Nov 26
Kewel?
We all know that internet messaging creates a set of abbreviations so that people can convey thoughts faster. The most famous of these, I suppose, is LOL (laughing out loud) to express one’s amusement. Some people try to make that a lot more complicated with a ROFLOL (rolling on floor).
Some abbreviations seem unnecessary to me. A good example of this would be NE, which, when read as letters, is a “shortcut” for any. But any is only three letters long to start with: do we really need an abbreviation for a three letter word? How lazy can we be?
Last night, I encountered kewel. Rather than just typing cool, which is a four letter word with only three different letters (which makes it almost as quick to type as any would be), someone took the time not only to misspell it but also to add a letter.
I think all these cell phones and blackberries are turning people’s minds to mush.
November 27th, 2007 at 7:57 am
It’s nothing new. It’s mainly kids creating this stuff, and they did the same thing in the (still-existing) days of writing notes and passing them back and forth in class. They think it is somehow unique or fun to misspell.
November 27th, 2007 at 8:00 am
I’ve never seen “kewel” but I have seen “kewl” a lot. It sounds Surfer-esque in my head, where “cool” is more Beatnik, Old School.
But yeah…seems redundant to abbreviate by adding.
November 27th, 2007 at 8:40 am
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