much Emotional expression, clausal ellipsis see i got u all talking with ur one Spelling, ellipsis of the subject 343 sentance 344 laffin at the tards Ellipsis of subj + verb, neologism, spelling but son u have to be stupid to belive ur Spelling 345 related to monkeys 346 kid? Ellipsis of subj + verb, spelling 347 u shuld email me Spelling 348 ubunt…how old r u Spelling 349 iam 28 Spelling i get on here and act crazy but man ur Run-on sentence, spelling 350 stupid 351 :o Smiley 352 awh why?!?! Emotional expression, elliptical question 353 lol oh dear Acronym, emotional expression 50 354 nooooo Spelling, emphasis 355 :D Smiley 356 me either! Clausal ellipsis 357 know wat lea? Spelling, elliptical phrase 358 hi ya Spelling 359 i dont understand Spelling 360 *hugs fire* i like you now Emphasis, spelling 361 u jst said u dont want to know Spelling, clipping i said i don't want to know what you did Spelling 362 last night but i'm cool with you now 363 last nite? Spelling, clausal ellipsis 364 i dont get it Spelling 365 are u sure u 're talking to mee? Spelling, emphasis 366 *cuddles fire* you're cool now Emphasis 367 u almost scared me Spelling 51 368 anyway its 0k Alphabet usage, spelling 369 ok thanks! Traditional response 370 but seriously u're kind of harsh Spelling leme pls leave .. u r not allowed in the Clipping, spelling 371 room .. u r to young 372 dont u think?? Elliptical question, spelling
86 373 even jessica believes u're Complement ellipsis, spelling yea and dont mind the smell there Spelling, emotional expression 374 heheheh 375 phewww Emotional expression 376 jessica is tooo young ham Emphasis, spelling 377 she said in pvt chat 5 Clipping, ellipsis of subj + verb jessica please leave if u r not 14 or over Spelling 378 ok 379 i am 15 not 5 Spelling 380 how old r u jessica?? Spelling, punctuation 381 m5 Spelling yea didnt think a 5 year old cd type .. Spelling, clipping, ellipsis of the subject 52 382 that good thanks jessica I cant type that good yet .. and i am Spelling, emotional expression, smiley 383 much older than 15 heheheh :-) 384 I guess we'd all be surpriseed then Spelling 385 c'mon leave the poor girl alone Spelling, imperative soul .. no one is on her .. we are happy to Spelling have her here .. we are clarifying the fact .. she is old enuff to be in this chat room 386 .. thanks 387 who u guys want to win the cup Spelling, word order 388 lets talk smt else shall we??? Clipping, punctuation 389 haaaahaahhaa Emotional expression 390 soul thanks .. u got it ..LOL Spelling, acronym 391 ian do u like football? Spelling 392 Not at all Clausal ellipsis 393 u make me laugh Spelling 394 wats up Spelling 395 good .. we try to have fun .. :-0 Smiley 396 i think thats a good thing Spelling 397 ^% Smiley 398 dont know nothing bad but nothing goodEllipsis of the subject, spelling, grammar 399 if that makesw sence Clausal ellipsis, spelling 400 well good junky .. Clausal ellipsis 401 what r u talking about Spelling 53 402 has any one try everywhere chat Grammar 54 403 yeah i hav Verbal ellipsis, spelling 404 not Verbal ellipsis yeah boring but also like the relaxation Ellipsis of subj + verb, ellipsis of the 405 that comes with it subject, spelling 406 universal .. every where chat Word order, verbal ellipsis 407 this be the place Grammar 55 408 hi evry on new to the chat room %) Spelling, smiley 409 i am host in everywhere Standard word order 56 410 wats up Interrogatory sentence, spelling 411 omg Acronym 412 ong Acronym
87 please change the nic or be escored out Spelling, run-on sentence, punctuation sexyboobs .. we have been thru that b 4 now do it immediately .. no further 57 413 warnings thanks 414 why Clausal ellipsis 415 go to the dairy barn ..lol Imperative, acronym 416 that wa smy friend Spelling 417 sure can Clausal ellipsis 418 hey buzzz wb /./ :-) Acronym, smiley 58 419 no ads in this room thanls poker New root, spelling 420 i have always wantged to say that New root, spelling menards is a donut shop?? Interrogatory sentence, declarative word 59 421 order, punctuation 422 oooh donuts... Emotional expression 423 didnt know that Ellipsis of the subject well .. my grandmother made donuts .. Emotional expression 424 that was her maiden name heheh i love donuts Objective complement, standard word 60 425 order awww makes sence hammer Emotional expression, ellipsis of the 426 subject, spelling 427 sure did :-0 Clausal ellipsis, smiley 428 just hope the rings didnt bust Ellipsis of the subject, spelling 429 nah .. i ate those also Emotional expression 430 any1 her Verbal ellipsis, spelling 431 hi Standard greeting 432 just me Clausal ellipsis 433 thats all my hellos done lol Spelling, acronym 434 privat message Spelling 435 aah jeje yes, of course Emotional expression, spelling 436 i definitly thought u said he was pms'ing Spelling, acronym 437 whats up Spelling 438 my hair, didn't comb it this morning Ellipsis of subj + verb, subject ellipsis do not p2p people with out asking in the Imperative, acronym, spelling 439 room first please 440 KIT Acronym 61 441 you??????? Punctuation, clausal ellipsis 442 nothing Clausal ellipsis 62 443 what r u doing Spelling 63 444 chatting Verbal ellipsis 445 you? Elliptical question 446 the same Ellipsis of subj + verb 64 447 what shoul we talk Spelling, prepositional ellipsis 448 i mean what should we talk about Traditional word order 449 hel lo Spelling 450 hey hey Standard greeting 451 :) Smiley whatsup Spelling (compound of question word and 452 preposition)
