Leet Speak - A Scientific Study, At the University of Vienna Options

[Captain Eldrad]

Greetings and salutations,

I am currently doing research on leet, or 1337 speak, as a sociolinguistic phenomenon. The research done will be used for a study at the University of Vienna, which will probably be the first in a row of sociolinguistic studies abou internet communication.

To help with the research I need people who know what leet speak is to fill out the questionaire whichis posted below. If you know what leet speak is and want to contribute to the research, please PM me with the answers to the questionaire, or if you prefer, post them in this thread.

The participents of this research will of course remain anonymous, and I will post a link to the research papers once they have been completed.

Thank you very much !

--The good ole' Captain

Leet Speak Questionaire

Please write down the appropriate letter to answer questions 1-6

1) How often do you communicate via the internet ?
a) less than once a week
b) 1-2 times a week
c) 3-5 times a week
d) 5-7 times a week
e) more than 7 times a week

2) How often do you encounter Leet speak during your communication on the internet ?
a) less than once a week
b) 1-2 times a week
c) 3-5 times a week
d) 5-7 times a week
e) more than 7 times a week

3) How often do you use Leet speak in internet communication ?
a) less than once a week
b) 1-2 times a week
c) 3-5 times a week
d) 5-7 times a week
e) more than 7 times a week

4) How often do you use Leet speak in oral everyday conversation ?
a) less than once a week
b) 1-2 times a week
c) 3-5 times a week
d) 5-7 times a week
e) more than 7 times a week


5) How old are you ?
a) 15 or below
b) 16-19
c) 20-25
d) 26-35
e) above 35

6) Are you male or female ?
a) male
b) female

Please write down the apropriate number (1-5) in statements 7-18. A value of 1 means that you totally disagree with the statement or it never occurs, while an answer 5 means that you totally agree, or it occurs very frequently.

7) I use Leet Speak at home.

8) I consider Leet speak a language of it's own.

9) I consider leet speak nothing but a cipher, a way of encoding and writing down existing
language.

10) I consider leet speak a different style or variety of language, to which I switch for some
occasions, as one might do in everyday life when talking to one's superiors for example.

11) I encounter leet speak in forums.

12) I encounter leet speak in e-mail.

13) I encounter leet speak in chatrooms.

14) I encounter leet speak in oral communication.

15) I like encountering leet speak.

16) I think of people speaking leet speak as members of a common group.

17) I speak differently when communicating with speakers of leet speak.

18) I use leet speak when talking about activities like hacking, cracking and the use of warez.

Finally, please answer question 19 in your own words.

19) Why do you/do you not use leet speak ?

[Intestinal Chaos]

1) How often do you communicate via the internet ?
e) more than 7 times a week

2) How often do you encounter Leet speak during your communication on the internet ?
e) more than 7 times a week

3) How often do you use Leet speak in internet communication ?
c) 3-5 times a week (in a joking fashion)


4) How often do you use Leet speak in oral everyday conversation ?
e) more than 7 times a week (same as 3)


5) How old are you ?
16-19

6) Are you male or female ?
a) male


Please write down the apropriate number (1-5) in statements 7-18. A value of 1 means that you totally disagree with the statement or it never occurs, while an answer 5 means that you totally agree, or it occurs very frequently.

7) I use Leet Speak at home.
5

8) I consider Leet speak a language of it's own.
2

9) I consider leet speak nothing but a cipher, a way of encoding and writing down existing
language.
4

10) I consider leet speak a different style or variety of language, to which I switch for some
occasions, as one might do in everyday life when talking to one's superiors for example.
3

11) I encounter leet speak in forums.
4

12) I encounter leet speak in e-mail.
3

13) I encounter leet speak in chatrooms.
4

14) I encounter leet speak in oral communication.
5

15) I like encountering leet speak.
3 (It really depends on wether it's being used jokingly or not and wether or not it's being used tastefully)

16) I think of people speaking leet speak as members of a common group.
2

17) I speak differently when communicating with speakers of leet speak.
4

18) I use leet speak when talking about activities like hacking, cracking and the use of warez.
4


19) Why do you/do you not use leet speak ?

Well, normally I'm using it to joke or kid around. Leet speak is pretty much looked upon with disdain. I sometimes use it to make fun of people but I also use the phrase "own, pwn, and pwn/ownage" quite a bit.

[Captain Eldrad]

Thank you very much for your participation ! Since this questionaire was posted on several forums and so many people contributed to it, I now have enough questionaires to start the evaluation.
As soon as the papers have been finished I shall post the link here.

Thus no further questionaires will be needed for now. Thank you !


-- the Captain

[Intestinal Chaos]

Thank you very much for your participation ! Since this questionaire was posted on several forums and so many people contributed to it, I now have enough questionaires to start the evaluation.
As soon as the papers have been finished I shall post the link here.

Thus no further questionaires will be needed for now. Thank you !
-- the Captain

Hey, no problem. I'm glad to help.


