1,100 new English words added in 2018

Do we use our smartphones to call anyone anymore?      2019 - most of us TEXT or MESSAGE. (used as verbs)    We used to SMS but it has become more common to   tell someone to "text me" or "PM me"
This Blog will teach you a bit about how to have a smartphone conversation in abbreviated English! 

I text people all the time but waiting while those 3 little dots indicate my friend is still typing, drives me crazy! To 'drive someone crazy' = To greatly annoy or upset 

Whether you are just starting to speak English or ESL fluent, you are probably using some kind of messaging service on your phone to communicate with your family, friends, colleagues and maybe even your boss! The stats indicate that in 2018 the most popular messenger apps globally were #1: WhatsApp, #2: Facebook Messenger, #3: Viber, #4: WeChat, #5: Line, and #6: KakaoTalk. 

'Stats' = short for statistics, 'apps' = short for applications, 'come on board' = to have joined a group. 'PM me' = to private message me, asking the person to send you a Facebook message in a single private conversation and not as a post for all followers to see. Instagram uses the abbreviation: 'DM me' = Direct message me.

Whatever app you use, you will see English texts that are continuously abbreviated into a series of acronyms and emoticons or emojis. We'll discuss emoticons and emojis another day so for now, let's look at some of the most commonly used. As a teacher I have to stop and explain the difference between an acronym and an abbreviation.....an abbreviation is a shortened version of a word such as: info is an abbreviation of information, etc is an abbreviation of etcetera, memo = memorandum, decaf = a decaffeinated coffee, Dr = doctor and so on. Sometimes we call these shortened forms 'clippings'.

An acronym is a group of letters which represent the first letter of each word in a phrase. Example: ASAP = as soon as possible, LOL = laugh out loud, BFF = best friends forever, FYI = For your information and the list goes on into the thousands! Jpeg = joint photographic experts group ......I mean really!!! who wants to write that all out? LOL.

The English language is constantly adding new words to our already extensive vocabulary, new definitions given for existing words, and our abbreviated messaging has created a new way of communicating. OED (Oxford English Dictionary) states that 1,100 new words were added in 2018. (Word Counter Blog by Nickee De Leon Huld )

Do you remember when Google was only a company? Now it is a very popular English verb: "Google it"   According to search query data, these are some of the text / chat abbreviations that most often requested definitions: (Webopedia)

ROFL = rolling on the floor laughing

STFU = shut the "freak" up

LMK = let me know

ILY = I love you

YOLO = you only live once

SMH = shaking my head

LMFAO = laughing my "freaking" ass off

NVM = never mind

IKR = I know, right

OFC = of course

I often use XOXO at the end of a message to my family and close friends. X = a kiss and O = a hug. So we write XOXO which equals Kiss Hug Kiss Hug, however, when we express this feeling verbally, we say "Hugs and Kisses" Now if you are learning English, this messaging lingo adds a whole new challenge to your reading comprehension. 'Lingo' = a slang word for language

At The OLE Academy, I will help you practice the English you already know and regardless if you are trying to improve your English for school, work or social conversations, we will have meaningful and sometimes funny lessons that will quickly help. TTYS!

Here are some links for SMS, text, abbreviations and acronyms:

https://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/textmessageabbreviations.asp

https://preply.com/en/blog/2018/05/04/the-most-used-internet-abbreviations-for-texting-and-tweeting/

https://www.netlingo.com/acronyms.php