88 453 opps Emotional expression back again Buzz Ellipsis of subj + verb, emotional 454 expression 455 whats up? Spelling Hey guys I got a very ethical Quest to Clipping 65 456 ask 457 wow ok i will keep comments to myself Emotional expression I need to get some drug money, but I am Run-on sentence, punctuation, spelling broke till thursday Should I burn down 458 my house for insurance money 459 dont do drugs Imperative, spelling 460 Oh I only dabble In da ocasional Crack Spelling 461 ur a fag Spelling i should know i had a bleepin heart Spelling 462 attack 463 stop talking about drugs u piehole Spelling 464 from now on ppl behave Imperative, clipping Emotional expression, punctuation, 465 holy crap!! look at all those guests! emphatic imperative 466 lol sorry... Acronym, ellipsis of subj + verb 467 lol @ crap Acronym, spelling, ellipsis of the subject 468 don't hit me Imperative hey i watching today Dane Cook's stand Auxiliary ellipsis, run-on sentence, 469 up show he is very funny punctuation He's a master of psychological effects! Emphasis he can make you feel drunk even though you haven't been drinking AND you get 470 no hang over! It's a win win situation! 66 471 behave pp£ Alphabet usage, acronym, imperative you can't pwn me here, in front of New root, emphasis, punctuation 67 472 EVERYONE!! Suffixation, verbal ellipsis, punctuation, 68 473 you meanie!! >:( smiley 474 yoo Emotional expression 475 owned!! Ellipsis of subj + verb, punctuation wow rem has attenias sticking out of his Emotional expression, spelling 476 smiley shut up, Junky! It's the wrinckles in my Imperative, spelling, punctuation 477 forehead!! Yay for crying! Other peoples Emotional expression, spelling 478 depression is my amusment! 479 hi xoxo Acronym 480 KFY Acronym 481 2U2 Acronym 482 :-X Smiley 483 Charlie. has ou had food today? Spelling, grammar 484 yeah i had toast.. then stir fry Spelling 485 U r mad, Charlie Spelling 486 If you haven't then eat sugar straigh Spelling
89 away 487 brb.. i need some water Acronym 488 hey gurl Spelling 489 lol lol lol Acronyms 490 wanna chat pvt?????? Spelling, clipping, punctuation 491 not 2nite Clausal ellipsis, spelling 492 not now Clausal ellipsis 493 asl? Acronym 494 Ooooooh :/) Emotional expression, smiley It took me all this time to figure out how Spelling 495 to tipe and sent this message. 496 rofl Acronym 497 hi people !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Punctuation 498 lolll Flo Rida Acronym 499 Oopsssssss! Oopsssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Emotional expression, punctuation 500 hahahahaha i got my song now Emotional expression, verbal ellipsis 501 Yay!!!!!!!!! Emotional expression, punctuation 502 ho roxy Spelling 503 bet ya couldnt eat a whole 1 Spelling 504 a whole wat???? Spelling 505 talent is crazy tonite Spelling and for what it's worth, she had a GOOD Emphasis 506 time. 507 so whos wearin the black nightie? Spelling 69 508 its 2 u Spelling 509 not me lol Clausal ellipsis, acronym 510 dont wear em andy Imperative, spelling naaaaaaaaa MSMatty...... i like the Emotional expression 511 attention from you 512 just honest MSMatty :-) Ellipsis of subject + verb, smiley occupational hazzard...... i always feel Ellipsis of subject + verb, spelling like i got somwhere to be in the next 20 513 min 70 514 thats cos ya took mine AP Spelling, acronym 515 hugggggs hon Emotional expression, clipping 516 rofl twigs Acronym Neither do I, Dawny, but apparently I'm Clausal ellipsis, acronym 517 wearing a velvet nightie, lol 518 ummmmmm wait Emotional expression 519 dunno why...... i'd think it was pretty Ellipsis of the subject 520 just take him huntin and shot first Spelling suit you??? ohh la la Ellipsis of auxiliary and subject, emotional 521 expression 522 hears my phone ring Spelling any ladies that would like to chat private Verbal ellipsis, punctuation 523 with a younger guy????????????????? humor will brighten anyones day or Spelling 524 night 525 hides my ego lol Ellipsis of the subject
