Key Emoticon & Online Acronym's Translated: Your Guide to Understanding the Secret Language of M

Key Emoticon & Online Acronym's Translated: Your Guide to Understanding the Secret Language of Moder
by www.SixWise.com

When is the last time you got mail? These days, upon hearing these words most people immediately think e-mail, and chances are high that you got a new e-mail in the last day, if not within the last hour or several minutes. The Internet has so significantly changed the way we communicate that the modern generation may never get the pleasure of receiving a real, now old-fashioned, pen and paper letter.

But that doesn't seem to bother them. In fact, modern youth have developed an entirely new language of sorts, one that's reserved just for the Internet and, if you aren't familiar with it, looks like some sort of secret code.

Kids are using a new computer language full of emoticons and acronyms that, to most adults, looks like a secret code.

Who uses this new "secret" language? Primarily, it's today's youth, which is not surprising considering that, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, close to 76 percent of 14-17 year olds and 65.4 percent of 10-13 year olds use the Internet. Even nearly 40 percent of young kids aged 5-9 use it.

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Feeling a little ambitious? Try recreating this Web cow using your computer keyboard.

What are they doing online? If they're not surfing the Web or playing games, they're e-mailing, chatting and instant messaging their friends. In fact, 74 percent of online teens have used instant messaging (IM) programs (compared with 44 percent of online adults).

A survey of more than 800 children ages 10 to 17, conducted by the Mercury News in partnership with the Kaiser Family Foundation, even found that half of all kids use IM or a chat room at least once a week. And--here's a major sign of the times--one in four of these kids said they rely on chat, instant messaging or e-mail as their primary method of communicating with friends.

Have no Fear: Internet Language Decoded

If logging onto the Internet makes you feel like you're an outsider at some type of secret club, take heed. The following lines will get you up to speed on everything you need to know to look like the most computer-savvy kid on the block (LOL).

This new language is made up of two major components: Emoticons and acronyms. Let's start with emoticons, which is the words "emotion" and "icon" combined. Emoticons are used to convey gestures, feelings, voice inflection or other intonations that may otherwise go unnoticed over the Internet. Some, as you see in the dictionary of rather common ones below, are quite creative:

Common Emoticons Decoded
Frown: :-(	Tongue in cheek: :-J
Wink: ;-)	Puzzlement: :-k
Crying :(````	Abraham Lincoln: =):-)=
Mischievous grin: >:)	Punk: =:-)
Smirk or confused: :-/	Snake: =====:}
Sticking tongue out: :-P	Black eye: ?(
Laughing hard: :-D	Long-stemmed rose: @>--->---
Mad: >:-\	Atomic bomb: @==
Blowing a kiss: :-{}	Sunglasses on head: B:-)
What?!: :-s	Hats off to you: d :-o
Unsmiley: :-t	A salute: M:-)
Shouting: :-V	Yuck: 8-P
Kiss: :-X	Wow: 8-]
Criticism: :-[	Smile: : )
Sniffles: :-\'\|	Bored: : [
Pondering, impartial: :-I	Loudmouth: :( )
Wry smile: :-i

Want to learn more? Computer User's Online Dictionary has an extensive list of emoticons.

Now moving on to acronyms ... you may be familiar with BYOB and ASAP, but if BRB and LOL look like a foreign language, then keep reading--help is on the way!

Common (and Not-so-Common) Computer Acronyms
LOL: laughing out loud	GMTA: great minds think alike
ROTFL: rolling on the floor laughing	L8R: later
BFN: bye for now	LOLA: laugh out loud again
TTYL: talk to you later	LOOL: laughing outrageously loud
IMO: in my opinion	N1: nice one
IMHO: in my humble opinion	NM: never mind
IMNSHO: in my not so humble opinion	NP: no problem
IIRC: if I recall correctly	NRN: no reply necessary
IAC: in any case	NTK: nice to know
OTOH: on the other hand	SFETE: smiling from ear to ear
FWIW: for what it's worth	SMAIM: send me an instant message
HTH: hope that helps	SWALK: sealed with a loving kiss
AFAIK: as far as I know	TFDS: that's for darn sure
BRB: be right back	TTYL: talk to you later
FAWC: for anyone who cares	TWIMC: to whom it may concern
ICBW: I could be wrong	TYVM: thank you very much
IDK: I don't know	WAD: without a doubt
IGTP: I get the point	WBS: write back soon
IHNO: I have no opinion	YWIA: you're welcome in advance

