LOLing Responsibly

Sharing a not-so-very-old uncut version of an item I had drafted as part of contributing to an old (again, not-so-very-old) internal employee newsletter at work... 




There was an era when I used to remain AFAP from slang words and SMH vehemently every time I came F2F with informal slangs, even in text messages sent across by friends; until one fine day the information superhighway YOLO’d me and I started taking note of ‘slangs’ AAMOI!
I am no more a hater of this relaxed hypermodern lingo when it comes to casual contexts like replying to a friend’s comment on SM, impishly irritating my perfectionist father or responding to personal emails from familiar contacts.

 Corporate jargons and slangs are not uncommon at our workplaces too. We often speak about ‘crunching the numbers’ or ‘testing the waters’. However the scene becomes inapt when text shorthand and chat acronyms make their way into business communications lending an unprofessional or even an offensive tone to the interaction in some cases. When it comes to client meetings, business discussions or official e-mails, it is best to stick to a professional tone, avoiding jargons and slangs if we intend to create winning and lasting relations in our business....or in short, if we wish to be in business!

 Slang has virtually become second nature to young and old net surfers alike, who never miss out on any opportunity to ROTFL AMAP. Ironically with LOL and its proven effects of inducing a virtual sense of well-being in people these days, there has been a sharp drop in the number of humans with the offline capability to actually laugh credibly and audibly in the real world.

 In spite of the frequent slang-attacks that hold me hostage once in a while, the ghosts of bygone real-life loud laughter do haunt me now and then. ‘Slanguage’ still makes my heart grieve sometimes for the lost grace of a dying/dead race of orators and writers, who once used to warmly dot their i’s and cross their t’s come what may, reveling in the beauty and wholeness of expression and communication.

 Sigh... gtg at the moment..,b4n... ttyl ;) tc.., Amo.

 A Glossary of Slangs used in this write-up: for 'dummies' of course.

 YOLO - You only live once
AFAP - As far as possible
SMH - Shake my head
F2F - Face to face
AAMOI - As a matter of interest
SM - Social Media
ROTFL - Roll/Rolling on the floor laughing
AMAP - As much as possible
LOL - Laughing/Laugh out loud
GTG - Got to go
B4N - Bye for now
TTYL - Talk to you later
TC - Take care

Important Note: Chat acronyms/Slang expansions may vary among people and cultures. The above view on Slangism is purely subjective...


Pic Courtesy: Google Images

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