90 dawny ya gonna play another quiz Prefixation, spelling, punctuation, word tonight or shall we have ingame truths order 71 526 ??? just for a change 527 dont shop unless i have to Ellipsis of the subject, spelling ooh, truths, not played that in ages Emotional expression, ellipsis of subj + 528 verb 529 love you long tome Ellipsis of the subject 72 530 ind you, I do love a good quiz Spelling urgh my brother is eating a kebab Emotional expression without being drunk.. how can you do 531 that. 73 532 gimme some credit Objective complement, spelling 533 five? c'mon Clausal ellipsis, spelling and if i wasn't new would you say get Clausal ellipsis, grammar, spelling 534 the hellll out? I havent been chatting in here very long, Spelling, neologism 535 in fact, am still a newbie 536 Missty must be workin Spelling what ye been doing today Word order, ellipsis of auxiliary, 537 punctuation 538 so is it truths we r playing ?????? Spelling, punctuation 539 MSMatty been entertainin us Ellipsis of auxiliary, spelling 540 what for? I was busy in MSN Clausal ellipsis, clipping gotta get me brain in order now and Ellipsis of subj + verb, acronym 541 think of some good stuff lol 542 hehehehehehe cant wait Emotional expression, spelling were you doing live webcams in black Spelling 543 nighties 544 back i had a cig too Ellipsis of subj + verb 545 how did you guess, lol Clausal ellipsis, acronym 546 wb hun xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo Acronyms, clipping 547 ty twigs xoxoxo Acronyms 548 yw hun xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo Acronyms, clipping 549 Did you get my pic, Pink? Clipping 550 im having a gd sing song here lol Spelling, clipping 74 551 kool Alphabet usage yep.. a full glass with ice.. just wat i Clausal ellipsis, spelling 552 need 553 wat about mine? Spelling, clausal ellipsis 554 @ Twiggy Spelling 555 aww.. well i do have some JD Emotional expression, acronym 556 yucky Emotional expression 557 u cant have coke zero Spelling 558 lol AP wats it gonna be Acronyms, spelling 559 have ice with it? Ellipsis of subj + verb 560 I don't like JD, yuck Acronym, emotional expression 561 i luv it Spelling 75 562 I'm not a whiskey drinker Standard word order 76 563 its fantastic Subject, spelling
91 77 564 i am lol Ellipsis of predicate nominal, acronym it always make me laugh when a guy Grammar 565 logs in as "HotGuy" 566 lol AP Acronyms 567 prob he on fire lol Clipping, verbal ellipsis, acronym i do have some Carlsberg or budwiser or Spelling strongbow or black thorn.. or proper 568 farmhouse cider. 569 wat am i in the mood for Spelling 570 i mean burning fire lol Spelling, acronym 571 ill have a bbud Spelling 572 ooh ooh, cider ^_^ Emotional expression, smiley 78 573 see i have magners too.. i just dont like itNew root, verbal ellipsis, spelling 79 574 too sweet Ellipsis of subj + verb 575 minnng Emotional expression 576 ooooo next song lol Emotional expression, acronym all this talk of alkohol is makin me want Spelling 577 a cider, now 578 ewwwwwwwwwwwwww Emotional expression 579 ill drink anythin rite now Spelling 580 it easy sorry Verbal ellipsis naw dificultest Spelling, ellipsis of subj + verb, 80 581 suffixation- comparative adjective degree yep... anythin.. im gunna get soooo Spelling, emotional expression 582 drunk 2nite 583 good good... I mean, lucky you Emphasis 81 584 im gunna change my name too Spelling ya know wot i would join ya pink but i Spelling 82 585 get naughty 83 586 so i better not lol Verbal ellipsis, acronym 587 lol oh my god. the cure. Acronym, ellipsis of subj + verb careful hun people will be talking bout Verbal ellipsis, clipping, spelling, 588 us 2 soon lol acronym 589 wb hun :x Acronym, clipping, smiley, spelling 590 wb pink :x Acronym, smiley 591 ty xoxoxo Acronyms 592 That's what the gossip forum is for, lol Acronym 593 dunno wat happened there Ellipsis of the subject, spelling 594 yes indeed, so let them talk lol Clausal ellipsis, acronym 595 hahahahahaha Emotional expression 596 wb Pinky Acronym 597 ty AP ;x Acronyms, smiley 598 u got kicked off babes profanity lol Spelling, acronym 599 ohhhhh Emotional expression 600 brb Acronym 601 ok cho u want gossip for there ? Spelling, auxiliary ellipsis 602 Yeah, go for it Spelling 603 lets gossip then Spelling 604 whos first Spelling
92 605 erm... I'm not sure Emotional expression ok me n AP are in love we want mad Acronyms, spelling 606 passoinate sex together pmsllllllll 607 nope lol Spelling, acronym 608 yeah might aswell go ther lol Spelling, ellipsis of the subject, acronym 609 why u watching me Spelling, verbal ellipsis 610 Nah...I don't do rough. Emotional expression 611 i :x :x :x Spelling, smileys 84 612 ellow .... ivy ? Spelling thats enough gossip for the forum cho ? Spelling 613 lol 614 hi sis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Clipping, punctuation 615 is that u pink ?????????? Spelling, punctuation 616 AP mwahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Acronym, emotional expression 617 wb sis Acronym, clipping 618 Hello again Standard greeting 619 Sorry, distracted by MSN Ellipsis of subj + verb 620 how was the food sis ?? Clipping, punctuation 621 well scroll up cho lol Acronym Leaf, a coutionary mwahhh back but Spelling, emotional expression 622 who the hell are you Sweetie? 