mario_sunny Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 Interesting article I found Origins The name Leet itself is derived from the word elite. Elite has been used in the past to designate a group of users as belonging to a higher social echelon than other users. Originally, "elite" had been reduced to one syllable, "'leet." The origins of the use of "elite" itself is popularly considered to stem from the classic game Elite for BBC Master/Micro and contemporary machines, where Elite was the highest status in a series of combat rankings. Leet has its basis in written communication over electronic media. Most simply, it evolved as a way of forming exclusive cliques in on-line communities, notably Bulletin Board Systems and online multiplayer games (see Examples of Leet in videogaming). The mechanism was simple: by taking standard text and corrupting it with a dynamic cipher, only those privy to the cipher could understand what was being conveyed in the ciphertext. Through this, newcomers to a given community were excluded from communication with those who had defined the cipher. Primitive Leet was generally much less elaborately substituted than modern forms. Typical spelling changes were to swap "f" and "ph" (as in "fone phreaks"), using "z" for "s" (generally only in the final position, ie. "phi1ez" but not "za1ezman"), "1" for "l", "k" for "c" and "0" for "o". In some positions, "y" was used for "i", most notably in the earliest spelling of elite as "e1yte." On BBS systems running on Commodore 64 computer, CBM graphics characters were also sometimes used to substitute letters. Over time these tendencies of replacing letters became increasingly exaggerated. Another early derivation of the letter replacing phenomenon was the prefix "k-" to some words. This began with the redundant substition of "k" for "c" as seen in "k-kool" but was soon transposed to the much more common and enduring "k-rad." After the dawn of Leet on bulletin boards and other non-real-time communications media, Leet found something of a renaissance in real-time protocols such as Internet Relay Chat (IRC) and Instant messaging (such as AIM). It can be said that something of a conflict existed between those who used Leet in communication on such realtime services, and those who did not. Through this process, Leet acquired an expanded vocabulary. As Internet slang grew (such as w00t, teh, and so on), it was absorbed into Leet (and subsequently enciphered). Along the way, additional languages began to be enciphered with Leet-like processes (see "krieg," "ist" below). In this regard, Leet resembles a creole or pidgin polyglot. In addition to the broader vocabulary, Leet's ciphers became even more complex and dynamic. Where originally, a one-to-one relationship existed between the source and cipher text (such as "e" -> "3"), newer one-to-many and many-to-many ciphers began to emerge (such as "a" -> "@", "4", and so on). Several outside sources have been instrumental in the formation and evolution of Leet as a dialect or cipher. Primarily, the exclusive nature of enciphering text in communities drove the evolution of the cipher. Additionally, in online games where certain text was forbidden (such as swearing, causing corruptions like "[bleep]" -> "phux0red"), newer, more clever ciphers had to be created to prevent software limitations from hindering communication. The same sort of evolution has been spurred by e-mail content filters which may prevent a user from including certain words in their "written" communication. As such, in addition to the socially exclusionary properties of using a cipher, it may be said that Leet is used as a means to defeat regular expression engines used for matching content in written communication. More recently, the exclusive value of Leet as a cipher has been reduced. As Leet has become popular in the common Internet "vernacular," many users who would previously have been excluded by enciphered text have "caught on" to the cipher. Even highly irregular ciphers (see below for a full discussion of various ciphers) have proven to be easily decipherable by users determined to do so. Because of this, using Leet in discussion has become something of a novelty or joke. Users, instead of attempting to exclude other people with the cipher, have instead been using Leet to indicate that they are part of the Leet-using counterculture, or to mock the existence therein. Curiously, as Leet's effectiveness as a cipher has waned, the language has evolved due to its continued use in communities which tend to value it solely for humor value. The process of using Leet for humor, combined with its highly flexible and dynamic nature, causes it to metamorphose into further derivations of its original cipher. Thus, the language evolves, its vocabulary expands, and new expressions emerge from older constructs. Sociological considerations A player in Jeopardy! surreptitiously makes reference to Leet in the amount of his wager.Leet can be defined as an expression of the general laws of sociology as it applies to small tribes or cliques. Leet is a manifestation of the need to maintain an elitist cultural identity in the midst of 'outsiders' (in this case, ignorant masses). In so