# So, when will the pidgin they use on I Can Has Cheezburger become a new language? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 25, 2011, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-will-the-pidgin-they-use-on-i-can-has-cheezburger-become-a-new-language/600794 "2011-10-25T23:59:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-will-the-pidgin-they-use-on-i-can-has-cheezburger-become-a-new-language/600794/1 "2011-10-25T23:59:50Z")
For fuck’s sake, I can barely understand half of what people post in the comments section. I understand that it’s all light-hearted and fluffy and whatnot, but yeesh. Some of that stuff is almost completely illegible. I might be a wee bit on the cranky side today, but is this shit really necessary? > [@](#): > > Fankees CB! _dabs at mai soggy eyz_ > Ai fink ai needs a noice cuppa tee tu settlol me doawn – caer tu joyne me CB? > _maeks a big pot ov carming tee n pores cups fer ebrywuns_ > _brings in sum sooving noms too liek chonklit slyce …_ > Congas tu tu too CB! oxxo ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-will-the-pidgin-they-use-on-i-can-has-cheezburger-become-a-new-language/600794/2 "2011-10-26T00:09:03Z")
They already translated the Bible into LOLCATS, you know. Not a joke… > **[lolcatbible.com - lolcatbible Resources and Information.](http://www.lolcatbible.com/index.php)** > > lolcatbible.com is your first and best source for all of the information you’re looking for. From general topics to more of what you would expect to find here, lolcatbible.com has it all. We hope you find what you are searching for! ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-will-the-pidgin-they-use-on-i-can-has-cheezburger-become-a-new-language/600794/3 "2011-10-26T00:13:22Z")
Technically, it’s not a pidgin. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-will-the-pidgin-they-use-on-i-can-has-cheezburger-become-a-new-language/600794/4 "2011-10-26T00:24:57Z")
What **Inner Stickler** said. A pidgin is a first generation creole that mashes two or more languages together in an extremely simplified manner so a blended population can do business and socialize. By the time the kids of that generation start talking, it’s usually matured into its own full language with a blend of vocabulary from the contributing languages and its own unique grammatical structure and syntax. LOLcat is a _dialect_ or variant of a language with its own unique pronunciation, syntax, orthography, or other aspect that is distinctly different from the parent language but still mutually intelligible to both parties. _Doodz, **Ogre** , I skoolz U!!!11!!!elebenty!_ ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-will-the-pidgin-they-use-on-i-can-has-cheezburger-become-a-new-language/600794/5 "2011-10-26T00:29:00Z")
One problem is that nobody is growing up speaking Lolcat as their native language. The people who are learning it are people who already speak English, and it is a lot easier for an English speaker to learn Lolcat than it is for them to learn, say, Swahili. Also, because nobody uses it as their primary language, it hasn’t really had to deal with cultural issues that languages face. Have there been any scientific/academic papers written in Lolcat? How do you cite sources in Lolcat? \ src, d00d: Adams, Cecilcat. internets. [StraightDope.com](http://StraightDope.com). Elebenty 2, dec. 2011. kthx \ ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-will-the-pidgin-they-use-on-i-can-has-cheezburger-become-a-new-language/600794/6 "2011-10-26T00:35:39Z")
Aren’t dialects regionally bounded? The internet transcends geography. I would call lolcats a register. ---
**Author:** ![PigArcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@PigArcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigArcher)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-will-the-pidgin-they-use-on-i-can-has-cheezburger-become-a-new-language/600794/7 "2011-10-26T00:45:01Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > They already translated the Bible into LOLCATS, you know. > > Not a joke… > > [http://www.lolcatbible.com/index.php](http://www.lolcatbible.com/index.php) And a programming language: [http://lolcode.com/](http://lolcode.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-will-the-pidgin-they-use-on-i-can-has-cheezburger-become-a-new-language/600794/8 "2011-10-26T01:14:46Z")
The examples in the OP look like fairly standard colloquial English that has been deliberately misspelled. Most are apparently meant to look like a semi-literate person (or cat!) was attempting to write words based on how they sound. Tee = tea, ov = of, sooving = soothing, slyce = slice, etc. I don’t think it’s very difficult to understand, you just have to sound it out. I wouldn’t worry about the future of the English language, as I feel like I’ve seen basically the same kind of humor used in 19th century literature with the speech or writing of characters who are uneducated or speak with a heavy accent. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-will-the-pidgin-they-use-on-i-can-has-cheezburger-become-a-new-language/600794/9 "2011-10-26T02:00:38Z")
