1. English abbreviations on the Internet
1.1. Virtual communication and its features
Recently, interactive communication on the Internet, in real time, has become
increasingly widespread. The increased data transfer speed and increased performance
of computers give users the opportunity not only to exchange text messages in real time,
but also to make audio and video communications. [9; 457]
There are various classifications of ways to communicate on the Internet.
According to the degree of interactivity of communications, the most interactive
communication environments are divided - chats and forums; the least interactive are e-
mail and teleconferences (in teleconferences and when communicating via e-mail,
communication occurs off-line, as opposed to chat, where people communicate in real
time on-line). By the number of participants involved in the communication process,
there are: 1) dialogue communication (e-mail, ICQ); 2) polylog communication
(conferences, chats); 3) one-way communication (ads, advertisements, reviews, etc.).
Why do people choose interactive communication? The following reasons can be
distinguished: 1) insufficient saturation with communication in real contacts; 2) the
possibility of realizing personality traits, playing roles, experiencing emotions, for one
reason or another, insufficient in real life; 3) dissatisfaction with real social identity and
the desire to get rid of it. In virtual reality, such methods of determining social status as
appearance, age, gender do not matter. The Internet makes it possible to construct a new
image, embodying unfulfilled psychological requests in it. [11]
In connection with the development of the Internet, in modern society, the
possibility of communication on-line has increased. In the virtual space, this form of
communication is realized using chats and instant messaging systems, which are
popular among both older and younger generations. From this point of view, an
especially interesting area of research is the English abbreviations in the language of the
Internet, where they represent abbreviations, syllable abbreviations, acronyms, splices,
words-contractions, etc.
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It is not difficult to guess the reasons for the widespread use of abbreviations in
English for conversations over the network or via SMS. Communication via the Internet
can be
synchronous, that is, to occur in real time,
asynchronous or not requiring an instant response from the interlocutor.
The first type is typical for instant messaging services such as ICQ or Skype.
Keeping a conversation going requires writing quickly, and abbreviations are perfect for
that. They replace individual lexemes, their parts or combinations, and even whole
sentences in English.
Asynchronous transmission of information is used, for example, in emails, SMS
messages. You can write a response calmly, spending more time on it than on online
communication. Therefore, English acronyms are much less common in emails. In
SMS, they are very frequent. Here, another aspect comes to the fore - the limited
volume of messages and the need to pay for each of them.
1.2. Abbreviations
Abbreviations in English in correspondence are a whole world, knowing which it
becomes easier to express themselves in a foreign language.
Abbreviation (from Italian. Abbreviatura - abbreviation) - 1. a word formed by
abbreviation of a phrase and read by the alphabetical name of the initial letters or by the
initial sounds of the words included in it; 2. a word formed by adding the initial
elements of compound names. [7; 8]
The Oxford Dictionary defines this word as follows: abbreviation (noun) - a
shortened form of a word or phrase: SKU is the abbreviation for Stock Keeping Unit.
[1; 8]
American linguist Charles Leard notes that the reduction of words can be caused
by various reasons: "a sober sense of frugality in the language, laziness or a deep sense
of protest." [8; 26] The feeling of protest against existing norms in society, including
linguistic ones, is expressed in the desire of adolescents to use their own language in
interpersonal communication, sometimes understandable only to them, the so-called
teenage slang (teenspeak), characterized by the use of abbreviations.
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An important reason for the active use of graphic abbreviations is the growing
role of information technology in interpersonal communication. Teenagers devote a
significant part of their leisure time to chatting, instant messaging, and the factor of
saving time in such communication plays a significant role.
An important goal for adolescents to encode information is to make it
inaccessible to the "uninitiated", i.e. adults due to the increased need for communication
with peers with whom they have common interests and even secrets. [6; 12]
In addition, in modern language, abbreviation is often used as a means of
expression, artistic expression, and language play. In the formation of abbreviations,
Internet users show amazing ingenuity and imagination. According to statistics from
one
of
the
largest
sites
dedicated
to
abbreviations
on
the
network
(www.AcronymFinder.com [13]), there are currently 4195875 registered English
abbreviations in its database. [13]
Any abbreviated word or phrase can be attributed to abbreviations (or
abbreviations). Such words are found in all languages, and they are gaining popularity
in modern communication, especially on the Internet. Compactness, speed and lack of
grammar and spelling rules are characteristic features of modern virtual communication.
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