623 then tell me if thats enough gossip lol Spelling 624 im me Spelling they did bbq, twiggy... the meat was Clipping, compounding, word order good, just too bad their definition of bbq is lots of meat with bread, no veggies whatsoever... unless you count the 625 tomatoes in the cocktail sauce 626 awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww sis Emotional expression, clipping 627 yes but pinks not joining lol Clausal ellipsis, acronym 628 eeewwww Emotional expression not complain, twiggy... i'm actually Ellipsis of the subject happy they told me I could join in... 85 629 otherwise I would've had dinner alone 630 awwwwww well that was nice then sis Emotional expression, clipping 86 631 glad ya wasnt alone Ellipsis of subj + verb, spelling, grammar 632 yup yup me too Spelling 633 well cho theres a offer ya cant refuse lol Spelling, acronym 634 lol cho he is on nights till next tues lol Acronym, clipping 635 rofl Twiggy Acronym 636 anybody seen countryboy on here Auxiliary ellipsis 637 dont ya just love me to bits hahahahaha Spelling, emotional expression 638 hows u fay ? Spelling, grammar 639 me okay how bout u Ellipsis of subj + verb, spelling 640 HI Fay, welcome Ellipsis of subj + verb 641 yeah gd Spelling, clipping 642 hi every1 Spelling 643 I do indeed, and whats more is that if i.... Spelling
93 Site Name Everywhere Chat 644 so Clausal ellipsis 645 hee hee ^^ Emotional expression, smiley 646 they made a son bout it Spelling 647 yep, welcome back Spelling boooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!! Punctuation, emphasis, emotional 87 648 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! expression 649 this chat is very interestin.... Spelling 650 ewwwwwwwww Emphasis, emotional expression 651 u scared me junky Spelling 652 u said boooooooo Spelling, emotional expression, emphasis 653 so it made me fart PP Clipping 88 654 you guys gamers? Suffixation, verbal ellipsis 655 blubb Emotional expression hopefully you dont pay for long distance Spelling 656 calls 657 naw Clausal ellipsis, spelling 658 good for u Clausal ellipsis, spelling Man I wish this was a rom filled with Spelling, clipping 659 real ppl because that was one call i sure will Spelling, emotional expression 660 never answer hehehehe 661 hahaha rem Emotional expression 89 662 im gonna choke up the whole earth Capitalization, spelling 663 rockets out of here before it is my turn Verbal ellipsis 664 i'm an angel^^ Spelling, smiley 665 yes i am Ellipsis of predicate nominal 666 im a warlock Spelling 667 no, your not Spelling 668 =P Smiley getting bag of popcorn out this is going Ellipsis of subj + verb, run-on sentence, 669 to be funny punctuation 670 fine :-) Smiley 671 what did i do Spelling 672 KISS Acronym 673 xoxo Acronym 674 : =) Smiley 675 thanks, Keira xoxoxoxo lol XD Acronyms, smiley hhehe he'll be banned when he first Emotional expression 676 enters this room 677 : D Smiley 678 Gotta remember the 'Y'! Ellipsis of subj + verb, spelling wow he needs some love from a nice Emotional expression 679 lady to change his attitude 680 should spank urs Sentence fragment, spelling If you wanna be with me baby theres a Spelling, emotional expression 681 price to pay lalalalala
94 682 I am a genie in a bottle lalalala Emotional expression 683 MIA Acronym 684 dude Ellipsis of subj + verb 685 nmu? Acronym 90 686 bored Ellipsis of subj + verb 687 I am well and gday fu Acronym, spelling 91 688 how are u? Spelling 92 689 fine Ellipsis of subj + verb 690 JTOL Acronym 691 giggle Emotional expression 692 lol j/k j/k Acronyms 693 lol omg junky Acronyms everybody saying How are u? and later Verbal ellipsis, spelling, imperative 694 thanks im fine STOP MAN! emphasis (shouting) everybody is ok?yesssssssssssssss Declarative word order for a question, 695 emphasis i need more info on cyberdyne to Compounding 696 demolish it 697 Because u are rude Clausal ellipsis 698 it's a guest aaaaaaaaaaaaaah Emotional expression 699 few min ago Clausal ellipsis, spelling 700 Awww Emotional expression 701 Chayie :) Smiley 702 Bye Rimby LUSM Acronym 703 same ty ian Acronym 93 704 hugle u Suffixation, spelling 94 705 hungry...brb ima get me a tart Ellipsis of subj + verb, acronym, spelling ok file downloaded and waiting for Verbal ellipsis, spelling 706 suprice attack 95 707 Rusians! Yay! Emphasis, emotional expression, spelling 708 oh no this cyborg runs from rusians Spelling 709 anybody gunna party tonight? Verbal ellipsis, spelling 710 nah Spelling I don't know any Rusian, I just recognise Spelling 711 the writing. 712 are u Spelling 713 I am German Standard expression 96 714 u talking to me? Interrogatory sentence, verbal ellipsis 97 715 hell yea Clausal ellipsis they want to shut me down i will not let Punctuation 716 that happen 717 sends hitler to tech u a lesson Ellipsis of the subject, spelling 98 718 I like Russian subj + verb + direct obj 99 719 its cute. subj + verb + compl 720 You're spanis Keira Spelling Just what I need a good cold water keeps Spelling 721 me a wakeee... Sorry.. Trying to keep my sleepy eyes Grammar 722 opens.
