Internet Slang/Abbreviations in Latin! Why not?

[Andrew Reinhard]

Most of us are aware of Internet slang and abbreviations used in chat, in online games, email, texting, and the like. LOL has become universal. Thousands of other words and phrases are out there ranging from LOL-speech ("I can haz...") to 1337 ("leet"). I would love to compile a dictionary of these terms with their Latin equivalents. LOL. IRL. OMW. WTF. You get the idea. Put your translations/transliterations in the comments field below and let's see what we can come up with!

[Laura Gibbs]

Euge! Great idea! Here are some of the Latin phrases I like that have the same "feel" maybe as those kinds of sayings - I'll just list a dozen here to start. Let's see what others suggest - I will shamelessly provide more, but I am also curious what sayings pop into other people's minds!

AAV: Ave atque vale.
CUV: Cura ut valeas.
DTA: Di te ament.
INC: Ista non curo.
MC: Mea culpa
MMC: Mea maxima culpa
MPD: Me pudet dicere.
MTE: Me tibi excuso.
MVE: Macte virtute esto.
SM: Sententia mea
SSE. Satisne sanus es?
UBD: Ut breviter dicam

[Michael Myer]

Hocne quod quaeres?

SHM (sententia humile mea) ~=~ IMHO
VR (valde ridens) ~=~ LOL

[Linda Fleming]

A few years ago I figured out 'thanks in advance' and used it a few times -- but now I've forgotten what I used for the 'in advance' part.
Linda F

[Michael Myer]

GF (gratias futuras) ~=~ TIA

[Laura Gibbs]

This is so much fun!!! If we are trying to "resonate" with the English versions, it could also be GFA, gratias futuras ago... GFA and TIA sound kind of alike. :-)

[Gil Gigliotti]

One of my HS Latin teachers long ago used to put on failing quizzes and tests the Vergilian abbreviation FDA...

facilis descensus Averno

;)

[Peter Sipes]

I've been using QNI to stand in for WTF, English or Latin. QNI is the abbreviation for QuidNam Inferorum?

[K. Christian McGuire]

Cool. With my students, I have often described the paleo-/ epi-graphic tradition of the pre-printing age in terms of text messaging. "I.X. -- Iesu Christus"
That being said we could probably start with the comprehensive abbreviations in the Cappelli. just found it online)
http://www.hist.msu.ru/Departments/Medieval/Cappelli/
Also, here is a link to various websites which have compiled inscriptions abbreviations
http://www.case.edu/artsci/clsc/asgle/newlinks/ref.html#site84

[Chris Ann Matteo]

My students regularly write captions for LOLcats (http://icanhascheezburger.com/). I think asking students to write in Latin early, and even writing incorrectly, improves their Latin in the long run. If it involves cute animals, humor and the freedom to experiment, the greater likelihood they will retain it. They also must use critical thinking to develop what they want to express in Latin. I usually revise them with the class as a group, so that we can all benefit from seeing different means of expression.

A lot of teachers, including English teachers, like to bemoan the degradation of language in texting, leet and lolz, but I think they are wrong. They are simply an evolution of the language with a particular use. If they stick, they stick; future archaeologists will be interpeting them as inscriptional evidence. Those cranky teachers should just get over it.