A Glossary of Netspeak and Textspeak

Abstract

This glossary is an example of a new kind of reference publication - what I call a lexipedia. The name reflects its purpose: it is a cross between a dictionary (or lexicon) and an encyclopaedia. It brings together some of the information about words which is included in a dictionary and the sort of knowledge which you would expect to find in an encyclopaedia. The book has two aims. First, it is a guide to the rapidly emerging jargon associated with the Internet and its use, and to the associated terminology of mobile communications. Second, it provides definitions and examples of the way this terminology has been adopted by young (or young-minded) Internet users and adapted for use in non-Internet settings. The words have therefore begun to make their appearance in the language as a whole - though usually only as part of the slang of colloquial speech.