"ZOMG! Dis iz a new language" - The case of Lolspeak

““Dis iz a new language”: the Dis iz a new language”: the case of Lolspeakcase of Lolspeak

17/11/22 Ilaria Fiorentini - Free University of Bozen 1

LolcatsLolcats


• The word "Lolcat" is attested as early as June 2006, and the domain name "LOLcats.com" was registered on June 14, 2006. First recorded use of the term "lolcat" is from the anonymous imageboard 4chan [Wikipedia 2011]•The first image on icanhascheezburger.com was posted on January 11, 2007•Runner-up under the "Most Creative" category under the American Dialect Society Word of the Year Awards, losing out to 'Googlegänger'

A short history of LolcatsA short history of Lolcats

17/11/22 3Ilaria Fiorentini - Free University of Bozen

““Diz is a new language”Diz is a new language”“"Kitty pidgin" might be the closest thing we have to a name for this new language. (…) I'm confident that someday we'll have kitty pidgin dictionaries.” [Dash 2007]

“The text is often idiosyncratic and grammatically incorrect, and its use in this way is known as "lolspeak" or "kitty pidgin".” [Wikipedia 2011]

http://speaklolspeak.com


http://speaklolspeak.com/

Lolspeak as a second language: http://icanhascheezburger.com/2007/04/24/lol-kitteh-as-a-second-language-lksl-101-in-five-easy-steps

“What’s w/the freaky wierd spelling?????” “Izz lolspeek. lolspeek izz allaways opshunal tho.” (PSJ & WP, 13)


http://icanhascheezburger.com/2007/04/24/lol-kitteh-as-a-second-language-lksl-101-in-five-easy-steps/



Special Internet Language Special Internet Language Variety (SILV)Variety (SILV) “A highly playful, nonstandard variant of a standard language which has arisen in a sub-cultural online context that involves frequent in-group interaction, and which is characterized by a desire on the part of the participants to make their writing humorous, decorative, and/or obscure” [Herring 2012]

SILVs in English: Leet, Chanspeak, Lolspeak

Nonstandard orthography: abbreviations; phonetically‐motivated letter substitutions; spellings that imitate casual or dialectal pronunciations; eye dialect; spellings that represent prosody or nonlinguistic sounds [Herring 2012a]

17/11/22Ilaria Fiorentini - Free University of Bozen 6

I can has a corpuz?I can has a corpuz?

31 Lolz (06/12-23/12/2011)1,067 comments17,195 words209 cheezpeeps81 cheezpeeps made >1 comment


A ICHC profileA ICHC profile


Living in…Living in…


GenderGender


AgeAge39 out of 81 users give hints about their age in their personal description:

“I share the house with a husband and three kittehs”

“About me: 60's (and I remember the 60s too!)” “I hab a hubby, 2 boys age 21 and 14” “I'm in my mid 40's” “I have a husband + 2 grown daughters and one grandson so far”


Most of the ICHC users are >40 years old native English

speaker women

A A prototypicalprototypical comment comment

“Too ob mai kittehs sez teh kaytee-loeps bees mushMUSH bedderer, eeben dan teh cheezis! Ai allus gots att leest wun kitteh wut lubs teh kaytee-loeps. Yeers agon, ai haddid teh tuksee-kitteh cawl Robin. He lubbed teh kaytee-loeps sew mush, iph ai brottid intu teh hows ennefing wut lukkt eeben vayglee liek teh kaytee-loeps (mebbee graypfroots oar tournipps oar kabbij, enneefing rowndish) Robin wud bugg mii an bugg mii an BUGG MII awntil ai heldid it daown foar him tu ceeing dat it wuzzint wun :roll: . Iph it wuz wun, ai gottid noe peas awntil hii gottid hims shair nawt-sekkind.” (NW, 1)


In teh beginz iz teh... In teh beginz iz teh... verbverb

>240 Lolspeak verbs (types)About 1,440 occurences (tokens)Syntax, morphology (phonetics/orthography)

Most common verbs: tu bee (322), tu hab (130), tu fink (76), tu maik (44), tu kno (40), tu luk (36), tu lub (29)


Sum pikkyooleeuhreeteezSum pikkyooleeuhreeteezPhonetic spellings (as <aw>)Spreading of the -s of the third-person singular (even on negative and past tenses);

