Teh
Encyclopedia
Teh is an Internet slang
neologism most frequently used as an English article
, based on a common typographical error
of "the". Teh has subsequently developed grammatical usages distinct from the. It is not common in spoken or written English outside technical or leet
speak circles, but when spoken, it is pronounced t or t.
Teh is one of the words in the auto-correct lists of spellcheckers in word processing
applications such as Microsoft Word
, OpenOffice.org Writer
, Pages
, and Corel WordPerfect
. T and E are typed by the left hand on adjacent fingers in Qwerty
, while the H is typed by the right, and in rapid typing, the T and E are often typed by the left hand in a drumming motion before the right can get the H in between the two. Overcompensating with the right hand can result in the misspelling hte, which is also found in auto-correct lists.
, teh is a standard feature of leet
speak. Originating from the common typo, it has become conventionalized in a variety of contexts. It is often used ironically, and can be used to mock someone's lack of "techie
" knowledge or skills, as an insult, or to reinforce a group's elitism; cf. eye dialect
. It is frequently used to denote mock ignorance of over-used and over-determined concepts (e.g., "long live teh Patriarchy").
As slang, grammatical usage of the word teh is somewhat fluid. Besides being an alternate spelling of the, teh also has grammatical properties not generally applied to the; in general, it is used somewhat like an intensified the. The spelling derived from a typographical mistake seen as the symptom of excitement, much the same as the interjection of the numeral one between exclamation marks. It can be used with proper names, as in "teh John;" compare the usage of the definite article in Greek: ο Ιωαννης (o Ioannes), literally "The John". A similar usage comes from colloquial German
, where the definite article
is used as a specifier to modify the noun
: "Der Johann", again literally, "The John", could be used to identify John, and not Phil, as the subject performing a certain action. In Latin
, the similar word ille and its declensions, which was at first an intensified article usually translated as "that", is the source of the derivations of the simple word for the and the personal pronouns (he, etc.) in the languages derived from Latin.
Furthermore, teh can be used in front of a verb
in a novel form of gerund
, and it has the ability to turn nearly any word into an intensified noun, which can take the place of a superlative. The best-known example of this is the word suck. Thus, the phrase "this sucks" can be converted into "this is teh suck" ("teh suck" being equivalent to the superlative "the suckiest", or simply "sucky"); the word pwn
can be similarly converted (teh pwn or teh pwnage). The latter phrase is primarily used by the computer gaming community, and often intended humorously.
In English, the can be used as an intensifier for the superlative
form of adjective
s; compare "that is best" and "that is the best." Teh has a similar use as an intensifier for unmodified adjectives, generally marking a sarcastic
tone. For example, "that is teh lame" translates as "that is the lamest." This is similar to the use of the definite article el in Spanish
. For example, "Soy el mejor" (I am the best) and "I am teh good." This contrasts with the use of the in English to construct mass nouns (substantives) from adjectives, as in "blessed are the meek", where the meek denotes a class of people who are meek. On the other hand, "blessed are teh humble" would refer to an intensified group or individual who is "the most humble".
for "TEH Extremely Hardcore".
Internet slang
Internet slang is a type of slang that Internet users have popularized, and in many cases, have coined. Such terms often originate with the purpose of saving keystrokes. Many people use the same abbreviations in texting and instant messaging, and social networking websites...
neologism most frequently used as an English article
Article (grammar)
An article is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun. Articles specify the grammatical definiteness of the noun, in some languages extending to volume or numerical scope. The articles in the English language are the and a/an, and some...
, based on a common typographical error
Typographical error
A typographical error is a mistake made in, originally, the manual type-setting of printed material, or more recently, the typing process. The term includes errors due to mechanical failure or slips of the hand or finger, but usually excludes errors of ignorance, such as spelling errors...
of "the". Teh has subsequently developed grammatical usages distinct from the. It is not common in spoken or written English outside technical or leet
Leet
Leet , also known as eleet or leetspeak, is an alternative alphabet for the English language that is used primarily on the Internet. It uses various combinations of ASCII characters to replace Latinate letters...
speak circles, but when spoken, it is pronounced t or t.
Teh is one of the words in the auto-correct lists of spellcheckers in word processing
Word processing
Word processing is the creation of documents using a word processor. It can also refer to advanced shorthand techniques, sometimes used in specialized contexts with a specially modified typewriter.-External links:...
applications such as Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word is a word processor designed by Microsoft. It was first released in 1983 under the name Multi-Tool Word for Xenix systems. Subsequent versions were later written for several other platforms including IBM PCs running DOS , the Apple Macintosh , the AT&T Unix PC , Atari ST , SCO UNIX,...
, OpenOffice.org Writer
OpenOffice.org Writer
OpenOffice.org Writer is the word processor component of the OpenOffice.org software package. Writer is a word processor similar to Microsoft Word and Corel's WordPerfect, with some of their features....
, Pages
Pages
Pages is a word processor and page layout application developed by Apple. It is part of the iWork productivity suite and runs on the Mac OS X & iOS operating systems. The first version of Pages was announced on January 11, 2005, and was released one month later. The most recent Macintosh version,...
, and Corel WordPerfect
WordPerfect
WordPerfect is a word processing application, now owned by Corel.Bruce Bastian, a Brigham Young University graduate student, and BYU computer science professor Dr. Alan Ashton joined forces to design a word processing system for the city of Orem's Data General Corp. minicomputer system in 1979...
