as a non-native i use tho to rebel against english orthography a bit, and because its faster – just like i side with the belgians and say septant instead of soixante-dix; or as i side with the saxons finding drei-viertel-zehn more convincing.
non standard lingo ftw! :)
I rarely say this, not the Saxons are right!
I often use tho and other abbreviations as a way to show tone and personality in text. So like, if I’m being very casual and lighthearted I’m more likely to use tho, but if it’s a more serious conversation or I’m typing out proper thoughts then it’ll probably be though. For me it’s similar to how if you put a period at the end of your text then it’s kinda passive aggressive, but using periods just in the rest of the text as normal punctuation is fine
Bougie_Birdie@piefed.blahaj.zone 5 weeks ago
I thought spelling ‘through’ was tough enough though
To a non-native reader (and maybe a few natives) that sentence is insane. It makes more sense as “I thot spelling ‘thru’ was tuff enuff tho,” although I admit I don’t like that very much either.
Aside, if something gets abbreviated a certain way enough times, it might become the word. Like when you want to get dinner at the drive-thru. Also, nobody wants pornography anymore, we’re all into porn now.
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Not exactly what you’re asking, but I have a peeve about acronyms. I suppose acronyms are a kind of abbreviation for common phrases, but often people assume you know the same acronyms as them and start throwing them out like some kind of word salad.
It’s not very hard to make sure everyone is on the same page with whatever TLA (Three-Letter Acronym) you want to use. See how easy that was? Now when I want to talk about my issue with rampant abuse of TLAs, you have an idea what I’m talking about.
You see this problem a lot in academia, software, and honestly probably any industry or hobby space. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s totally fine to use TLAs, brevity is useful in reading and writing. But sometimes those acronyms overlap with other acronyms and add to the confusion. Searching for shows with the BBC might get you the British Broadcasting Company - or pornography. Or if you’re looking for an Automated Teller Machine near you - and get porn again instead. Gosh, is there anything porn can’t do?
Some acronyms are so ubiquitous that it feels silly to define them. Like everyone knows what LOL means, right? Well, unless you’re talking about League of Legends. Or you’re my grandmother who never learned it means “Laugh Out Loud” and signs all of her letters LOL because she thinks it means “Lots Of Love”
Yaky@slrpnk.net 5 weeks ago
Just to add to the fun confusing acronyms, in 3D printing circles, IPA is isopropyl alcohol, not beer (india pale ale)
Bougie_Birdie@piefed.blahaj.zone 5 weeks ago
IPA is also the International Phonetic Alphabet.
I’m all for recycling, but sometimes it feels like it never ends.