doing, users have invented novel linguistic and fashion styles. Such is common human behavior, and many other linguistic behaviors (such as Idioglossia) have similar mechanisms and effects. In literature, an example of this behavior can be found in Lord of the Flies. A trajectory through social acceptance on the Internet could be seen as: The "newbie" stage, wherein a user is ignorant about languages and customs. A "Leet" stage, where a user may over-compensate in their actions, by using Leet excessively, so as to "fit in" with the "elite" social cadre. These users may also attempt to ostracize other users who have not progressed to such a stage. A more "orthodox" stage, in which attention is paid to grammar and spelling. Communities seeking credibility in the eyes of the rest of the Internet may seek to portray this level of maturity. It is at this stage when Leet is most used in a sarcastic tone. Yet another view is that obsessive attention to grammar, vocabulary, and spelling is increasingly outmoded on the current medium (the Internet) or the current period (of increasing internationalism). Underemployed academics - a group that is well known for fastidious attention to spelling - may constitute a large portion of the group that assess themselves as highly Internet-savvy, and (conversely) Leet users somehow less-savvy. While the academy, (the prime locus of the aforementioned group) may serve as a conservatory for Standard English, live languages are known to evolve (sometimes rapidly). It may be said that part of the difficulty around use of the Leet dialect is due to the fact that it is an early example of emergent language in a non-spoken medium. As language universally has arisen out of spoken communication, a dialect which arises out of a polyglot of written languages and slang does not fit into the normal descriptions of language. As such, it is not offered any protection based upon ethnicity or nationality (whereas speakers of Italian in a primarily German speaking forum may expect some deference based on Italian being their native language, users of Leet may have no such consideration). As such, Leet has been viewed almost universally as a misuse of language, as well as a misuse of resources. Users who do not engage in "Leet speak" complain that having to de-cipher the text is irritating. Conversely, users who do engage in the practice tend to argue that they are not intending for non-Leet-speaking users to read their communication. Ironically, despite the fact that Leet itself does not symbolize any one ethnicity or nationality, it does represent a homologous group of users: "residents" of the Internet. Similarly, the position that use of Leet is indicative of level of Internet mastery may seem a thinly-veiled nationalist or ethnocentric criticism (cf. the English-Only movement; the Ebonics Controversy). Because of the problems surrounding its lack of a spoken component, as well as its (seemingly) ethnocentric beginnings, there has recently been something of a stigma attached to use of the Leet cipher. Because of its popularity with children, parenting organizations have seen fit to warn parents about the cipher. Parents, it is reasoned, may not be able to understand what their children are saying in email, SMS's, or instant messenging, and dismiss it as nonsense. It is argued that children may be discussing such nefarious things as drug use. Guides have been published to help parents decipher their children's Leet-enciphered communication. Despite the hurdles to attaining social acceptance, Leet has become such a part of common culture that the cipher is used even in mainstream advertising, such as the Sears Kenmore "HE4T" washing machine and dryer. Entire websites have been written with the Leet cipher, such as Something Awful's JeffK, and Google's "xx-hacker" dialect. Additionally, Leet's use is proliferated by the increasing amount systems that require more secure passwords. The Leet spelling alterations often fulfill the need for non-dictionary passwords, while remaining easy to remember. The Leet cipher and syntax The Leet cipher is a highly dynamic, subjective cipher. It can be applied to many languages and character sets. As it incorporates new vocabulary and morphemes, the set of transliterations and corruptions increases. As the cipher was originally based upon English and the Latin alphabet, it is possible to derive a very basic set of common transliterations and corruptions. The misspelling of "!" The number 1 and the word "one" instead of exclamation points (!). Often used to show intense sarcasm (OMG I R TEH BEST!!!!11!one!11). Further, another common usage in this context is "eleven" as a substitute for multiple exclamation marks, as in: "I r0xx0red j00!!!!1!!11one!!eleven!!". Again this context denotes (extreme) sarcasm. "shift+1" is also another commonly used joke to use for "!" Along this line is the mispelling of "?" following the same line of "!" The most common being "/" and "slash", as in: W@t r j00 ta1kin b0u+, n00b???//??