Comments on: The academic linguistics of LOLspeak http://boingboing.net/2011/12/09/the-academic-linguistics-of-lo.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Sun, 26 May 2013 01:40:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: VeronicaGrow http://boingboing.net/2011/12/09/the-academic-linguistics-of-lo.html#comment-1293409 VeronicaGrow Sun, 11 Dec 2011 11:56:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=133633#comment-1293409 oh how silly, what cat speaks LOL? Don't you know that cats only speak french! oh how silly, what cat speaks LOL? Don’t you know that cats only speak french!

]]> By: ignatz99 http://boingboing.net/2011/12/09/the-academic-linguistics-of-lo.html#comment-1293348 ignatz99 Sun, 11 Dec 2011 07:30:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=133633#comment-1293348 It's really a cool talk, but one that on its face seems a bit lite on citation and research. For example, after only about 5 minutes in I noted: 'l33t' (cited ~4min in): It probably should have been mentioned this term specifically (and really the netspeak practice of substituting numeric for alpha characters and orthographic substitutions in general) originated squarely within the hacker/phreaker/pirate/BBS culture and is IMO still more indexical of that, than of the gaming or 'chat' space. As an instance of the sort of cultural (word)play the author is interested in, the argot of hacker/phreaker world is the granddaddy of LOLspeak, not just a parallel instance of the same sort of thing, so it'd be cool if she historicized her examples a tad better.. 'Huizinger' (~6min in): I think she refers to Johann Huizinga & his classic work Homo Ludens. Probably just a typo, but..  still in the end these are minor considerations! It’s really a cool talk, but one that on its face seems a bit lite on citation and research. For example, after only about 5 minutes in I noted:

‘l33t’ (cited ~4min in): It probably should have been mentioned this term specifically (and really the netspeak practice of substituting numeric for alpha characters and orthographic substitutions in general) originated squarely within the hacker/phreaker/pirate/BBS culture and is IMO still more indexical of that, than of the gaming or ‘chat’ space. As an instance of the sort of cultural (word)play the author is interested in, the argot of hacker/phreaker world is the granddaddy of LOLspeak, not just a parallel instance of the same sort of thing, so it’d be cool if she historicized her examples a tad better..

‘Huizinger’ (~6min in): I think she refers to Johann Huizinga & his classic work Homo Ludens. Probably just a typo, but.. 

still in the end these are minor considerations!

]]> By: That_Anonymous_Coward http://boingboing.net/2011/12/09/the-academic-linguistics-of-lo.html#comment-1292646 That_Anonymous_Coward Sat, 10 Dec 2011 09:44:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=133633#comment-1292646 As a representative of Basement Cat LLC, we demand equal coverage. As a representative of Basement Cat LLC, we demand equal coverage.

]]> By: akb http://boingboing.net/2011/12/09/the-academic-linguistics-of-lo.html#comment-1292641 akb Sat, 10 Dec 2011 09:32:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=133633#comment-1292641 They're certainly following conventions that it would be interesting to hear analysed in the same way.  "If you watch the video you get to hear me put on my best academic lecturer voice!" They’re certainly following conventions that it would be interesting to hear analysed in the same way.  “If you watch the video you get to hear me put on my best academic lecturer voice!”

]]> By: Kimmo http://boingboing.net/2011/12/09/the-academic-linguistics-of-lo.html#comment-1292459 Kimmo Sat, 10 Dec 2011 02:04:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=133633#comment-1292459 Maybe you should watch some of the vid (I started to find it a bit dull with academic jargon and detail about 2/3 in). It's actually a surprisingly interesting use of language; the fact that you can do it wrong means it's not just an execise in ananity. Maybe you should watch some of the vid (I started to find it a bit dull with academic jargon and detail about 2/3 in).

It’s actually a surprisingly interesting use of language; the fact that you can do it wrong means it’s not just an execise in ananity.

]]> By: Nathan Hornby http://boingboing.net/2011/12/09/the-academic-linguistics-of-lo.html#comment-1292422 Nathan Hornby Sat, 10 Dec 2011 01:13:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=133633#comment-1292422 I used to want to kill myself when I glanced at the comments on icanhascheeseburger. I kind of find the whole thing a bit… pathetic? I mean it's funny in the pictures, for sure; but taking it beyond that is a bit (to quote Alan Partridge) 'sa-a-aaaa-ad'. I think a psychological or sociological study is in order, more than linguistic. I used to want to kill myself when I glanced at the comments on icanhascheeseburger.

I kind of find the whole thing a bit… pathetic?

I mean it’s funny in the pictures, for sure; but taking it beyond that is a bit (to quote Alan Partridge) ‘sa-a-aaaa-ad’.

I think a psychological or sociological study is in order, more than linguistic.

]]> By: Gemma http://boingboing.net/2011/12/09/the-academic-linguistics-of-lo.html#comment-1292385 Gemma Sat, 10 Dec 2011 00:07:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=133633#comment-1292385 It's spelt "Oh Hai" in the LOLcat Bible (as per Amazon preview of first pages), which is what the video is mostly quoting. I suggest you edit the wiki. It’s spelt “Oh Hai” in the LOLcat Bible (as per Amazon preview of first pages), which is what the video is mostly quoting. I suggest you edit the wiki.

