Leet Speak

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

• unique
• server
• hijacked
• proficient

• classic
• complex
• ta ta
• acronym

• terminology

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

W31©øm3 ßa©X! #øw a®3 ¥øµ? 7øða¥ w3\’®3 fø©µ51ñ6 øñ 1337 5þ3aX.

Understand? No? Neither do I.

Leet speak is a unique way of writing on the internet. It can be very complex and confusing, though most of us know or have seen some simple forms of Leet speak, such as “TTFN” for “ta ta for now” or “C U L8R” for “see you later!”

Listen to Taylor tell me about Leet speak.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Dave

Taylor

Dave:  This friend in Japan just emailed me and says that she wants me to teach her, you know, those little acronyms on email: “LOL” or “TTFN.”

Taylor:  “Leet speak.”

Dave:  What’s it called?

Taylor:  “Leet speak.” That’s an expansion of some of those abbreviations.

Dave:  Okay, yeah.

Taylor:  “You got owned.”

Dave:  “You got owned?”

Taylor:  Yeah, you know, there’s a saying: “You got owned,” and it comes from hacker terminology for having your server, ah, hijacked by somebody else.

Dave:  Oh.

Taylor:  It’s not just “owned,” you know. It’s “0WN3D.”

Dave:  Oh, okay.

Taylor:  You know, you change all the letters.

Dave:  Are you pretty proficient in all those little acronymns?

Taylor:  I know most of them, you know. The number one is, of course, “BRB” – “Be right back.”

Dave:  Ah, right. What are the other more common ones?

Taylor:  “TTYL” – “Talk to you later.”

Dave:  Okay.

Taylor:  There’s, ah, “TGIF,” of course, which is a classic in American culture.

Dave:  “Thank God it’s Friday!”

Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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