munich 1860 Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Some abbreviations like lol or brb have become familiar even to people who don't have English as their first language. However other abbreviations like afaic or op, used frequently in this forum may be tricky to some of us foreigners. My idea is to have a sticky thread which helps us who don't speak English as their first language to understand more of these abbreviations or some English slang words not so popular abroad. This should be an open thread so everyone can give their contribution as soon as new expressions emerge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rb Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 I think urban dictionary / even typing it into google tends to solve this problem really. No need for 'another' sticky thread. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevicus Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 AFAIK: As far as I know. OP: Original Poster/Post IIRC: If I remember/recall correctly. Don't know if you were having difficulty with these or not. A dictionary wouldn't be needed however, if someone stumbles across an abbreviation they do not recognise, they'll just ask in the thread. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rinso Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 there was one on here not so long ago, not sure if its still floating around or not... as Rb says though, a quick search on google for "acronym dictionary" brings up a huge list... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IOMLS Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 afaik = as far as I know op = opening poster iirc = if I recall correctly (remember correctly) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale Gribble Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 imho = in my honest/humble opinion Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fonejacker Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 English is my first language, and I don't understand these abbreviations either. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brigadier Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 IIRC: If I remember/recall correctly. Ya know that in all my years on the internet for some reason i always thought that meant 'If In Real Circumstances'... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
munich 1860 Posted September 24, 2009 Author Share Posted September 24, 2009 AFAIK: As far as I know.OP: Original Poster/Post IIRC: If I remember/recall correctly. Don't know if you were having difficulty with these or not. A dictionary wouldn't be needed however, if someone stumbles across an abbreviation they do not recognise, they'll just ask in the thread. True, but then you will usually forget about it in some months and ask about that again and again.. and I can see that even English speaking people are having trobule with them However, I am not saying this is something crucial for the forum or for FM itself.. I was just trying to give a suggestion Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moaner Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Why cnt ppl just not abbreviate? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
viola29 Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Why cnt ppl just not abbreviate? Yh, its rly annoying IRL is used a lot on the forums - it means In Real Life. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crouchaldinho Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 I'm English and I struggle with them. I believe this is exactly what you are looking for, from the excellent Football Manager Wiki people. The one that always confused me in the past is 'ofc', which ofc means 'of course' (do you see what I did there?) However, before coming across the FM Wiki abbreviations and slang list, I used to presume that, as in most abbreviations, an individual letter represented a whole word. So, naturally, I assumed that 'ofc' meant 'of ****ing course' (use your imagination to fill in the stars kids!) To this day, I still read 'ofc' as meaning this rather more offensive and ruder version! :o Regards, C. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
grep Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 The funny side is that when you politely ask a Brittish to repeat a spoken sentence cause you didn't understand due to the fast speed of the pronounce, he will keep on repeating the same sentence, yes, but always with the exact same speed for 3-4 times.... ..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale Gribble Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 I'm English and I struggle with them. I believe this is exactly what you are looking for, from the excellent Football Manager Wiki people. The one that always confused me in the past is 'ofc', which ofc means 'of course' (do you see what I did there?) However, before coming across the FM Wiki abbreviations and slang list, I used to presume that, as in most abbreviations, an individual letter represented a whole word. So, naturally, I assumed that 'ofc' meant 'of ****ing course' (use your imagination to fill in the stars kids!) To this day, I still read 'ofc' as meaning this rather more offensive and ruder version! :o Regards, C. I always thought that too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crouchaldinho Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 I always thought that too. I'm glad I'm not the only one! C. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaCeR Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Wiki is missing one important abbreviation, which is WHS... AFAIK it is for "wobbily hedgehog syndrome", but it might as well be for "What he said"... go figure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenArsenal Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 IMHO we should try to keep abbreviations to a minimum, for the exact reasons the OP has stated. (The irony is deliberate) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
arsenal_2111 Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Wiki is missing one important abbreviation, which is WHS...AFAIK it is for "wobbily hedgehog syndrome", but it might as well be for "What he said"... go figure. Thanks for pointing that out, I've added it now Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenco Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Most are generally acceptable to me, but the one I cannot stand is LOL. Anyone who texts/e-mails/replies to my forum posts with this automatically goes on my blacklist!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
