Teenspeak and group membership by Jo

HRT is used by speakers for a variety of reasons, and can help to regulate conversational interaction and politeness, showing that the speaker is being sensitive toward the listener, is looking for the listener’s reaction, or perhaps shows that they are checking the listener’s understood - all ways of ensuring solidarity amongst speakers.

how1 — 2014-08-21 23:34:05 UTC

Eeyore

2014-08-21 23:38:55 UTC

Using "like" in this way is also about signalling membership of a club, says English language specialist Professor Clive Upton, from the University of Leeds.

"If they [young people] do deploy the sort of language they're using on the streets in formal settings then it could well be a disadvantage to them but at other times it's quite clearly the way they get along, the way that they signal they belong in a group, the way that they fit in.

Using the discourse particle "like"

2014-08-21 23:40:10 UTC

as a hedging device to not seem too conceited and all-knowing, instead assists in making a declarative less harsh and definite, thus building rapport with the interlocutor and allowing the speaker to be accepted or more well received within groupz

hiptothehop

2014-08-21 23:40:42 UTC

Acronyms and Abbreaviations such as' WTF', 'STFU' and 'LOL' are ambiguous, and thus have a secondary function to exclude those who are non-speakers of this dialect, such as older or younger generation. Where some non-speakers think WTF means 'why the face,' STFU' stands for 'stuff you' and 'LOL' meaning 'lots of love.' Using the acronyms/abbreviations correctly promotes positive face and thus ensuring solidarity, maintaining group membership. As oppose to using the acronyms/abbreviations incorrectly by non-speakers appearing 'out of place' and not meeting positive face needs.

Many lexical items employed by younger speakers are employed only in the in-group and are not used by anyone else. These lexemes build a solidarity between users, and can also help to keep the group distinct, alienating others who do not understand the terms

how1 — 2014-08-21 23:43:22 UTC

Piglet

2014-08-21 23:50:51 UTC

It's about setting boundaries around groups, about using language. It's a niche-group marker that marks an 'in' group - Mulder

Bill Clinton

2014-08-21 23:52:42 UTC

Teen speak is dispicable

Part of the power of the linguistic features of young people lies in its creativity, its responsiveness, its flexibility. Many terms, phrases, and constructions are short lived, or appear seemingly from nowhere. Understanding what the latest features are, and knowing when they have passed out of fashion, is how users show their belonging to the group.

how1 — 2014-08-21 23:56:43 UTC

green fish

2014-08-21 23:59:58 UTC

Speakers of “teenspeak” adopt the covert linguistic norms of the social group in attempt to signpost their belonging to this age group. Lexical features employed by young adults are used to establish in-group solidarity as they are capable of excluding others who are unfamiliar with the terms and creating a similar conversation style. Acronyms, such as ROFL (rolling on the floor laughing), and initialisms like “TBH” (to be honest), BTW (by the way), can be used by speakers to communicate more efficiently, and more importantly, to create a commonality between other speakers of “teenspeak” and index their membership within the group.

Technological influence

2014-08-22 00:11:18 UTC

Examples: Friend/Unfriend, Follow/Unfollow

Slang originally created from the need to describe new recreational activities, including social networking.

It represents the speaker's desire to express their understanding of social media and modern technology and thus they are able to connect with other modern teenagers who share this appreciation.