95 100 723 Russians have bombs! Yay! Emotional expression 101 724 we have more Ellipsis of the object 102 725 I see subj + verb 726 but i am not Spanish :D Smiley 727 0;-) Smiley Hey, anyone interested in coming to a Verbal ellipsis yard sale today? We have a ton of stuff, 728 including lots of baby stuff! 729 Ohhhhh goodieeeeee... Emotional expression, suffixation 730 hitler was a little choir boy wida power Spelling 731 Bush and Putin friends :)) Verbal ellipsis, smiley 732 i think hitler wasa catholic altar boy… Spelling 733 fantastic here Ellipsis of subj + verb 734 why did i get kciked? Spelling 735 kicked Clausal ellipsis 736 I know 2G2BT Clausal ellipsis, acronym you didnt get kicked, your connection Spelling 737 broke 738 yup Spelling 103 739 i know subj + verb 104 740 it did subj + verb 741 I dont like you either Spelling 742 and don´t **** me. Spelling 743 enah Clausal ellipsis, spelling 744 good i dont even know u ***** Ellipsis of subj + verb, spelling 745 harleyrider take it private Imperative 746 stop doing that **** Imperative, spelling 747 fine i stop ap Clipping 748 he neve actually swears Spelling meanie Declarative statement, ellipsis of subj + 105 749 verb, suffixation both of you enough before both of you Run-on sentence, punctuation, ellipsis of 750 are silenced subj + verb 751 hi helen hugs Punctuation 752 hi only implies it Spelling 753 ok lets all kiss in here and makeout Compound 754 were yer ears burnin Spelling yes it does.... its ben goin alright...... and Spelling 755 i do hope the same to you also..... 106 756 i only swearswear when i get mad Emphasis, verbal reduplication My friend just sent me da link of dat Spelling, clipping, smiley 757 chat...wot kinda ppl r here? : D 758 techbically he has donee nothing wrong Spelling where have u been, and everything ok at Spelling, verbal ellipsis 759 u 760 hes at work Roses Spelling yep...... still here.lololol but sometimes Ellipsis of subj + verb, spelling, acronyms nowhere is nice.lolololol harder for the 761 law to find ya
96 107 762 wot r u looking for ???????!!!!!!!!!! Emphasis, spelling helen l told him the other night he Acronym, spelling 763 should get you some flowers lol 764 chaos i hate u Spelling 765 aww Emotional expression 108 766 he will buy me flowers subj + verb + indirect obj + direct obj 767 but im going again Clausal ellipsis, spelling 109 768 I love my bo$$ Alphabet usage 769 >.< Smiley harley shutup or you will be my primary Imperative sentence, compounding 770 target 771 ok bring it Ellipsis of the subject 772 ben behave yourself plz Imperative, clipping 110 773 here will be no targets in the lobby Subject 774 did that evil bot com back?!?!?!?!?! Punctuation 775 helan i am playing being a termator Spelling 776 a termator? Clausal ellipsis 777 is that likea terminator? Spelling 778 terminator Clausal ellipsis 779 some are short.... some long...... Verbal ellipsis 780 k Acronym 781 ok laters time to jet Spelling 782 poof Emotional expression 783 that was mstn Clipping 784 dang it ian! Emotional expression 785 HI and RAWR!! Emotional expression, emphasis 786 brb gotta check the bread baking Acronym, ellipsis of subj + verb, spelling i wanted no1 to talk so he would think Spelling 787 we wer alll gone Take a look at the LAW MAAAN Punctuation, emphasis, ellipsis, beating up the wrong guy! Oh maaan, capitalization wonder if he'll ever know....he's on the best selling shooooow! Is there liiiife on 111 788 Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaars...? 789 Woot, now I'm good Spelling 790 i h8 when my connection breaks Acronym 791 mine ^-^ Smiley 792 no the whole world hates u Spelling 793 those are on the other corners wilbur :-P Smiley if im Not on here tomorrow you know i Spelling, emphasis, acronym have Not survived my husbands 794 cooking LOL woo hoooooo ^Lainee you will be able Emotional expression to relax a lot then. And get used to the 795 taste of 'burnt' 796 lol 'bout room temperature, Kevster : ) Acronym, spelling, smiley 797 only 12 here Ellipsis of subj + verb 28 m looking for sweet WOMEN ANY Emphasis (shouting), clippings 798 AGE plz pvt now,thx