Siiiiigh. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-will-the-pidgin-they-use-on-i-can-has-cheezburger-become-a-new-language/600794/10 "2011-10-26T02:01:42Z")
You must admit, this is a much more interesting thread than if we’d all just said, “Damn cats, damn pics, damn captions.” ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-will-the-pidgin-they-use-on-i-can-has-cheezburger-become-a-new-language/600794/11 "2011-10-26T03:26:19Z")
LOLspeek iz alreddi a lanwidg. Srsly. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-will-the-pidgin-they-use-on-i-can-has-cheezburger-become-a-new-language/600794/12 "2011-10-26T03:31:12Z")
d00d, yew need to chillz. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-will-the-pidgin-they-use-on-i-can-has-cheezburger-become-a-new-language/600794/13 "2011-10-26T10:43:31Z")
There’s a lot of stupid crap on the internet that I can just shrug off, but nothing - NOTHING - sets my teeth on edge quite like this. If I were allowed to permanently remove one thing from the internet, it’d be this. It just absolutely infuriates me with the stupidity. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-will-the-pidgin-they-use-on-i-can-has-cheezburger-become-a-new-language/600794/14 "2011-10-26T11:01:30Z")
umad, bro? ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-will-the-pidgin-they-use-on-i-can-has-cheezburger-become-a-new-language/600794/15 "2011-10-26T12:55:53Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > The examples in the OP look like fairly standard colloquial English that has been deliberately misspelled… But does the misspelling drive the word choice? If different words are chosen for the effect of how the word appears with the different spelling then it is not just standard colloquial english. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-will-the-pidgin-they-use-on-i-can-has-cheezburger-become-a-new-language/600794/16 "2011-10-26T13:20:41Z")
I agree with **InnerStickler** ; it’s a [register](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Register_%28sociolinguistics%29). And the [lolcode](http://lolcode.com/) cracked my ass up: ```auto COUNT!!1: HAI CAN HAS STDIO? I HAS A VAR IM IN YR LOOP UP VAR!!1 VISIBLE VAR IZ VAR BIGGER THAN 10? KTHXBYE IM OUTTA YR LOOP KTHXBYE FILEZORZ: HAI CAN HAS STDIO? PLZ OPEN FILE "LOLCATS.TXT"? AWSUM THX VISIBLE FILE O NOES INVISIBLE "ERROR!" KTHXBYE ``` ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-will-the-pidgin-they-use-on-i-can-has-cheezburger-become-a-new-language/600794/17 "2011-10-26T13:37:35Z")
[QUOTE=Heart of Dorkness] And the [lolcode](http://lolcode.com/) cracked my ass up: ```auto HAI CAN HAS STDIO? I HAS A VAR IM IN YR LOOP UP VAR!!1 VISIBLE VAR IZ VAR BIGGER THAN 10? KTHXBYE IM OUTTA YR LOOP KTHXBYE ``` [/QUOTE] I’m a bit frightened that it makes sense to me. It’s certainly no worse than COBOL. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-will-the-pidgin-they-use-on-i-can-has-cheezburger-become-a-new-language/600794/18 "2011-10-26T14:33:39Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > There’s a lot of stupid crap on the internet that I can just shrug off, but nothing - NOTHING - sets my teeth on edge quite like this. If I were allowed to permanently remove one thing from the internet, it’d be this. It just absolutely infuriates me with the stupidity. It grates on me something fierce too, but there is a small upside; it appears to be entirely confined to the ICanHasCheezburger site, and only the cat section at that. It’s very easy to avoid. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-will-the-pidgin-they-use-on-i-can-has-cheezburger-become-a-new-language/600794/19 "2011-10-26T14:45:04Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > There’s a lot of stupid crap on the internet that I can just shrug off, but nothing - NOTHING - sets my teeth on edge quite like this. If I were allowed to permanently remove one thing from the internet, it’d be this. It just absolutely infuriates me with the stupidity. This sets your teeth on edge? _This_? Talk about misplaced priorities… ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-will-the-pidgin-they-use-on-i-can-has-cheezburger-become-a-new-language/600794/20 "2011-10-26T16:02:07Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > There’s a lot of stupid crap on the internet that I can just shrug off, but nothing - NOTHING - sets my teeth on edge quite like this. If I were allowed to permanently remove one thing from the internet, it’d be this. It just absolutely infuriates me with the stupidity. Oh noes! Y no luv? Y hat? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-when-will-the-pidgin-they-use-on-i-can-has-cheezburger-become-a-new-language/600794.md?page=2)