Say What? Chat and Text Decoded

As parents, we try our best to stay on top of what’s going on in our teen’s lives. We attend parent teacher conferences, cheer our hearts out at a rain drenched soccer tournament, and chauffer them to the mall and back on what seems like a daily basis. But most importantly, we communicate.

 Or, at least, we try to.

 Because communication can get quite tricky when there’s a language barrier involved. And leave no doubt about it- they now have a lingo all their own. One that consists of so many acronyms and abbreviations that it ceases to look like speaking at all. But if you want to know what they’re really saying on MySpace- or just how to decipher that text you just received- then it’s time to brush up on your “teen speak”.

 Now, you may be wondering what happened to the nice child that used to live in your house. You know, the one that spoke in a way that you actually understood? The truth is, they’re still there. (Perhaps buried underneath a thick layer of mascara and lip gloss, but there none the less) So, here’s the low down on understanding the world of the modern teenager.

 

Some of the most common Acronyms and Abbreviations
LOL	Laughing out loud
LMAO	Laughing my a** off
ROFL	Rolling on the floor laughing
Addy	Address (can also mean email address or screen name)
BRB	be right back
ASL or A/S/L	Age Sex Location (mostly used in chat rooms)
TTYL	talk to you later
BF or B/F	Boyfriend
BFF	best friends forever
GF or g/f	girlfriend
BTW	By the way
Sexting	sending sexy pictures via text message
420	marijuana

 

Some to watch out for!
AITR	Adult in the room
9	Parent watching
CD9	Code 9 (parents are around)
KPC	Keeping parents clueless
PLOS	Parents looking over shoulder

 

So there you have it, the basics of text language. Of course, every school, town, and clique has their own variations on these abbreviations, and acronyms that are unique to them. So don’t be afraid to ask questions. And remember: groovy, radical, tubular, peace out, and the most all used to sound like a foreign tongue to your parents. So try to stay patient, and remember to LOL whenever possible.

For an exhaustive list, try Webopedia’s Text Messaging Abbreviations or netlingo’s TXT MSG section.