]]> By: Robert Baruch http://boingboing.net/2011/12/09/the-academic-linguistics-of-lo.html#comment-1292185 Robert Baruch Fri, 09 Dec 2011 21:35:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=133633#comment-1292185 You're conflating cat-identity with Internet-savvy-identity. As a meme-savvy Internet user, YOU know where all the phrases come from. But as a cat, Ceiling Cat is God, and FURST!!!1 is used when you are overexcited. Kthxbai. You’re conflating cat-identity with Internet-savvy-identity. As a meme-savvy Internet user, YOU know where all the phrases come from. But as a cat, Ceiling Cat is God, and FURST!!!1 is used when you are overexcited. Kthxbai.

]]> By: GregS http://boingboing.net/2011/12/09/the-academic-linguistics-of-lo.html#comment-1292051 GregS Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:07:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=133633#comment-1292051 I, 4 WAN, WELCOM R NEW LOLCAT-SPEAKIN OVERLORDZ I, 4 WAN, WELCOM R NEW LOLCAT-SPEAKIN OVERLORDZ

]]> By: Petzl http://boingboing.net/2011/12/09/the-academic-linguistics-of-lo.html#comment-1292020 Petzl Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:46:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=133633#comment-1292020 What I think is funny is, these ppl are studying lolcats at teh graduate level and they're missing and/or getting stuff wrong.  eg, Ceiling Cat is first and foremost an explicit reference to that meme of the photo of a cat looking down through a ceiling trapdoor; FURST!!!1 isn't the "overexcitability" of the lolcat, but that of a videogame 1337-speaker glommed into lolspeak. I could go on, but my cheezburger is getting cold. What I think is funny is, these ppl are studying lolcats at teh graduate level and they’re missing and/or getting stuff wrong.  eg, Ceiling Cat is first and foremost an explicit reference to that meme of the photo of a cat looking down through a ceiling trapdoor; FURST!!!1 isn’t the “overexcitability” of the lolcat, but that of a videogame 1337-speaker glommed into lolspeak. I could go on, but my cheezburger is getting cold.

]]> By: Petzl http://boingboing.net/2011/12/09/the-academic-linguistics-of-lo.html#comment-1292007 Petzl Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:37:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=133633#comment-1292007  Doctorate: WANT.  Aktually study hard subject is hard: DO NOT WANT. Solushun: LcD.  Doctorate: WANT.  Aktually study hard subject is hard: DO NOT WANT. Solushun: LcD.

]]> By: EH http://boingboing.net/2011/12/09/the-academic-linguistics-of-lo.html#comment-1292000 EH Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:31:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=133633#comment-1292000 I think they misspelled "applied." I think they misspelled “applied.”

]]> By: EH http://boingboing.net/2011/12/09/the-academic-linguistics-of-lo.html#comment-1291998 EH Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:30:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=133633#comment-1291998 They are noise-reduction artifacts, probably introduced to get rid of the hum, by someone's child or friend who offered to encode the video for free (note also compression artifacts in the video itself). They are noise-reduction artifacts, probably introduced to get rid of the hum, by someone’s child or friend who offered to encode the video for free (note also compression artifacts in the video itself).

]]> By: kbmcg http://boingboing.net/2011/12/09/the-academic-linguistics-of-lo.html#comment-1291971 kbmcg Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:09:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=133633#comment-1291971 As a linguistic anthropologist, I'm curious why you called this "academic linguistics."  Would you call research by a physicist "academic physics"? As a linguistic anthropologist, I’m curious why you called this “academic linguistics.”  Would you call research by a physicist “academic physics”?

]]> By: Patrick Byrne http://boingboing.net/2011/12/09/the-academic-linguistics-of-lo.html#comment-1291924 Patrick Byrne Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:42:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=133633#comment-1291924 Not sure if speakers are trolling their convention... Not sure if speakers are trolling their convention…

]]> By: boo http://boingboing.net/2011/12/09/the-academic-linguistics-of-lo.html#comment-1291908 boo Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:35:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=133633#comment-1291908 Kitty has become bored. Haz a mouse now?! Kitty has become bored. Haz a mouse now?!

]]> By: PhosPhorious http://boingboing.net/2011/12/09/the-academic-linguistics-of-lo.html#comment-1291891 PhosPhorious Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:22:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=133633#comment-1291891 "From everything we can gather, this is how cats speak at all times, and not just in contact with humans." That made me spit out my tea. “From everything we can gather, this is how cats speak at all times, and not just in contact with humans.”

That made me spit out my tea.

]]> By: MB44 http://boingboing.net/2011/12/09/the-academic-linguistics-of-lo.html#comment-1291862 MB44 Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:07:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=133633#comment-1291862 We can haz overanaliizashun? We can haz overanaliizashun?

]]> By: kartwaffles http://boingboing.net/2011/12/09/the-academic-linguistics-of-lo.html#comment-1291848 kartwaffles Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:57:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=133633#comment-1291848 One nit from the vimeo thumbnail: it's "O HAI", not "Oh Hai". One nit from the vimeo thumbnail: it’s “O HAI”, not “Oh Hai”.

]]> By: donncha-m http://boingboing.net/2011/12/09/the-academic-linguistics-of-lo.html#comment-1291843 donncha-m Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:52:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=133633#comment-1291843 That warbly background sound is due to a hiss/hum-removal program the audio must've been passed through. Yes, that digital whispering does sound worse than the original hum surely did. No, I don't understand it either. That warbly background sound is due to a hiss/hum-removal program the audio must’ve been passed through.

Yes, that digital whispering does sound worse than the original hum surely did.

No, I don’t understand it either.

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