How would you describe this way of speaking?

Question

This is going to be a strange one.

For a little over a year, I have been in a Discord server with several friends. Something I've noticed over the course of the past year is that the typical sentence structure of pretty much everyone in the server has changed dramatically. From an outsider's perspective, it probably looks ridiculous, but I think this new way of speaking arose out of efficiency. A sort of verbal path of least resistance. In the immortal words of Kevin from The Office, "Me think, why waste time say lot word, when few word do trick." (That's not too far off from how we tend to speak, either)

Purely out of curiosity, I'm wondering if there is a way of describing how this is different from normal English. Essentially, what elements of the English language are we leaving out? Prepositions, conjunctions, etc... or some more complex way of describing it. If it's not possible, that's fine, but I'm curious if there is.

Below, I'm going to show some normal sentences, and then the versions "translated" into the way many people in the server speak.

I'm Doug >>> I Doug

I'll see how it goes >>> see how goes

This game is confusing as fuck >>> This game confusing as fuck

I will not go >>> will not go

That's a good idea actually >>> That good idea actually

It's hard to think of more examples >>> It hard think more examples

What is the real issue? >>> What real issue

Boss did not know I did the whole thing >>> Boss not know I did whole thing

Boss sometimes seems annoyed, but otherwise he's neutral >>> Boss seem sometime annoy but otherwise neutral

Teammate says thanks for doing [it] >>> Teammate say thanks for do

He makes some good points >>> He make good point

Someone post Jack's message in general >>> Someone post jack message in general

Youtube pops up a new tab when you click on the first video >>> Youtube pop up new tab when click on first video

When can you meet? >>> When can meet

I would call that "chat pidgin" ... or "Discord pidgin" or "Ventrilo pidgin" or whatever tool you use. But definitely pidgin, except that pidgin usually involves speakers who do not share a common language. — Robusto, Jul 04 '19 at 01:34
Related/partial duplicate: Why is the subject omitted in sentences like “Thought you'd never ask”? — Makyen, Jul 04 '19 at 05:40

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 04 '19 at 04:10

This seems to belong to the family of styles that are termed telegram style, telegraph style, telegraphic style or telegraphese, which is defined in Wikipedia as:

a clipped way of writing that attempts to abbreviate words and pack as much information into the smallest possible number of words or characters.

Example:

Government seized by mystery financier, bubonic plague raging, lovely Spring weather"

A similarly concise style is used in "fridge notes" and resumes. Also, babies use a telegraphic style too, as they're learning to talk. An interesting analysis of what words babies tend to omit or simplify may be found here.

How would you describe this way of speaking?

1 Answers1