The internet has given us many new words. They are–for those who stick to traditional use of language–slang. In one sense, such terms are linguistic inventions, perhaps born out of convenience–or laziness. We have, however, come a long way from lol (laughing out loud), lmao (laughing my ass off), and rofl (rolling on the floor) to oomf (one of my followers) and rkgk (short form of rakugaki, meaning doodle in Japanese, often used by artists).
There are many other words that sort of rhyme with the actual words, are easier to type with your thumbs and take less space: yt (stands for white), and tl;dr (too long; didn’t read, used for summarising threads and posts), are some that are frequently seen on social media.
In the recent past–in the last decade or so–another type of slang words have crept into the public domain. One could comfortably classify these words as political slurs. Popularised in the media, frequently used in social media, they dominate public discourse and occupy the political mind space. They are unique and localised, understood mostly by those who follow Indian politics. But these words, however, are not just referring to things to do or just short forms. They are outright hateful and insidious inventions that cast serious aspersions on political opponents.
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