The going idea is that texting has, in essence, made graffiti a

universal pastime: Barely punctuated, sparsely capitalized and with

decidedly creative spellings throughout, texting means that today's

America is reveling in writing badly.

Ten years ago (we'll soon

get to why it would only be back then) the proper answer to this would

have been LOL -- "laughing out loud" -- because in reality, texting is

sprouting new grammar all the time. Yes, grammar, as subtle and

sophisticated as subjunctives and such.

Take LOL. Today, it

wouldn't signify amusement the way it did when it first caught on.

Jocelyn texts "where have you been?" and Annabelle texts back "LOL at

the library studying for two hours."

 

How funny is that,

really? Or an exchange such as "LOL theres only one slice left" / "don't

deprive me LOL" -- text exchanges often drip with these LOL's the way

normal writing drips with commas. Let's face it -- no mentally composed

human being spend his or her entire life immersed in ceaseless hilarity.

The LOLs must mean something else.

They do. They signal

basic empathy between texters. What began as signifying laughter morphed

into easing tension and creating a sense of equality.

 

Linguist: Texting isn't killing language

 

That is, "LOL" no longer

"means" anything. Rather, it "does something" -- conveying an attitude

-- just as the ending "-ed" doesn't "mean" anything but conveys past

tense. LOL is, of all things, grammar.

Of course, no texter

thinks about that consciously. But then most of communication operates

below the radar, where things tend not to mean what they would

literally. Over time, the meaning of a word or an expression drifts.

"Meat" used to mean any kind of food. "Silly" used to mean, believe it

or not, blessed.

We can see LOL-type expressions happening in speech.

"I know, right?" means

little; it assures the listener of agreement and acknowledgment. Or,

there is the phrase "You know what I'm sayin'?" used most in what is

best known as "Ebonics," but increasingly by young people of various

shades and demographics.

 

Technically, it is

composed of seven words: do, you, know, what, I, am, and saying.

However, it is now more often pronounced as two syllables -- "noam

sayin'?" -- or sometimes even just a single one, roughly: "Msehn?"

It, too, is now a piece

of grammar, soliciting the same sense of empathy and group membership

that LOL does. LOL is one of several texting expressions that convey

nuance in a system where you don't have the voice and face to do it the

way you normally would.

Civilization, then, is

fine. People banging away on their smartphones are fluently using a code

separate from the one they use in actual writing, but a code it is, to

which linguists are currently devoting articles.

People have been warning

us that language was going to the dogs ever since Latin started turning

into French. Yet the dogs in question never seem to emerge yelping on

the horizon.

 

There is no evidence

that texting is ruining composition skills. Worldwide, people speak

differently than they write, and texting -- quick, casual and only

intended to be read once -- is actually a way of talking with your

fingers.

All indications are that

America's youth are doing it quite well. Texting is not the mangling of

language -- it's the birth of a new one.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/30/opinion/mcwhorter-lol/index.html?hpt=hp_t4

 

I personally haven't seen a case where LOL is used outside of a humorous situation, but I find it interesting that it does.  Have you guys seen this or use it yourselves?

My mom one time was all like "Your aunt is in the hospital, lol."She thought lol meant lot's of love.

My mom one time was all like "Your aunt is in the hospital, lol."She thought lol meant lot's of love.

Better than my dad.  He once came to me asking, "What does 'one 'o one' mean?"

Every now and then, I admit to saying "lol' out loud with my only 3 close friends. In public, I would never dare mention that word.

My mom one time was all like "Your aunt is in the hospital, lol."She thought lol meant lot's of love.

Lol I can like imagine your reaction to that message. Probably like "Whoa am I reading this wrong or did she just laugh at her--what! Does she have something against my aunt? "

I'm guilty of using lol out of context a lot  I tend to use it when I find something humorous, or just for no real reason at all other than to fill in a gap of conversation if it holds some sort of relevance.

I don't really type "lol" as much as I use to...I usually just go with "aha" or "hah" or "heh" or "ehah.." 

Edited May 1, 201312 yr by P50L

lol this is a good article

I don't ever use "lol"

Lol I can like imagine your reaction to that message.Probably like "Whoa am I reading this wrong or did she just laugh at her--what! Does she have something against my aunt? "

I was just like 'wtf' in my mind but replied "....M'kay...."

I don't really use "lol" in texting or speaking aloud. If something is funny, I spell out the word "haha" or laugh....it seems awkward to use "lol" while speaking to people

I never used 'lol' I mean I think I did once sarcastically 

but other than that I always use 'xD' or just type out 'haha'

I say "lol' all the time here, never said it IRL.

LOL was never funny.

LOL LOL LOL.

 

Yeah, not funny anymore.

lol is annoying irl

on the internet it's used at very odd times. Some people use it correctly though.

It totally depends on the person. If you get a "lol" out of me it's nothing special, but I know some people who never say it. It's almost flattering to have them say it because of something I said.

-_- <- This is my face if I write lol. I found it amusing in my mind, but I hardly laughed out loud.

<- This is my face if I write "Bahahaha" or "Hah!" or "Ha!" Or some variation of laughter that actually takes effort to write. If something really cracks me up, then I'll say outright that it made me laugh. I'll type "dude, I'm laughing so hard right now" or something.  

 

LOL is just the go to response when you have nothing better to say, basically.