/?SLASH//?QUESTIONMARK? ("What are you talking about newb?") In addition to the "one," "two," and "slash" being used to accentuate the sarcasm of the statement, "+shift" or "+shifty" is used in the same manner, for example: "NOWAI!!11one1!one+shifty" As with most alternate Leet spellings or grammar, inclusion in a sentence is done on purpose, in order to lighten the mood, strengthen a point, or convey a sense of irony, depending on the context. Word endings The ELinks web browser, set to Leet language, on the Leet language version of Google.[edit] Use of x0r and "z0r" Note that the construction "-xor" or any variation thereof can be pronounced variously as "-ker", "-zor", or "-ksor" (the latter two being the way the majority of English speakers would pronounce it). Originally in the phrase "r0x0r j00r b0x0rz", "b0x0rz" refers not to "boxers" (i.e. underwear) but actually to "boxes" (in computer slang: computers, though boxen or b0x3n may be more commonly used in this context). The more naÃÆÃâÃâïve interpretation "rocks your boxers" is still meaningful, however, as the sentiment is much the same and is often used to carry a connotation that one was 'rocked' so hard they felt it in their boxer shorts. The term "r0x0r j00r b0x0r" itself probably relates to hacking itself, with a person being able to gain access to and, from there, "rock their box". It is also possible that it is a derivative from "r0x0r j00r s0x0r", "rocks your socks" (The phrase is used to denote some magnitude or importance). SOCKS is also a type of proxy. An increasingly common use of the "-xor" is changing its grammatical usage to be deliberately incorrect. Instead of using "Bob r0x0r", "Bob am teh r0x0r" or "Bob are teh r0x0r" is deliberately used to increase the level of irony and to separate it from less ironic, true Leet. -xor is also sometimes used in user nicknames (e.g: "Luxxor"). Due to the phonetic sound of "xor" (ksor), Leet speakers quickly began using "zor" and "zorz" as well and in similar context. "zorz" however is often used on the end of every major word in a sentence for comedic effect such as "H0ly sh1tzorz j00 0wnzorzed himzorz upz!1" Additionally, the suffix "izzle" may be added to words in the same way as "zor," "xor," and similar may be used. This practice entered the popular culture based upon rapper Snoop Dogg's use of the term. No terminal can match my l377 hax0r skills - RC-1262 Use of the -age suffix Many times, a verb will be changed into a noun simply by adding -age in addition to adding 'ness' to the end of an adjective, such as speak becoming speakage or leet becoming leetage, as in "1 k//0w 1337//355 5p34k4g3" or "h15 pwn4g3 sh00d b3 ph33r3d'". Due to the fluid nature of Leet, such (derived) nouns can subsequently be used (again) as verbs: "h3 pwn4g3d m3," for example. Words ending in -ed Words ending in -ed may have -nt substituted. A common example of this would be pwned -> pwnt. This should not be confused with misspellings such as samrt for smart. The grammar Leet, like other hacker slang, enjoys a loose grammar. Because the deliberate misusage of grammar, just like spelling, encodes some of the level of emphasis, ironic or otherwise, a reader must rely more on intuitive parsing of Leet to determine the meaning of a sentence rather than the actual sentence structure. In particular, speakers of Leet are fond of verbing nouns, turning verbs into nouns (and back again) as forms of emphasis (e.g. "Bob rocks" is weaker than "Bob r0xx0rz" (spelling) is weaker than "Bob is t3h r0xx0r" (grammar)). Leet, like in other hacker slang, employs overgeneralization in construction of new words. For example, if "h4xx0r3d" is the past tense of the verb "to hack" (hack->haxxor->haxxored), then "bl0wz0r3d" would be easily understood to be the past tense conjugation of "to blow", even if the reader had not seen that particular word before (e.g: "I got the quad damage and bl0wz0r3d him up"). "Pwnz0r3d" is used often in the same way as owned hence "1 pwnz0r3d his @$5 L4s+ N1gh+ on C$" (I owned his [wagon] last night on CS (Counter-Strike)) Also, any word ending in -xor (eg h4xx0r) can be construed as a noun, thus rendering "I @m t3h h@xx0r" grammatically correct. Rhyming and rhythm While Leet is not generally spoken, it can be deemed close to stress-timed. Care is taken by users of Leet to combine similarly timed words, or to encipher words into ways such that they have a common rhythm or rhyme. The archetypal example of this is the phrase "roffle my woffles" (note both spelling error, "woffle", and word timing). Other examples would be "r0xed j00r s0x" (in this case, only matching sounds). Leet can be highly lyrical and stylistic (even poetic) the way a typical pidgin language can be. Over-exclamation and other emphasis Another common feature of Leet is over-exclamation, where a sentence is postfixed with many exclamation marks: pHu> In some cases, because the exclamation symbol (!) resides on the same key as the number one ("1"), over-exclamation can be accidentally typed with extraneous digits, owing to the excitement of the typist: y0 d00d th1s 5h1zZ47 R0Xx0rzZ!!!!!11. This was especially likely in the context of online multiplayer games, such as Quake. Some Leet speakers purposely type exactly one "1" for every 3 "!"s. This is a satire of noob players who let go of the shift key too soon and some of their intended exclamation marks become the number 1. Additionally, the adjacent ~ (tilde) and @ keys may be used in this fashion: t3h leik this OwNz!!11!?!??!