The Fuck Did You Just Say?

(Image courtesy of Questionable Content)

     Something must be said about this, if for no other reason than I haven't heard anyone say anything about this. For those in the know, "teh" began as a simply typo of the most beloved of English articles on the Internet, but has since come to have its own meaning, whose grammatical usage, though fluid, has its own rules and regulations.

     I mean, this is nothing new. All media and all technology eventually generates its own slang and jargon, a unique coded language that only those within certain circles can comprehend and properly utilize. But "teh" seems special. Born out of our post-modern and highly paradoxical relationship with the Internet, "teh" is not merely slang. What it represents is the transfiguration of Modern English through the contemporary filters of language. When someone uses "teh" there is an implication that their language has evolved, has passed through certain cultural and social institutions (formal or otherwise) that have transformed their ability to speak and perceive language.

     Part of me wants to be impressed and part of me wants to be depressed, both stemming from the same inability to believe how thoroughly brilliant/idiotic this is. Has anyone else noticed the phrase "post-modern" thrown around a bit too liberally? I'm guilty of it, too. But if you can't help it, how can I?

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