Double-marked past tenses;Special suffixes as -ify or –lol Verbal root reduplication Statements abbreviated into one single multi-syllabic word (“aifinkso”)


Tu beeTu bee


Tu beeTu beeIndicative - Present Indicative – Simple pastAi is/Ai iz Yu is/Yu am (It) iz We aer /Weer-They is/They aer

Ai wuz/Ai wozYu wuzIt wuz--They wer/They wuz


•“Iph it wuz wun, ai gottid noe peas awntil hii gottid hims shair nawt-sekkind” (NW, 1) •“Ai wuz hoapin u wuz otay!” (APL, 3)•“Yu iz moar hansum tahn menny a husban” (MAN, 3)•“Ai is in der twyse” (APL, 10)•“Weer heer tu halp” (MC, 11)•“Speshul congrats aer in awder fur dat” (AP, 12)•“Ai woz, howebber, wun ov fore teenayj gurls” (OM, 17)•“Dey wuz da real fing” (OK, 22)•“Send signlols if teh floof iz tuu mutsh” (PB, 24)

Ai is, yoo amAi is, yoo amSometimes, “am” is generalised instead of “is” (or other forms):

“Vampires am sutsh vein creetchers !!” (PB, 11)

“Dat am one adorablol bebbe kitteh!” (BCB, 15)

“Hope yoo am nyse” (PB, 18) “Hao am ebberywun?” (SK, 24) “Happy burfday to awl teh cheezpeeps hoo am a yeer oalder today.” (CB, 30)


Tu bee or not… tu hab?Tu bee or not… tu hab?


Tu bee or not… tu hab?Tu bee or not… tu hab?“Hazza grate dai frends!” (BF, 31)

BUT“Ai hazza wurried bowt ‘X n Y’!!” (MKP, 2)

“Ai haz a happee” (GK, 12) “Tehy haz a strawng enuff to count a act teh cyootness?” (GK, 12)

“Dey bof kame owt tu bii wunnermus adultz adn ai hazza prowd ob dem!” (MC, 17)

“Ai haz a grumpee, but nawt att yoo, kitteh.” (NM, 22)


A possible explanationA possible explanation Sort of grammatical reanalysis


U can has welcome/U can has a welcome

I has a happee

I can has cheezburger?

U can has a happee

Phonetic spellings: <aw>Phonetic spellings: <aw>Also typical of other varieties (e.g. Jamaican Creole: “she tawking”)

“Ai jus hadz a baff an hi nawt like mi smellin kleen” (MM, 1)

“Iyts gawwn bai-bai byut duzznt knoe iyt yeut” (ABT, 7)

“Haz enniwun tride wawking tu teh telly?” (PB, 10)

“Ai see ICHC am stawpping teh collektablols” (PB, 12)

“Foar dekrating round de wadderfawl fowntin wii byed cuppla wiiks ago.” (MC, 16)


Third-person singular (-s, Third-person singular (-s, -z)-z) Non-standard and vernacular varieties of English: “The -s form of the verb is used with plural, first person and second person subjects. The combination I says is particularly current: I says no, Andrea, you're not adopted. (AmE); Oh yeah. Whatever they want they gets. (BrE)” [Biber et al. 1999]

“Ai jus hadz a baff an hi nawt like mi smellin kleen” (MM, 1)

“Yoo not wants to know” (LM, 2) “Yu noes me tuu wel” (MKP, 10) “No, ai duzzint do enni finking butt(!) tihs fellow cleerly duzz” (PB, 15)

“Ai gits mai bag ob kwarterz nao adn awf wi goe tu de sails!” (MC, 16)

“Mai kittehz haz yoozd dis trick lotsa tiemz.” (GD, 22)

“Yu cants be a nan teak” (JD, 30)17/11/22 Ilaria Fiorentini - Free University

of Bozen 23

Double/triple-marked past Double/triple-marked past tensestenses Especially (but not only) on irregular verbs: “Iph ai brottid intu teh hows ennefing wut lukkt eeben vayglee liek teh kaytee-loeps” (NW, 1)

“Rue-eneded yur catmus dekaweashuns” (WK, 2) “Innusuntlee knokeded teh vaes orf teh shelv” (WK, 2)

“Tookeded teh ham fur maiselb” (WK, 2) “Nah – jus meens dat he iz lerning tu keep kwiet n do as him iz tolded!!” (MKP, 3)

“Dis water mocassin iz muchly betterer dan da wuns ai grewed up around” (OK, 22)

“Hubcat adn ai wented tu teh grossree store today” (CB, 31)

Sometimes irregular verbs are regularized: “wi kommed”, “eetid teh larst cheezburga”, “wen papa nawt-sekkund meeted mama”, “Ai fyndid”.