97 799 but sunny! Clausal ellipsis, ellipsis of subj + verb 800 CL you're weir for now reason Spelling 801 weird* Spelling 802 stupid typos Spelling, ellipsis of subject + verb they can go to a spanis rom or whatever Spelling 803 room they can speak I watched it Friday night.... and I Emphasis, spelling 804 soooooo thought of you Guest_1 805 what i didnt elbow Spelling, sentence fragment, conversion 806 its going to be tuff Spelling 112 807 So wait, ho typically wins in this? Spelling 113 808 me Clausal ellipsis no me because where you lot beat each Run-on sentence other up in your pointless fights i sit on the side lines and tip over the battered 809 survivor 810 Due to me being at full strength. Sentence fragment Its a winwin situation for me! No pain, Spelling 811 just gain! 812 "Calmd won you too" Spelling, acronym 813 watd i do? Spelling 814 is tired Ellipsis of the subject 815 hmm ok Emotional expression but your in one of those states im might Spelling 816 be assuming you could understan 817 silly me :-(*) smiley DONNA U WANNA GO PVT PRESS Spelling, emphasis (shouting), clipping 818 1111 819 L8er Acronym 114 820 I have 2 relogin Prefixation, spelling 821 umm Emotional expression oo ee oo ah ah ting tang walla walla bing Emotional expression 822 bang all i know is pix of ruined houses with 4 Run-on sentence , punctuation foot letters saying farm and home and 823 allstate sucks are hard to ignore 824 guy here for sum fun Verbal ellipsis, spelling awe you lucky Girl First Base!!!!!!!! Emotional expression, verbal ellipsis, 825 punctuation oh thats right i remember you telling me Spelling, emphasis, acronym that the other day Winz...... when i didnt 826 know i was talking to YOU lol 115 827 im watching a python swallowing a deer Spelling i love campin, just don't seem to have spelling 828 enough time for it nowadays 829 brb i need coffee too : ) Acronym, smiley the real beauty is that if theres no plug Spelling 830 for the hairdryer, theres rarely a mirror 831 so I don't give a toss.... lolol Acronym
98 832 does any1know him Spelling 833 woooo hoooooo Emotional expression 834 sup guys? Ellipsis of subj + verb, clipping SEE BASE AND A CUP OF TEA IN Ellipsis of the subject, emphasis 835 HER HAND. (shouting) yes women look good at camps with Spelling messy hair nomakeup and the fire 836 refection yup well he got his license last thursday Run-on sentence, punctuation, spelling had huge fight with the x just after lol so decided he didn't want to spend day 837 with him today 838 :-e Smiley 839 116 840 anybody interested in me? 20 n blond Verbal ellipsis, ellipsis of subj + verb plz no soliciting, this is not a dating or Imperative, clipping 841 pickup room. 842 heres a pic of lil me Clippings, spelling 843 pvt chat??????? Clipping, punctuation 117 844 I SAID NO Emphasis (shouting) 845 Amanda20 dont do that please Imperative, spelling 846 u make uself seem desperate Spelling 847 %*@:-) Smiley 118 848 VERY desperate Emphasis; ellipsis of subj + verb 119 849 coolth!!!!!!!! Suffixation, emphasis, punctuation 850 im desperate, but im not that despertate Spelling 851 desperate even Ellipsis of subj + verb 120 852 do the copypaste gurl Compounding, spelling 853 no i am really loking Spelling 854 loking for what Spelling 855 wheres diana today? Spelling 121 856 and that link def says "ebay" Clipping 122 857 he sories for behavior Conversion, spelling 858 im back Spelling 123 859 comeon Lea. Spelling 860 ty Acronym 861 Wb Leasie xoxo. Acronyms 862 Np Acronym 863 :-9 Smiley 864 brb again Acronym 865 i wouldnt know i didnt click on it Spelling 866 Oh! I have gotta see this! Spelling 124 867 i like that show subj + verb + direct obj 868 my fave Clipping, ellipsis of subj + verb 125 869 c%l Alphabet usage 870 what happen Grammar i saw the link said ebay so i checked it Acronym 871 out lol 872 hiiya Spelling, compounding
99 873 the epi is on youtube Clipping 874 how u doing Verbal ellipsis, spelling 875 Been better you? Ellipsis of subj + verb 876 cyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Emotional expression, emphasis, spelling 877 im alright Spelling, compounding 878 wb Lea :)) huggzzzzzzzz Acronym, smiley, spelling 879 ty Helen :))) hugssssssssssssssssssss Acronym, smiley, spelling 880 yup Spelling 881 Yeah thought so Ellipsis of the subject, spelling ready for a nap ,but wanted to chat a Ellipsis of sunj + verb 882 little while 883 im tired too Spelling 884 %') Smiley 885 these meds are kicking my butt Clipping 886 im tired...but theres no way im sleepin Spelling 887 awww seig left Emotional expression 888 kik Acronym 889 im goin to a party tonight Spelling 890 what pills u taking Verbal ellipsis, spelling 891 cymbalta, clonaxepam, and