arsenal_2111 Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Got to admit, lol is an enemy of mine too. I mean, people seem to use it whenever they decide the have the mental age of a 7 year old chimp and can't think of anything else to say. I went to the park lol Did you really laugh at that?! DID YOU REALLY? Stupid word Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leezoid Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 I hate lol, do we really sit here laughing out loud to ourselves, I sure hope not. lol! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahmufcwafc Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 The one that always confused me in the past is 'ofc', which ofc means 'of course' (do you see what I did there?)However, before coming across the FM Wiki abbreviations and slang list, I used to presume that, as in most abbreviations, an individual letter represented a whole word. So, naturally, I assumed that 'ofc' meant 'of ****ing course' (use your imagination to fill in the stars kids!) To this day, I still read 'ofc' as meaning this rather more offensive and ruder version! :o To make things more confusing, it can actually mean either or http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ofc Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
arsenal_2111 Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 That link suggests it actually stands for 'OLD FART CAR'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahmufcwafc Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 As a general rule, I wouldn't look further down the page on urban dictionary as there's a good chance it'll be utter crap (...the list is sorted from the thumbs up/thumbs down ratio in case you didn't notice) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crouchaldinho Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 To make things more confusing, it can actually mean either or http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ofc That link suggests it actually stands for 'OLD FART CAR'. :confused: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arsenal_Fan_1986 Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 I'm English, and when I was younger I used all this short text stuff but now despite being only 23 being out of practise using it, I don't know what they mean. If a thread contains too many of them I lose interest and close the thread and move on to the next topic. Text speak and Abbreviations are banned on some forums and I think this should be the same or at least only have so many allowed. I think OP is acceptable on a forum as it is going to be used countless times, but AFAIK was something I only learned the meaning of today reading this thread. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
arsenal_2111 Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Text speak is banned on the forums, rightly so. I used to use it, about 3 years ago, but my spelling went from incredible to terrible, so I stopped using it and I've never got back up to the level I was previously at But, for me, abbreviations have become second nature and I seem to type them and read them automatically now, without even having to think about what they mean. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmobande Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 im good at english and i still use slang in msn and forums just because people use slang that dosent mean that they are not good in english Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenArsenal Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 I try my very best to type and write in full. It's what I've been trained to do since young (the days of no handphones and Internet), and it's also what I do as a living. Even in text messages I write in full mostly, and sometimes it ends up as two messages. Better that than the other party not understanding what I'm saying. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmobande Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 yes it depends who you are talking to though some people dont know computer slang some people do so if i am talking to somone who knows msn slang on a chat room then i will use slang abit but if he dosent i will use english Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
baker.simon Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Most are generally acceptable to me, but the one I cannot stand is LOL. Anyone who texts/e-mails/replies to my forum posts with this automatically goes on my blacklist!! LOL im good at english and i still use slang in msn and forums just because people use slang that dosent mean that they are not good in english Good at English? Is puncuation not a part of the English language anymore then? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmobande Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 baker simon mate if you give me a test and told me to write a story with my best puncuation abilites then i will but if i was writing in a forum or chat room i just write it without care i dont care about showing off my puncuation if i write and people understand then thats ok for me Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
baker.simon Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 baker simonmate if you give me a test and told me to write a story with my best puncuation abilites then i will but if i was writing in a forum or chat room i just write it without care i dont care about showing off my puncuation if i write and people understand then thats ok for me I wasn't digging. I meant that without puncuation things can take longer to read and digest, even for people who speak English as a first language. Now imagine how it is for people who dont use English as their first choice. Puncuation not only tells people when to stop and take a pause, you can also use it to make certain word and phrases stand out making the whole sentance easier to read. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenco Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 LOL You're on the list! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 baker simonmate if you give me a test and told me to write a story with my best puncuation abilites then i will but if i was writing in a forum or chat room i just write it without care i dont care about showing off my puncuation if i write and people understand then thats ok for me People don't understand you though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
demodave Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Im english and I dont understand half of these abbreviations i.e i didn't know what IIRC was till i read this thread, but what i need or want to know i use google for simples Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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