The use of AF in the US.

[Aamir Tariq]

I have been watching people broadcasting their videos on Periscope. I have seen many Americans are using "AF" in their broadcast titles. When I started watching their scopes I didn't understand what "AF" meant, but later I learned it meant "As F**k", like "I am high (drunk) af".

Now, the point here is that when we compare somebody with someone else especially when they are having the same attributes, we use the following structure.

as+adjective+as

Steve is as tall as Kevin.
Emma is as intelligent as Jennifer.

as+adverb+as

He runs as fast as I do.
She speaks French as fluently as Anna does.

(The point of confusion)

Now why there is a single "as" in AF (As F**k)? It should have been something like "as .... as f**k".

Like the Americans say, "I am high as f**k", but they don't say, "I am as high as f**k". They drop the first "as".

(Bellow is my conclusion, please correct me if I am wrong)

From this construction. I think they are not comparing themselves or someone with someone else, but they are putting more stress on what they are feeling just as they use "as hell" too. Keeping this in mind, I think "as f**k" or "AF" can also be replaced by "as hell", like.

I'm high as hell". or "I am high as f**k" are interchangeable.

just as "hell" and "f**k" are interchangeable in the followings constructions too.

Who the hell is he.
Who the f**k is he.

I'm sorry to have used the F word on this forum. But this is how Americans are using it in their scopes (broadcasts) on Periscope. At first I got confused but afterwards I got used to it.

To end my post for those of you who are not familiar with Periscope and the terminology "scope" they use. Periscope is a cell phone app for live streaming, and "scope" means "broadcast" or "video stream" on Periscope.

 

[Skrej]

Be advised that many English speakers consider the 'f' word one of the most offensive words there is. I would suggest that you edit your post with some asterisks - a good approach any time you need to refer to offensive words. Simply asterisk out some of the letters, typically the offending vow*l, especially when doing so repeatedly.

That being said, 'AF' is not standard usage, and is slang, text/chat speak, highly non-standard, and extremely informal. As such, don't look for any rhyme or reason or expect it to comply to standard grammar. It's just slang, and you're wasting your time trying to rationalize it against standard grammar as such.

It's just another chat acronym or text speak that for some reason has crept into use outside of chat/text. Occasionally people try to use them outside of chat/texting.

 

[J&K Tutoring]

​

I would suggest that you edit your post with some asterisks - a good approach any time you need to refer to offensive words.​

I disagree. Especially in a forum such as this one, clarity and specificity should be paramount, and sensitivity has no place when responding in a frank and open way to a valid question. Blanking out letters does not change the word, and any offense taken will not be altered by a few asterisks.

 

[probus]

It is an error to think that AF is a comparitive. It is not. F*ck is an absolute. You cannot make a comparison that is better or worse than f*ck.

 

[GoesStation]

Especially in a forum such as this one, clarity and specificity should be paramount, and sensitivity has no place when responding in a frank and open way to a valid question. Blanking out letters does not change the word, and any offense taken will not be altered by a few asterisks.

Nevertheless, profanity violates the forum's rules.

 

[Aamir Tariq]

Nevertheless, profanity violates the forum's rules.

I agree, it certainly does. We were never taught those things at school and never read them in any of our course books. But this is the way it is. Such things are being used in conversations by native speakers and when a newbie like me who is passionate about learning new things and almost everything he comes across when he hears a native speaker saying it over and over again, it certainly develops a curiosity in his heart to learn about it. "AF" is the most used word in broadcast titles on Periscope. And people are using it in a very normal way, even if it is non-standard.

 

[Aamir Tariq]

It is an error to think that AF is a comparitive. It is not. F*ck is an absolute. You cannot make a comparison that is better or worse than f*ck.

So, it is just a non-standard way of putting stress on something or making it more emphatic, like
"I am high af" means "I'm over-drunk", or I'm extremely drunk". and it has nothing to do with comparison and since it's non-standard, no grammar rules apply here.

Correct me if I'm wrong but this is the conclusion I can make from your post.

