l33t-speak isn't a 'secret' spoken language
I really like the Internet. One of the things I like about it is the many various webcomics out there that the Internet have to offer. Among these webcomics, there are some that have characters actually speaking in l33t, using it as some kinda 'secret' language. Now here's what confuses me. How can these characters speak in l33t? Or better yet, why are dialog text written in l33t?
If you're on the Internet a lot, I'm sure you've all come across or are aware of something called '133t'. 'l33t' is a form of computer-speak where various letters are substituted with numbers or symbols. Here're some examples:
Normal writing:
Hello, my name is Jeffrey "OneShot" Wong
Translated to l33t:
heLL0, my N@M3 15 JEPhFR3y "ON35h0+" W0N9
Translated to advanced-l33t:
}{3110, |v|`/ n4|v|3 ]5 _|3|=|=®3`/ "0n35}{07" |^|0n6
At a quick glance, anything written in l33t seems like randomly
typed letters and symbols. However, if you look more carefully, you can make
out the correlations between normal writing and writing translated into l33t.
This brings up one question. Isn't l33t regular words that have been altered spelling-wise while remaining phonically unaltered? So, if I'm speaking to someone and say 'heLL0, my N@M3 15 JEPhFR3y "ON35h0+" W0N9'...how can I be speaking in l33t when what you hear is 'Hello, my name is Jeffrey "OneShot" Wong'?
From my point of view, l33t-speak isn't a 'secret' spoken language. Characters on webcomics can't possibly be speaking l33t as some form of 'secret' language because l33t sounds EXACTLY like the English language. So what gives? What's the need of characters speaking in l33t? It's not like ANY characters can't understand what the other person is saying? Why does a character have their dialog written in l33t when the spoken words sounds EXACTLY like English? Hm, I guess it adds color to a character^_^
The only way you can communicate using l33t is if you write it out. Only a person who knows how to read l33t will be able to read it like the way it's supposed to be used. That's the only way l33t can be seen as a 'secret' language. It can't be spoken because ANYONE with an understanding of English can understand it. Therefore, isn't it rather odd when we see characters speaking in l33t and other characters act like they can't understand them? Afterall, l33t sounds exactly like English language but simply spelled differently.
I'm not criticizing the many webcomics that do that. I like webcomics. Actually, I love webcomics. I merely have no life and wanted to be a prick and point that out, that having characters speak like that seems rather unnecessary since l33t would not be some 'secret' spoken language that can be understood only by people that can READ l33t since l33t sounds exactly like English.
My belief is that l33t-speak doesn't exist as a spoken 'secret' language.