## [More on abbreviations](/favourite-articles/more-on-abbreviations)
## Avertissement
Ce contenu est offert en anglais seulement.
Barbara McClintock
(*Language Update*, Volume 9, Number 4, 2013, page 45)
Despite dire predictions of the death of literacy, people are writing more than ever because of computers and social media. However, abbreviations spawned by the Internet and texting have evolved into *leetspeak* (from *elite* speak) for people in the know, which replaces letters by numbers or other characters. "Leet" or "1337" is another alphabet for the English language largely based on symbols, phonetics, hacker and video-gamer terms and substituting ASCII characters for letters, e.g.
ILU or 143 *=* I love you (*1 = I* is one letter; *4 = love* is four letters; *3 = you* is three letters);
182 = I hate you (uses phonetics; 8 sounds like *hate*).
So, *see you later, alligator* might be translated as *CUL8RA* or *CULA*.
## *Billet* and *bobettes*
In the 2013 *Petit Robert*, there are several new social media terms such as *lol*, *ferme de contenus* (content farm) and *billet* (blog post). However, the *Petit Robert* has disappointingly accepted two alternate spellings of the English verb *tweet* rather than the Quebec creation *gazouiller*. This is also the case for the 2013 *Petit Larousse*, which includes *twitteur* and *twitteuse*, so one can now write "les twitteurs twittent," or preferably *tweetent* because "twit" is a type of insult both in English and Quebec French.
To publicize its Quebecism entries, the *Petit Robert* has launched a charming advertising video (*publi-vidéo* in French and *publivideo* in Spanish) featuring Fred Pellerin. The Quebec storyteller manages to link the *Petit Robert* to Bob and *bobettes*, which means underwear. A whimsical Fred Pellerin quote is also provided in the new entry for *bobettes*. In Belgium, *bobette* is the term used for designated driver.
## Forensic accounting and the new Canadian CPA
In a bid to introduce a new, unified designation, the Chartered Accountants (CAs), Certified Management Accountants (CMAs) and Certified General Accountants (CGAs), Canada’s three legacy organizations, are debating adopting the same initials as the American Certified Public Accountants (CPAs), but with a Canadian twist: *Chartered Professional Accountant* / *Comptable professionnel agréé*. And to distinguish between those who audit and those who do not, an auditor in Quebec is now a *CPA auditor* / *CPA auditeur*. Quebec has taken the lead in adopting the unification, while the other provinces are still debating the issue, which is part of a movement to globalize designations. For example, the Certified Professional Forensic Accountant designation is recognized in both Canada and the United States according to the association’s website.[1](#note1 "Go to note 1") However, the most common Canadian designation is IFA for Investigative and Forensic Accounting or EJC in Quebec for *expert en juricomptabilité*.
## Forensic linguistics in the news
Robert W. Shuy, author of *Creating Language Crimes*, is considered a pioneer in forensic linguistics. This growing field came into the public eye with the 1996 Unibomber case. Retired FBI forensic linguist James Fitzgerald studied samples of Ted Kaczynski’s writing and discovered similarities between his unique writing style and the Unibomber’s manifesto.[2](#note2 "Go to note 2") Forensic linguists analyze texts, such as suicide notes and emails, to try to find clues about the writers who leave linguistic fingerprints or markers.
The Word Geek’s enquiries have resulted in new records in *TERMIUM Plus*® and the *Grand dictionnaire terminologique* (Office québécois de la langue française). The main entry is *linguistique judiciaire*, which was recommended to me by a terminologist at the Translation Bureau. The OQLF also accepts *linguistique légale* as a synonym. The occupation may be referred to as *linguiste judiciaire* or *linguiste légiste*. The latter job title is modelled on *médecin légiste*, and it should be noted that the word *légiste* should only be used for people in a legal context.[Remark a](#fn-a)
## The universal language of sleuthing
To end on a note of levity, I recently noticed an intriguing ad for the second season of the hit BBC television series: *Sherlock, saison 2: un final qui vous scotche au fauteuil*.[3](#note3 "Go to note 3") The image of Sherlock sitting in a chair swirling a glass of Scotch came to mind. Although it looks English, *scotcher* is a verb that the French formed from the 3M Scotch Tape brand name. It wasn’t a fluke because I also read the expression in the French translation of Swedish author Stieg Larsson’s third *Millennium* novel, "*À un moment donné, quand j’avais toujours la bouche scotchée….*"[4](#note4 "Go to note 4") To translate that phrase, I would definitely prefer that strong Canadian symbol—duct tape. You may recall the duct tape incident in *The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest* when Salander’s serious wounds were cleverly "bandaged with duct tape \[that\] kept bacteria out and blood in." *Duct-tape* is becoming increasingly popular as a verb, and I recommend it as a translation for *scotcher* if you need a more colourful verb than *tape*.
## Remarks
Remark aThanks to Jocelyne Bougie (OQLF), Louise L’écuyer (Translation Bureau) and especially Susan Mott, C. Tr.
[Return to remark a referrer](#fn-a-rf)
## Notes
Footnote 1[Institute of Certified Forensic Accountants](http://www.forensicglobal.org/)
[Return to footnote 1 referrer](#fn1-rf)
Footnote 2Jack Hitt, “[Can linguists solve crimes that stump the police](http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/07/23/120723fa_fact_hitt)?,” *The New Yorker*, July 23, 2012.
[Return to footnote 2 referrer](#fn2-rf)
Footnote 3Delphine Rivet, *[Reviewer.fr](http://reviewer.lavoixdunord.fr/fr/series/dossiers/52390-sherlock-saison-2-un-final-qui-vous-scotche-au-fauteuil/ "Reviewer.fr - Sherlock, saison 2 : un final qui vous scotche au fauteuil")*, January 16, 2012.
[Return to footnote 3 referrer](#fn3-rf)
Footnote 4*La reine dans le palais des courants d’air*, Actes Sud, 2007, p. 414.
[Return to footnote 4 referrer](#fn4-rf)
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