Editing Slang (section)

=== Subculture associations ===
Often, distinct subcultures will create slang that members will use in order to associate themselves with the group, or to delineate outsiders.

Slang terms are often known only within a [[clique]] or [[ingroup]]. For example, [[Leet]] ("Leetspeak" or "1337") was originally popular only among certain internet subcultures such as [[Software cracking|software crackers]] and online video gamers. During the 1990s, and into the early 21st century, however, Leet became increasingly commonplace on the internet, and it has spread outside internet-based communication and into spoken languages.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mitchell|first=Anthony|title=A Leet Primer|date=December 6, 2005|url=http://www.technewsworld.com/story/47607.html#|access-date=2007-11-05|archive-date=April 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417170801/https://www.technewsworld.com/story/47607.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Other types of slang include [[SMS language]] used on mobile phones, and "chatspeak", (e.g., "[[LOL]]", an acronym meaning "laughing out loud" or "laugh out loud" or [[ROFL]], "rolling on the floor laughing"), which are widely used in instant messaging on the internet.<ref>{{cite web|title=Slang Dictionary|url=http://slang-dictionary.weebly.com/|access-date=April 9, 2013|archive-date=May 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515232719/http://slang-dictionary.weebly.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>

As subcultures are often forms of counterculture, which is understood to oppose the norm, it follows that slang has come to be associated with counterculture.