TEH

TEH

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Updated May 16, 2012 at 02:00AM EDT by Brad.

Added Aug 11, 2009 at 08:55PM EDT by pgj1997.

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About

"Teh" is an Internet slang term derived from the common typographical error of the English definite article "the." The word has been since embraced by English-speaking internet users as a stylistic preference in l33tspeak, similar to the usage of "1" as a suffix after an exclamation point. In addition, the slang term can be used ironically to pose oneself as a noob or mock someone's lack of online communication skills.

Origin

While the typographical error "teh" most likely became commonplace with the advents of personal computers and QWERTY keyboards, its deliberate usage is thought to have started in the late 1990s to early 2000s with real-time chat in online gaming. The earliest Urban Dictionary definition[3] of "teh," submitted on November 23rd, 2002, also explains the phenomenon as a "deliberate typo error of 'the' used in online gaming discussion." As of May 2012, Urban Dictionary[2] lists a total of 63 entries defining the meaning and usage of "teh."

Spread

In 2004, Metafilter user bshort posted a question in the AskMeFi (Ask Metafilter) subforum[6] about the meaning of "teh," which led to a discussion regarding the early adaptors of the term. In the thread, at least three users pointed to Something Awful's columnist and video game specialist JeffK, who became infamous for his complete disregard and ineptitude in proper grammar and spelling. Beginning in the mid-2000s, intentional use of "teh" became even more widespread with the rise of LOLcat image macros on 4chan.


AMIS HIDING FROM TEH DOMO-KUNS asleep @ teh wiil has teh che but dont have teh buryu MEDUCHEESE.CO

In online publications, the slang term has been used as the headline in a number of blog posts and discussion threads, some of the more notable references including a 2008 Jezebel[13] article titled "Josh Peck is Teh Hotness in the Wackness" and a 2010 Media Bistro[14] article titled "Hollywood is Teh Suck for Women." The intentional error may be also invoked when citing an overused quote or axiom, as to neutralize any unwanted connotation of loftiness or pompousness by using faulty grammar.


STUDIO FILM Hollywood Is Teh Suck For Women By Pandora Young on March 1, 2010 10:26 AM alaiiierit peopiewlorosert thequaids EZEBEL CELEBRITY, SEX, FASHION FOR WOMEN Josh Peck Is Teh Hotness In The Wackness

The word has been also adopted by developers and programmers as the name of software projects. The most notable example is TEH, a minimalist blog engine written using Google App Engine. TEH Engine[19] is a prototype 3D game engine, with TEH being a recursive acronym for "TEH Extremely Hardcore."

Usage

In l33tspeak, the word "teh" is used as an intensifier for English nouns and adjectives with an underlying implication that the typographical mistake had been produced as a result of excitement.

  • When "teh" is placed before an adjective, it is used as an intensifier for its superlative form; for example, "that is teh lame" can be interpreted as "that is the lamest" in conventional English. This is also comparable to the use of the definite article el in Spanish language, according to the Wiktionary article.[1]
  • The article can be also used with proper names to put extra emphasis on a particular subject or for humorous effect, as in "teh John." A number of equivalents to "teh" have been cited as similar examples in cross-comparison of different languages like Greek, Latin and colloquial German.
  • In addition, "teh" can be used in front of a verb in a novel form of gerund, turning nearly any word into an intensified noun in its superlative form; for example, the phrase "this is teh suck" can be read as "this is the suckiest" or "this is the worst."

Search Interest

External References

[1] Wiktionary – Teh

[2] Urban Dictionary – Search Results for Teh

[3] Urban Dictionary – Teh

[4] Linuxhomenetworking – Dell OptiPlex GX260 – teh suX0rz! in 2002

[5] Google Answers – Music and composers in Russia after teh Revolution in Sept 2003

[6] Metafilter – The Meaning of Teh in 2004

[7] Ars Techinica – Got a call from teh US Mint today in 2004

[8] Mustang forums – New Texas Registration stickers are teh suck! in Sept 2005

[9] Snopes – What does "teh gay" mean? forums in 2006

[10] GamePro – GamePro is so teh biased forums in 2007

[11] xkcd – in teh news forums in 2007

[12] XSpore – Teh Galaxy forums in 2008

[13] Jezebel – Josh Peck is Teh Hotness in the Wackness in 2008

[14] Media Bistro – Hollywood is Teh Suck for Women in 2010

[15] Wikipedia – Teh

[16] SomethingAwful – Jeff K's Brand New Homepage

[17] University of Louisiana at Lafayette – IS THERE A TRANSLATOR IN TEH HOUSE?”: CULTURAL AND DISCOURSE
ANALYSIS OF A VIRTUAL SPEECH COMMUNITY ON AN INTERNET
MESSAGE BOARD

[18] Università di Pisa – A Causal Classification of Orthography Errors in Web Texts

[19] Spench.net – Teh Engine

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