@!!????//1!!~~ Some users have adopted this and include it deliberately. A growing phenomenon is deliberately typing the word "one": pwnz0r3d!!!!!11oneoneone, and deliberately typing the words "exclamation mark", as in the next example. In some cases, this has been purposely exaggerated for comic effect, for example, L0l!!!11!eleventy-one1!1!11one1!!!exclamationmark!!11oneone!1. It can also be used to poke fun at users of AOL speak, and other "lesser" cultures. Note that letter-to-number translations tend not to occur within these "oneoneone" blocks. Another example of accidental misspelling may also be used in this manner, such as "omg!!11oneoneelven", where elven is the misspelling of eleven. On rare occasions "zOMG!!!!shift+1!!!" has shown up, where the user is taking it further and typing the keyforms that make up letters. Even more satirical is the insertion of non-one numbers into a phrase as well as improper acronym usage in a humorous way, such as "[2] OMGWTFBBQ!!11!11FORTYTWO!!111!!17!1NINE!1111!1!", where 42 comes in as a joke stemming from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series of novels. Yet another variation of the use of "one" in over-exclamation satire is the phrase "eleventyone," a reference to the distinctive way hobbits say the number 111 (in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring). Hence "LoL!!!!111eleventyoneone!" Among the most strained echelons of the over-exclamation, particularly related to the number one, are mathematical formulas which would result in one. Example: OMGWTFBBQ!!1![2+(e^(pi*i))]!1!!uno!! The trend is not limited to English speakers, and in many forums a mix of English and other languages can be observed, for example the Germish, "OMFG das rockt!!!!1111einsshifteins". In addition to variations on punctuation-based emphasis, it is common to combine two (or more) words and capitalize them to show emphasis. Perhaps most common would be the combination of "omg" and "wtf" to produce "OMGWTF". Also common is "NOWAY/NOWAI" (from "no way"). Constructions such as these are frequently reduced to abbreviations when their use becomes frequent, and repeated typing becomes time consuming (such as "holy [bleep]ing [cabbage]" -> "HOLY[bleep]ING[cabbage]" -> "HFS!"). Vocabulary Many words originally derived from Leet slang have now become part of the modern Internet slang, such as "pwned". Additionally, the common (intentional) misspellings such as "teh", and especially the "z" at the end of words ("skillz"). Another prominent example of a surviving Leet expression is the ever-popular "w00t" (now sometimes purposely done as w0t0). Gamers in particular may use Leet in a sarcastic manner, e.g. "ph34/2 m`/ 1337 sk1llz" ("Fear my leet skills"), as the practice is frowned upon by the community. Another location for similar text obfuscation is in multiplayer gaming, especially involving other characters from the ASCII set. Some multiplayer games allow for users to be evicted (kicked out) by issuing a simple command such as "!kick username." To foil this method, some users have resorted to making their usernames difficult to type. An example of this would be "E'li'ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬ÃâàÃÆÃâÃâè HÃÆÃâÃâàxo'r". Additionally, new words (or corruptions thereof) may arise from a need to make one's username unique. As Internet gaming reaches more people, the number of names available to a given user is drastically reduced. While many users may wish to have the username "Muad'Dib", in many cases it is only possible for one user to have the monniker. As such, degradations of the name may evolve, such as "M00ad'd33b" and so on. As the Leet cipher is highly dynamic, there are virtually limitless combinations of phonemes and transliterations. In addition to the common transliterations and enciphering, misspelling (intentionally) is particularly prevalent in Leet dialects. Frequently, common typing errors are also absorbed. Transposition of adjacent characters is a common construction (make -> maek, you -> yuo, is -> si). Other common misspellings now standard in Leet are: "evar", "evah", and "eva" for "ever." Generally used the phrase "Worst. . Evar." (Worst. Game. Evar.) This construct is largely credited as a reference to a phrase oft uttered by The Comic Book Guy, a recurring character on The Simpsons. German "ist" for "is" has crept into Leet, including English encipherings. Frequently used with word "death". (mp3 ist death.) Also, "krieg" ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢â∠By popular demand, this signature is back- however I currently do not have a blog up at the moment and if I did I wouldn't update it. Sorry, the sig links to nowhere :( . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WutangFlu Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 whoever invented 1337 language needs to get out of his parents basement... and get a life..... or just die or all of the above.. seriously.. i hate going on some forums and seeing people post in 1337 ONLY nothing else.. im sure other people here have had the same experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racer Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 Yeah, It gets really annoying after awhile... