BTDubs, a San Diego caller notices that more of her co-workers are talking in text, saying things like “BRB” instead of “Be right back” or “JK” instead of “Just kidding!” Is it a passing fad, or a new way of speaking? This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Talking in Text”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hi, my name is Sarah, and I’m calling from San Diego.
Well, hi, Sarah.
Hello, Sarah.
Hi, I was just wondering how you guys felt when people talk in text. It’s becoming more popular, like with my coworkers and my sister. She does it a lot, and it kind of gets under my skin when she does it because she could just say the words. But I’m just wondering how you guys felt about that.
Talking in text. You’re saying taking the acronyms that you use, say, on the telephone or in instant messaging and speaking them aloud as if they were words on their own, right?
Yeah, like my coworker that I work next to a lot, she got up and walked away, and as she left, she said BRB, which would be right back, instead of just saying the words.
Well, when I worked in the restaurant business, the BRB was a big roast beef, but never mind. So that’s what I think of when people say that.
Yeah.
Mmm, roast beef. How old is your sister?
My sister is about 28, I think.
28? And your coworkers, they fall in that range too?
They’re in their 20s, yeah.
In their 20s. And do they do this with like a laugh or a grin? Is it kind of whimsical or sarcastic or ironic or anything like that?
No, not really. She just kind of said it and dashed off. And so came back and just continued, we continued our conversation.
Huh. And what kind of work do you do?
I’m sorry?
What kind of work do you do, sir?
I work at In-N-Out Burger. It’s a restaurant in San Diego.
Okay. In-N-Out Burger. Love the fries. You guys do great work.
Thanks. It’s kind of ordinary to be pronouncing text slang or text acronyms aloud. LOL, LOL is the big one that I know a lot of people use. And they usually do it sarcastically, which is why I asked you. They’ll go, lol, or they’ll talk about something’s really funny. They’ll be like, yeah, I said this thing online and I got big lols or big lols, meaning they got lots of laughs. Or laughing out loud. They have everybody laughing out loud, right?
Yes.
Yeah. I mean, that’s what it stands for?
The thing is, like, it doesn’t actually, it kind of stands for that, but it’s moved on. When it’s pluralized, it means laughs or laughter.
Lots of lols.
Yeah, lots of lols. And if you say lol out loud, you’re usually being sarcastic about it or usually being like a little kind of knowingly ironic. Maybe that’s redundant.
Yeah, when they say lol or lol or JK, they kind of do say it with a little bit of sarcasm.
Yeah, the eyebrows go up and the face has a smirk and that sort of thing, right?
Yeah, JK, just kidding. But here’s the thing. I’m not surprised to find it in people in their 20s. If you’re using it in your 30s, I would be really surprised. And I actually think it’s the kind of slang that’s going to pass away as the novelty wears off. And you usually find that with this sort of thing.
Okay. And you know what? Here’s the thing. As long as they’re not doing it in business meetings, where’s the harm, right?
No, yeah, no. But, Sarah, you find it a little irritating just because it’s so kind of self-conscious and knowy and winky?
Yeah, well, I’ll tell my sister, well, we’re not on the phone. We’re talking.
Yeah. So why do you say that?
Right, as if saying the fully elaborated form is so difficult that they have to abbreviate it.
Yeah. You can’t just say be right back, BRB. It’s the same number of syllables.
Well, what about TMI for too much information?
I like that. I use that, TMI.
Yeah, you know what? Yeah, that one’s older. There are plenty of acronyms that we do say aloud and don’t think twice about it. OK being the obvious, most common candidate. Or he was AWOL.
Yeah, AWOL. ASAP.
ASAP, definitely. FYI.
We do all of these things. Most of these, though, I believe will fall away and become some relic of the 2000s and the 90s. And I think that we’ll find that by, say, 2040, that they’ll exist only in historical text. It’ll sort of be like the bee’s knees today or the cat’s pajamas.
Yeah, yeah. The cat’s pajamas of tomorrow. When they make movies set in 2007, they’ll use that language because they’ll think everyone spoke that way.
Yeah.
Okay. Well, thank you guys very much. It was a good question.
Thanks for calling, Sarah.
Okay. Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye. BT Dubs, you can give us a call, 1-877-929-9673. And if we make you lol, send us an email to words@waywordradio.org.