abilify Ellipsis of subj + verb 892 cus i like parties Clausal ellipsis, spelling 126 893 i hate parties subj + verb + direct obj 894 me too Clausal ellipsis 895 WHAT??? Emphasis, punctuation 896 no :( Clausal ellipsis, smiley 897 i like quiet :-i Smiley 898 same here Clausal ellipsis 899 me 2 but i also like parties Spelling 900 Quiet is bliss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Punctuation 901 to mutch work Spelling, ellipsis of subj + verb 902 i hear ya on that Spelling 6 hrs yearsterday slept 4 and back to Spelling, run-on, emoltional expression, 903 work lastnight uggggggggggg punctuation 904 i love bliss ian :)))))) Smiley 127 905 and the occasional blaring music Attributive adjunct, clausal ellipsis 906 omg dont say that Acronym, ellipsis of the subject, spelling 907 Now ya scared em real_man . Spelling 908 grinzzz Emotional expression 909 everybody seems yunger than me lately Spelling 910 realy?:) Spelling, smiley 128 911 where u live amber Euxiliary ellipsis 129 912 utah Clausal ellipsis 913 and u? Spelling 914 lancater pa Ellipsis of subj + verb, spelling 915 lancaster Ellipsis of subj + verb 916 anywer near salt lake city? Spelling 917 yep 30 min away Spelling 918 in layton Ellipsis of subj + verb
100 919 my dad lives in a suburb roundthere Spelling, compounding 130 920 toonice Spelling, compounding 921 i thinkso Spelling, compounding 922 great Ellipsis of subj + verb 923 uns a car shop for a freind Ellipsis of the subject, spelling i wanna leave n get away from my Spelling 131 924 family 132 925 me too Clausal ellipsis 926 i always dream of doin that Spelling i get free rentals and posibly lift tickets Spelling 927 to solitude 928 lol idk wer i wanna go Acronyms, clipping, spelling 929 hayup Compounding 930 hi hi ppl Clipping i work with a guy who says riding Spelling 931 harley's is therapudic 932 nice Ellipsis of subj + verb 933 wat do u think? Spelling 934 ME?????????????? Punctuation, emphasis 935 yep Spelling 936 i dont know Spelling 937 g’day everybody! Spelling 938 oh it's just yr name you dont ride 1? Spelling 939 nope i will soon hope? Spelling, word order 133 940 i want a ducati Attributive adjunct 941 cool Ellipsis of subj + verb 942 who here has ps2 online? Word order, acronym 943 I wanna a Skoda. Because I'm cool. Spelling 944 and a new camaro Clausal ellipsis 945 anyone?!!??!!?! Emphasis, sentence fragment heard about the officer desparate for Ellipsis of the subject, spelling 946 love in the desert i just got that in an e-mail from a friend Emotional expression 947 hahahaa 948 cuz' im cool Spelling 949 it cracked me up.. so i hadda share it.. Spelling 950 is there even such a thin Spelling 951 :((( dont no Smiley, spelling 952 it aint workin for me sor Spelling 953 yea Spelling 954 nd i know to much Spelling 955 u didnt kno? Spelling 956 i musta deleted something in the script Spelling 134 957 somthin is wrong w/ mine Spelling, acronym 958 turnin me of Spelling 959 am for the 1st time here Ellipsis of the subject 960 do u hav slim or fat version google Spelling 961 wont connect Ellipsis of the subject
101 962 I mean an acrual service Spelling 963 cool Ellipsis of subj + verb 964 slim Ellipsis of subj + verb 965 anyone here around my age?? Verbal ellipsis 966 ethernet cord? Elliptical question 967 my brother is Ellipsis of predicate nominal 135 968 do u hav 1? Spelling 136 969 yea Clausal ellipsis, spelling 970 and a modem Clausal ellipsis 971 k, but he's not on here Spelling 137 972 do u hav laptop Spelling 138 973 nope Spelling; clausal ellipsis 974 yep got that 2 Spelling 975 i can give him a kick subj + verb + indirect obj + direct obj 976 and u plugged it in to the yellow Clausal ellipsis 977 and on top say network Sentence fragment 978 i plugged it in righ Spelling 979 wth rem Clipping 139 980 theres something wrong w/ it tho Subject, spelling 981 no probelm Spelling, new root 982 connection goes Sentence fragment 983 do you have anxiety harley? Standard question order 984 and then the thing after that dont work Spelling 985 like, it saays Ellipsis of the subject, spelling 986 i think Clausal ellipsis 987 amber whats y age Spelling 988 m35 Spelling 989 n :-? Spelling, smiley 990 my chest Sentence fragment 991 you dont know harley? Spelling, word order 992 haev u ever been herE? Spelling 993 or somthin like that? Spelling, elliptical question tell me whens the last time that love Spelling 994 bought you clothes 995 gender guest? Elliptical question 996 am male Ellipsis of the subject 997 so if u want realy come i can send for u Spelling 998 who briing u here Spelling 999 female Ellipsis of subj + verb 1000 sometimes it does but then after that Sentence fragment 140 1001 then i dont noe ur problem Spelling 1002 theres something idk wat its called Acronym, spelling 141 1003 ady21 u made me clever subj + verb + obj + complement 1004 network error has occured? Word order 1005 is that wut is says? Spelling 1006 yea yea yea Spelling, emphasis 1007 yes that 1 Spelling 142 1008 do you have anxiety? Interrogatory sentence