Special suffixesSpecial suffixes


Special suffixes: -ifySpecial suffixes: -ify To pownsify: “Kunsidur urself pownsifyed” (AP, 7) To killify/to killafy: “Iz yu trying tu killafy me” (MKP, 10)

To fixify: “De ai-fone berry nycelee fixified it” (MC, 11)

To slammify: “Mai older boi slammified teh door open wuns” (OCM, 17)

To checkify: “Ai allus chekkify ebbry paij” (GM, 19)

To insultify: “She dint wanna insultify himz” (AP, 27)

To distractify: “As soon as your aminal starts chewing ‘em, it’s time to take ‘em away & give kitteh a bawx to distractify dem.” (LUP, 29)

To meltify: “Teh sno haz awl meltified” (MM, 30) 17/11/22 Ilaria Fiorentini - Free University of Bozen 26

Special suffixes: -lolSpecial suffixes: -lolVerbs ending in –le and in -el: To gigglol: “*gigglols*” To sprinklol: “*sprinklols sum holee warder awl ober teh ebil wun*” (MKP, 2)

To tikklol: “Tikkloling PB izza gud fing” (MKP, 2)

To canclol: “Duz it canclol owt ?” (PB, 2) To cyclol: “PB cyclols off” (PB, 10) To snorglol: “Ai snorglols her floofy stripey belleh” (CH, 12)

To danglol: “Danglol sum CHEEZE” (PB, 16) Also an affix and a prefix in nouns and adverbs: “teh lolympik kommittee”; “teh lolidaiz”; “problolly”


Verbal roots reduplicationVerbal roots reduplication “Pakpakpak bak intu de puur borked hedbonz” (MC, 8)

“Taypetaypetaype de hedbonz tugevver wif pink dukky taype” (MC, 8)

“She purr purr purrs!” (CH, 12) “Dey lublublubs u foarebber” (MWB, 15) “Himz licklicklick wut he wantid to eat” (BL, 27)

Sometimes also nouns: “de hi pointee ob mai weekweekweek”; “too oar free daze ov sleepsleepsleep”


Multisyllable words: Multisyllable words: “Aifinkso”“Aifinkso”Lexicalization of “aifinkso” as an adverb

“Aifinkso it needz teh kitteh’s redecoratin serbices wifakwiknuss” (WRR, 10)

“Aifinkso Puss has gone blonde!” (CVS, 20) “Aifinkso mebbe itt fell behynde teh shelfs” (NM, 22)

“Um, GK, aifinkso you shud stikk tu teh sippin, nawt the slurpin.” (CB, 30)

“Aifinkso ur mai bee rite” (BF, 31)


Why do people type like Why do people type like this?this?SomeoneWhoCanSpell: “Jesus, do you people not have anything better to do with your lives?”

BF: “Do you not have anything better to do than harass folks who are just having some silly fun?”

AP: “Ai alwayz gets a laff wen sumwun cumz heer adn commints bowt hao wurfless it is tu cum heer adn commint. Or mayks fun ob us fur yoozin teh langwidj dat wuz inbented awn dis syte. Or pretendz tu be relijus by offendin teh relebint deeitee. Dis gye manijd awl free in wun sentenss!”


Why do people type like Why do people type like this?this? Manipulation of linguistic elements and components for creative ends [Gawne & Vaughan 2011]

High level of (meta)linguistic awareness Playfulness and creativity [Herring 2012a] Non-élite, non-exclusive: “Ha HA! I can haz lolsp33k two?” “Anywun kan haz lolspeek or nawt, it’s really up 2 u. We dun care wich u chooz” (NA&CH, 13)

Sort of challenge: they manipulate the language as far as it is still comprehensible, showing their linguistic skills (also in order to impress the audience)

Deviation is the rule: despite the constant variation, some regularities can be found


Fank yoo!Fank yoo!


Qweshuns?Qweshuns?


"ZOMG! Dis iz a new language" - The case of Lolspeak

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