I'm curious about how your results will turn out :]

[softwhisper]

Please write down the appropriate letter to answer questions 1-6

1) How often do you communicate via the internet ?
e) more than 7 times a week

2) How often do you encounter Leet speak during your communication on the internet ?
e) more than 7 times a week

3) How often do you use Leet speak in internet communication ?
a) less than once a week

4) How often do you use Leet speak in oral everyday conversation ?
1-2 times a week

5) How old are you ?
c) 20-25

6) Are you male or female ?
a) male

Please write down the apropriate number (1-5) in statements 7-18. A value of 1 means that you totally disagree with the statement or it never occurs, while an answer 5 means that you totally agree, or it occurs very frequently.

7) I use Leet Speak at home.
2

8) I consider Leet speak a language of it's own.
1

9) I consider leet speak nothing but a cipher, a way of encoding and writing down existing
language.
5

10) I consider leet speak a different style or variety of language, to which I switch for some
occasions, as one might do in everyday life when talking to one's superiors for example.
1

11) I encounter leet speak in forums.
5
12) I encounter leet speak in e-mail.
3
13) I encounter leet speak in chatrooms.
5
14) I encounter leet speak in oral communication.
2
15) I like encountering leet speak.
2
16) I think of people speaking leet speak as members of a common group.
1
17) I speak differently when communicating with speakers of leet speak.
1
18) I use leet speak when talking about activities like hacking, cracking and the use of warez.
4
Finally, please answer question 19 in your own words.

19) Why do you/do you not use leet speak ? i only use 1337 speak when the situation warrants it. i'm an avid counter-strike player, and therefore encounter it on a daily basis. however i only use it myself on rare occasions, usually in a joking manner or to make up a silly name to play under for a short period of time. The main reason for my limited usage is that the majority of people i've met through CS that use only leet speak to communicate are not friendly players, and usually have a supiority complex of some sort. These people demeane and insult people on our server, and usually end up kicked and/or banned due to behavior issues. Also, leet speak is commonly used by those that hack the game, and thus it gets an even worse reputation. not to say that all "speakers" are in these bad catagories, but i've had more bad experiences than good in my past.

[Wolfie]

Please write down the appropriate letter to answer questions 1-6

1) How often do you communicate via the internet ?
e) more than 7 times a week

2) How often do you encounter Leet speak during your communication on the internet ?
1-2 times a week

3) How often do you use Leet speak in internet communication ?
a) less than once a week

4) How often do you use Leet speak in oral everyday conversation ?
a) less than once a week

5) How old are you ?
16-19

6) Are you male or female ?
a) male

Please write down the apropriate number (1-5) in statements 7-18. A value of 1 means that you totally disagree with the statement or it never occurs, while an answer 5 means that you totally agree, or it occurs very frequently.

7) I use Leet Speak at home. 2

8) I consider Leet speak a language of it's own. 1

9) I consider leet speak nothing but a cipher, a way of encoding and writing down existing
language. 4

10) I consider leet speak a different style or variety of language, to which I switch for some
occasions, as one might do in everyday life when talking to one's superiors for example. 1

11) I encounter leet speak in forums. 3

12) I encounter leet speak in e-mail. 2

13) I encounter leet speak in chatrooms. 1

14) I encounter leet speak in oral communication. 1

15) I like encountering leet speak. 2

16) I think of people speaking leet speak as members of a common group. 2

17) I speak differently when communicating with speakers of leet speak. 3

18) I use leet speak when talking about activities like hacking, cracking and the use of warez. 1

Finally, please answer question 19 in your own words.

19) Why do you/do you not use leet speak ?
I don't use leet speak because most internet users these days regard it, and by extension it's users, as something as a joke. I do use some of the words that have become accepted by all, however, for example pwn and woot.

[treydog]

Please write down the appropriate letter to answer questions 1-6

1) How often do you communicate via the internet ?

e) more than 7 times a week

2) How often do you encounter Leet speak during your communication on the internet ?

1-2 times a week

3) How often do you use Leet speak in internet communication ?

a) less than once a week

4) How often do you use Leet speak in oral everyday conversation ?

a) less than once a week

5) How old are you ?

e) above 35

6) Are you male or female ?
a) male


7) I use Leet Speak at home.
1
8) I consider Leet speak a language of it's own.
2

9) I consider leet speak nothing but a cipher, a way of encoding and writing down existing
language.
4

10) I consider leet speak a different style or variety of language, to which I switch for some
occasions, as one might do in everyday life when talking to one's superiors for example.
2

11) I encounter leet speak in forums.
4

12) I encounter leet speak in e-mail.
1

13) I encounter leet speak in chatrooms.
1

14) I encounter leet speak in oral communication.
1

15) I like encountering leet speak.
3

16) I think of people speaking leet speak as members of a common group.
3

17) I speak differently when communicating with speakers of leet speak.
1

18) I use leet speak when talking about activities like hacking, cracking and the use of warez.
1

19) Why do you/do you not use leet speak ?
It is a generational thing- came along after my time. Even though I am a regular gamer, I do not play many MMO games, and do not move in the circles where I would be likely to encounter (and need to use) leet.