102 that means u hav a horrible internet Attributive adjunct 143 1009 connection if it says that alot 1010 ah just muy brother in msn Verbal ellipsis, spelling 1011 married? Ellipsis of subj + verb 144 1012 yes. just had one year anniversary. you? Attributive adjunct, ellipsis of subj + verb 1013 just ill be next summer Spelling 1014 ya am in msn Spelling, ellipsis of the subject 1015 defend ur self Spelling 1016 with my littl brother Clausal ellipsis 1017 sorry, but what state is that?? Punctuation anyone messes with me and I'll kills you Run-on sentence, grammar, smiley 1018 XD i gess ur gonna have to google that ... lol Spelling, acronym, smiley 1019 :) 1020 cuz i dont kno wut ur problem is Spelling 1021 im gonna go take a shower cya Spelling 1022 i live in spain Standard order i called em and they told me to unplug Alphabet usage, spelling 145 1023 my cable....and my fone is cable 1024 thx and that's the way it is.... HUAH! Clipping, emotional expression/ emphasis ooooh. i c. how old is your brother?? Emotional expression, acronyms, 1025 punctuation so they made me sit on hold for anoth 20 Clippings 1026 min 1027 my little brot has16 Clipping 1028 I'm off, everyone! See you later ^^ Smiley 1029 :'( bye, Lea!!! Smiley, punctuation 1030 take care, every1! Spelling 1031 hehe Emotional expression 1032 oof Emotional expression 1033 yay Emotional expression 1034 i missed yous too Spelling 1035 amber ya of course Spelling 1036 as though he was my child Clausal ellipsis 1037 kik me plzzzzz Clipping, emphasis 1038 kiiiik meeee Emphasis 1039 as u wish Spelling 1040 im sure it;s infected Spelling 1041 ugh Emotional expression 1042 where u from Kirsche? Verbal ellipsis 1043 ^-^ Smiley Germany and u? Ellipsis of subj + verb, elliptical question, 1044 spelling 1045 usa Ellipsis of subj + verb 146 1046 I LOVE GOOGLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Emphatic exclamation, punctuation 1047 gmo Acronym (inverted) 1048 i love you 2 Spelling 1049 i love no body Spelling
103 1050 jejejejejejeejej Emotional expression 147 1051 how old re u? Spelling 1052 ho? Spelling 148 1053 youknowwho Compounding 1054 is a battle field Ellipsis of the subject 1055 ty ian Ellipsis of subj + verb, acronym 149 1056 ian howcome a u here? Compounding, spelling 1057 ok good night every body Spelling I am quite good, thanks. How about Adverbial adjunct 150 1058 you? 1059 im ok:-) Spelling, smiley 1060 mmmmmmm Emotional expression 151 1061 i lost 10 lbs lol Acronym 1062 yay Emotional expression 152 1063 i lost 45 when i went shopping lol Nominal ellipsis, acronym 1064 Well congrats Seig Clipping 1065 i lost my illusions ………………….. Punctuation 1066 wow Emotional expression 1067 counts this too? Word order i praktically kill myself tryin to get in Spelling 1068 shape 1069 200 push ups a day Ellipsis of subj + verb 1070 uhhhg Emotional expression 1071 good for u Ellipsis of subj + verb 1072 countless crunches and stuff Sentence fragment 1073 plz send me a pvt msg Clippings 1074 Bye bye allll Spelling, emphasis 1075 how interesting :-D Smiley 1076 xpxp Acronym 1077 i do dumbbless and bench lift Spelling i dont have any equipment so i do wat i Spelling 1078 can 1079 yay shes gone good Emotional expression 1080 go to pms Acronym 1081 ask openly before you p2p me Acronym 1082 k Spelling 1083 staaaaay Emphasis 1084 i will stay Standard order for uhhhhh Ellipsis of subj + verb, emotional 1085 expression how do you called thAT ROOM WITH Grammar, emphasis 1086 BANNERED 1087 2 minutes Clausal ellipsis 1088 ahhhhhhg Emotional expression 1089 jeje Emotional expression 1090 mwahahaha Emotional expression 1091 oof Emotional expression 1092 I'm from Spanish, I wanna get firends Spelling
104 here, I love twilight 1093 anyone free for chat??? Verbal ellipsis 1094 XD Smiley 153 1095 u r
105