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slicer92 Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 whoever invented 1337 language needs to get out of his parents basement... and get a life..... or just die or all of the above.. seriously.. i hate going on some forums and seeing people post in 1337 ONLY nothing else.. im sure other people here have had the same experience. Im pretty sure Leet speak was first used by the people who began to hack Windows 95 users. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mario_sunny Posted February 11, 2006 Author Share Posted February 11, 2006 whoever invented 1337 language needs to get out of his parents basement... and get a life..... or just die or all of the above.. seriously.. i hate going on some forums and seeing people post in 1337 ONLY nothing else.. im sure other people here have had the same experience. Im pretty sure Leet speak was first used by the people who began to hack Windows 95 users. rofl... 1337, the language of the noobs :P By popular demand, this signature is back- however I currently do not have a blog up at the moment and if I did I wouldn't update it. Sorry, the sig links to nowhere :( . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nadril Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Lol, can't belive I actualy read half of that. Was interesting, and funny. Go wikepidea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Thats awesome, but I dont entirely trust Wik. Its written by lots of people, like.. the Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy. I made up about 2 pages on how swords are forged and its still there. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevester77 Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Im not sure if it mentioned this in the article (i've read it 2 times previously and don't feel like going for round 3), but it was originally developed by hackers in the 80's trying to communicate without others reading their messages. Btw, if you having 1337 problems (ie. a couple of idiot users writting in it) I know of a 1337 translater that can decode it for you :P . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WutangFlu Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Im not sure if it mentioned this in the article (i've read it 2 times previously and don't feel like going for round 3), but it was originally developed by hackers in the 80's trying to communicate without others reading their messages. Btw, if you having 1337 problems (ie. a couple of idiot users writting in it) I know of a 1337 translater that can decode it for you :P . u cant be seriouse... someone actually took the time to make one.. :| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vladmoney Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 I am just happy 1337 speak isn't really a problem on these forums for the most part. Visit my DeviantArt Page at http://vladmoney.deviantart.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyPurpleCrayon Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Can you not make another leet thread? Wow, I am getting a Mod to lock this. Ghost: I am prejudice towards ignorance, so that would explain why I appear to be so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
____ Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Oh BooHoo MPC :roll: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyPurpleCrayon Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Oh BooHoo MPC :roll: What's your problem? These things annoy me, no need for you to mock me. Ghost: I am prejudice towards ignorance, so that would explain why I appear to be so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lionheart_0 Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Oh BooHoo MPC :roll: What's your problem? These things annoy me, no need for you to mock me. :? But just because something annoys one person, and its just annoyance, more then harasment or other such worse thing, it shouldnt mean a mod locks it. I dislike 1337 speak very much. Alot of people use translators, and change their msn names into it, and its annoys the hell out of me. But oh well, cant do anything. although, as for being LEET, hehe i use the word all the time to describe things, the same with UBER. Sig by IkuraiYour Guide to Posting! Behave or I will send my Moose mounted Beaver launchers at you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VOV Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 kekekekekeke ^______________________^ I know the price. I pay it gladly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vape Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Check out this edit hehe :) I found it on one of the bad jokes & other deleted nonsense pages - there's some great stuff in there :D Where the bloody hell are you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonicwave42 Posted February 14, 2006 Share Posted February 14, 2006 Hey I found that same article 3 months ago. Never thought you'd bring it up ^_^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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