. T and E are typed by the left hand on adjacent fingers in Qwerty
QWERTY
QWERTY is the most common modern-day keyboard layout. The name comes from the first six letters appearing in the topleft letter row of the keyboard, read left to right: Q-W-E-R-T-Y. The QWERTY design is based on a layout created for the Sholes and Glidden typewriter and sold to Remington in the...
, while the H is typed by the right, and in rapid typing, the T and E are often typed by the left hand in a drumming motion before the right can get the H in between the two. Overcompensating with the right hand can result in the misspelling hte, which is also found in auto-correct lists.
Usage
Along with pwnPwn
Pwn is a leetspeak slang term derived from the verb own, as meaning to appropriate or to conquer to gain ownership. The term implies domination or humiliation of a rival, used primarily in the Internet-based video game culture to taunt an opponent who has just been soundly defeated .In hacker...
, teh is a standard feature of leet
Leet
Leet , also known as eleet or leetspeak, is an alternative alphabet for the English language that is used primarily on the Internet. It uses various combinations of ASCII characters to replace Latinate letters...
speak. Originating from the common typo, it has become conventionalized in a variety of contexts. It is often used ironically, and can be used to mock someone's lack of "techie
Geek
The word geek is a slang term, with different meanings ranging from "a computer expert or enthusiast" to "a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts", with a general pejorative meaning of "a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, esp[ecially] one who is perceived to...
" knowledge or skills, as an insult, or to reinforce a group's elitism; cf. eye dialect
Eye dialect
Eye dialect is the use of non-standard spelling for speech to draw attention to pronunciation. The term was originally coined by George P. Krapp to refer to the literary technique of using non-standard spelling that implies a pronunciation of the given word that is actually standard, such as...
. It is frequently used to denote mock ignorance of over-used and over-determined concepts (e.g., "long live teh Patriarchy").
As slang, grammatical usage of the word teh is somewhat fluid. Besides being an alternate spelling of the, teh also has grammatical properties not generally applied to the; in general, it is used somewhat like an intensified the. The spelling derived from a typographical mistake seen as the symptom of excitement, much the same as the interjection of the numeral one between exclamation marks. It can be used with proper names, as in "teh John;" compare the usage of the definite article in Greek: ο Ιωαννης (o Ioannes), literally "The John". A similar usage comes from colloquial German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, where the definite article
Definite Article
Definite Article is the title of British comedian Eddie Izzard's 1996 performance released on VHS. It was recorded on different nights at the Shaftesbury Theatre...
is used as a specifier to modify the noun
Noun
In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition .Lexical categories are defined in terms of how their members combine with other kinds of...
: "Der Johann", again literally, "The John", could be used to identify John, and not Phil, as the subject performing a certain action. In Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, the similar word ille and its declensions, which was at first an intensified article usually translated as "that", is the source of the derivations of the simple word for the and the personal pronouns (he, etc.) in the languages derived from Latin.
Furthermore, teh can be used in front of a verb
Verb
A verb, from the Latin verbum meaning word, is a word that in syntax conveys an action , or a state of being . In the usual description of English, the basic form, with or without the particle to, is the infinitive...
in a novel form of gerund
Gerund
In linguistics* As applied to English, it refers to the usage of a verb as a noun ....
, and it has the ability to turn nearly any word into an intensified noun, which can take the place of a superlative. The best-known example of this is the word suck. Thus, the phrase "this sucks" can be converted into "this is teh suck" ("teh suck" being equivalent to the superlative "the suckiest", or simply "sucky"); the word pwn
Pwn
Pwn is a leetspeak slang term derived from the verb own, as meaning to appropriate or to conquer to gain ownership. The term implies domination or humiliation of a rival, used primarily in the Internet-based video game culture to taunt an opponent who has just been soundly defeated .In hacker...
can be similarly converted (teh pwn or teh pwnage). The latter phrase is primarily used by the computer gaming community, and often intended humorously.
In English, the can be used as an intensifier for the superlative
Superlative
In grammar, the superlative is the form of an adjective that indicates that the person or thing modified has the quality of the adjective to a degree greater than that of anything it is being compared to in a given context. English superlatives are typically formed with the suffix -est In...
form of adjective
Adjective
In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....
s; compare "that is best" and "that is the best." Teh has a similar use as an intensifier for unmodified adjectives, generally marking a sarcastic
Sarcasm
Sarcasm is “a sharp, bitter, or cutting expression or remark; a bitter jibe or taunt.” Though irony and understatement is usually the immediate context, most authorities distinguish sarcasm from irony; however, others argue that sarcasm may or often does involve irony or employs...
tone. For example, "that is teh lame" translates as "that is the lamest." This is similar to the use of the definite article el in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. For example, "Soy el mejor" (I am the best) and "I am teh good." This contrasts with the use of the in English to construct mass nouns (substantives) from adjectives, as in "blessed are the meek", where the meek denotes a class of people who are meek. On the other hand, "blessed are teh humble" would refer to an intensified group or individual who is "the most humble".
Name
Because of the popular slang usage of teh in certain circles, particularly among software developers, it has been adopted as the formal name (or part thereof) of software projects. For example, in the realm of web-based applications, TEH is a minimalist blog engine written using Google App Engine. TEH Engine is a prototype 3D game engine—TEH in this case is a recursive acronymRecursive acronym
A recursive acronym is an acronym or initialism that refers to itself in the expression for which it stands...
for "TEH Extremely Hardcore".