BFN, HTH! ;-)

An example of a new type of art called ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange, or text file) emoticon art (this rose is by Normand Veilleux):

                    "M,        .mM"
                     IMIm    ,mIM"
                     ,MI:"IM,mIMm
          "IMmm,    ,IM::::IM::IM,          ,m"
             "IMMIMMIMm::IM:::::IM""==mm ,mIM"
    __      ,mIM::::::MIM:::::::IM::::mIMIM"
 ,mMIMIMIIMIMM::::::::mM::::::::IMIMIMIMMM"
IMM:::::::::IMM::::::M::::::::IIM:::::::MM,
 "IMM::::::::::MM:::M:::::::IM:::::::::::IM,
    "IMm::::::::IMMM:::::::IM:::::::::::::IM,
      "Mm:::::::::IM::::::MM::::::::::::::::IM,
       IM:::::::::IM::::::MM::::::::::::::::::IM,
        MM::::::::IM:::::::IM::::::::::::::::::IM
        "IM::::::::IM:::::::IM:::::::::::::::::IM;. 
         "IM::::::::MM::::::::IM::::::::::mmmIMMMMMMMm,.
           IM::::::::IM:::::::IM::::mIMIMM"""". .. "IMMMM
           "IM::::::::IM::::::mIMIMM"". . . . . .,mM"   "M
            IMm:::::::IM::::IIMM" . . . . . ..,mMM"
            "IMMIMIMMIMM::IMM" . . . ._.,mMMMMM"
             ,IM". . ."IMIM". . . .,mMMMMMMMM"  
           ,IM . . . .,IMM". . . ,mMMMMMMMMM"
          IM. . . .,mIIMM,. . ..mMMMMMMMMMM"
         ,M"..,mIMMIMMIMMIMmmmMMMMMMMMMMMM"
         IM.,IMI"""        ""IIMMMMMMMMMMM
        ;IMIM"                  ""IMMMMMMM
        ""                         "IMMMMM
                                     "IMMM  
                                      "IMM, 
                                       "IMM   
                                        "MM,
                                         IMM,              ______   __
                        ______           "IMM__        .mIMMIMMIMMIMMIMM,
                   .,mIMMIMMIMM, ,mIMM,   IMM"""     ,mIM". . . . "IM,..M,
                 ,IMMM' . . . "IMM.\ "M,  IMM      ,IM". . . .  / :;IM \ M,
               .mIM' . . .  / .:"IM.\ MM  "MM,    ,M". . .  / .;mIMIMIM,\ M
              ,IM'. . .  / . .:;,IMIMIMMM  IMM   ,M". .  / .:mIM"'   "IM,:M
             ,IM'. . . / . .:;,mIM"  `"IMM IMM   IM. .  / .mM"         "IMI
            ,IM . .  / . .:;,mIM"      "IMMMMM   MM,.  / ,mM            "M'
            IM'. .  / . .;,mIM"          "IIMMM ,IMIM,.,IM"              
            IM . . / . .,mIM"              IMMMMMMM' """
            `IM,.  / ;,mIM"                 IIMMM
             "IMI, /,mIM"                 __IMMM
               "IMMMM"                   """IMM
                 ""                         IMM
                                            IMM__
                                            IMM"""
                                            IMM
                                            IMM
                                          __IMM
                                         """IMM
                                            IMM
                                            IMM
                                            IMM__
                                            IMM"""
                                            IMM
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Recommended Reading

The Top Six Signs that Someone is Physically Attracted to You

Warning: Certain Smells May Make You a Dangerous Driver (Really!)

Sources

The Mercury News: Growing Up Wired

Going Online: Youth & the Internet

Wise Geek: What are Emoticons?

Computer Knowledge General Information Page

ASCII Art by by Normand Veilleux

ASCII Art