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| 1) What are chat acronyms? |
| Chat acronyms are combinations of letters and numbers that stand for certain words or phrases. For example, BTW means "by the way" and G2G means "Gotta go."
Using chat acronyms makes typing messages easier and more efficient since commonly used phrases can be abbreviated using only a few characters. With the amount of communication people do today using their computer keyboard, using acronyms can save a significant amount of typing, as well as time.
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| 2) Where can I use chat acronyms? |
Chat acronyms can be used within any of the following communication mediums:
- Online chat rooms (hence the name "chat acronyms")
- Online forums / bulletin boards
- Instant messaging
- MySpace
- Facebook
- Twitter
- E-mail messages
- Text messaging
- Handwritten notes
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| 3) When should I use chat acronyms? |
| Chat acronyms are best used with informal communication. Some examples include chatting online with a friend, text messaging, or e-mailing a friend or family member.
It is not recommended to use chat acronyms with formal communication, such as office e-mails or formal letters. This is for two reasons: 1) The recipient(s) may not understand what the acronyms mean, and 2) It makes your message less serious, possibly reducing your credibility.
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| 4) How am I supposed to remember all these acronyms? |
| Don't worry, you're not supposed to. It is basically impossible to learn all the acronyms used online, let alone memorize them. This is why each acronym in the Sharpened acronyms database has a popularity rating from 1 to 3.
An acronym with a rating of 3 is a commonly used chat acronym. These acronyms are the ones you may benefit from memorizing, since they are well-known and are used by a lot of people.
An acronym with a rating of 2 is used occasionally, but the average person will most likely not know what it means. It may often be possible to guess the meaning of these acronyms, but don't expect other people to automatically know what you mean if you use them. While it can be helpful to know some of these acronyms, memorizing them is probably not worth the effort.
An acronym with a rating of 1 is an uncommon acronym, rarely used online. These acronyms may be used within certain groups or between friends, but are highly unlikely to be understood by the average person. Therefore, it is best not to use these acronyms unless you are sure the message recipient knows what they mean.
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| 5) Does using chat acronyms reduce the quality of online grammar? |
| That's debatable. When chatting with friends, using good grammar is typically not important. Therefore, acronyms provide a way of typing messages more quickly and therefore communicating more efficiently.
OTOH, the use of acronyms can water down e-mail and online chat communication, which is often already grammatically deficient. When typing messages online, many people choose not to capitalize letters or use appropriate punctuation. Whether it is personal style or sheer laziness, the fact is this lack of effort can take away from the meaning of the message. Worse yet, it can develop poor communication habits that translate into other communication, both online and offline.
It is important to use chat acronyms in the right context (see question 3), and to use acronyms that other people understand. The acronyms listed on Sharpened.net are provided as a reference, not as suggestions. It is not a bad idea to use chat acronyms, but it is a good idea to use them discerningly.
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| 6) Shouldn't these be called "chat initialisms" instead of "chat acronyms?" |
| Technically, yes. This is because an acronym is technically a word formed out of the initials of other words. For example, "laser" is an acronym for "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation." Most of the acronyms in the Sharpened database are not actual words, like "laser." An initialism, on the other hand, is simply an abbreviation composed of initial letters.
However, the fact is most people understand acronyms to be the same as initialisms. Additionally, "acronym" is just easier to say. Therefore, acronyms have come to mean the same thing as initialisms. It's all part of the evolution of language. For example, there once was a time when "cool" only meant sort of cold, and "gay" only meant happy.
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