 

[GoesStation]

So, it is just a non-standard way of putting stress on something or making it more emphatic, like
"I am high af" means "I'm over-drunk", or I'm extremely drunk". and it has nothing to do with comparison and since it's non-standard, no grammar rules apply here.

Correct me if I'm wrong but this is the conclusion I can make from your post.

Slang changes over time. High used to mean "moderately drunk", then shifted in the late sixties to "intoxicated on drugs", which is what I would guess the quoted text means. However, it's possible that alcohol is now one of the intoxicants being high can cover.

 

[emsr2d2]

I have already edited post #1 to add asterisks to the profanity. I started doing it as soon as I saw the contents of the thread, before I had even seen the multiple suggestions that the OP do it.
I've saved you a job, Aamir.

 

[probus]

The abbreviation AF is very commonly used online, presumably to avoid both profanity and asterisks.

Every day I see many instances of {adjective} AF. Everyone knows what it means.

 

[GoesStation]

The abbreviation AF is very commonly used online .... Everyone knows what it means.

I had never seen it before this thread. :-(

 

[GoesStation]

I didn't know anything about scopes and periscopes, either.

We must live in a yellow submarine.

 

[J&K Tutoring]

Oh, good grief! Can we not, as language professionals (and adults?), separate the word from the intention?

It is abundantly clear that the OP knows that this is a harsh word with a harsh connotation.

Certainly, the moderators of this forum do and should keep the discourse civil. All posters should monitor their posts to comply or risk being banned. But an honest question about (unfortunately) common usage of an English word should not generate this kind of kneejerk reaction.

Are students supposed to somehow know how to ‘asterisk out’ the naughty bits?

Perhaps the moderators should post a list of words that students- who simply want to understand how native speakers use the English language (however profanely)- are not allowed to ask about.

 

[Tdol]

I disagree. Especially in a forum such as this one, clarity and specificity should be paramount, and sensitivity has no place when responding in a frank and open way to a valid question. Blanking out letters does not change the word, and any offense taken will not be altered by a few asterisks.

I have been exchanging emails all week with a teacher in the US who objected to the fact that she had found the word porn on our site. I explained that we were not catering for very young learners, but she maintained that the word had no place in education. There are people from different cultures here, and pages may be blocked by filters in some educational places if we leave the words in place. The entire site could be blocked in some countries for this. So there are practical reasons for doing it.

I can see your point, but a few asterisks can avoid problems. It leaves the word recognisable, but is a generally accepted way of letting those offended know that you are taking their views into consideration, allowing the discussion to proceed.

 

[Rover_KE]

I had never seen it before this thread. :-(

Nor had I.

Perhaps I should start twittering, tindering, bookfacing ... whatever.

 

[Aamir Tariq]

I have already edited post #1 to add asterisks to the profanity. I started doing it as soon as I saw the contents of the thread, before I had even seen the multiple suggestions that the OP do it.
I've saved you a job, Aamir.

Thanks for editing post #1 in the first place.
Sorry but I don't know what you mean by "OP". Can you please tell me what OP is?
You said, "I've saved you a job." What does that mean? I don't have a job on this forum.

Sorry for my stupid questions, they might sound silly but I didn't get what you really meant.

 

[Aamir Tariq]

You are not alone, GS.

I didn't know anything about scopes and periscopes, either.

Periscope app is available for free you can download it from Google Playstore, if you have android. I love this app because it brought me closer to the native speakers. I really enjoy watching live streams. It is popular in both the USA, and the Great Britain since the people from these countries go live over it.

 

[Aamir Tariq]

I have been exchanging emails all week with a teacher in the US who objected to the fact that she had found the word porn on our site. I explained that we were not catering for very young learners, but she maintained that the word had no place in education. There are people from different cultures here, and pages may be blocked by filters in some educational places if we leave the words in place. The entire site could be blocked in some countries for this. So there are practical reasons for doing it.

I can see your point, but a few asterisks can avoid problems. It leaves the word recognisable, but is a generally accepted way of letting those offended know that you are taking their views into consideration, allowing the discussion to proceed.

I am extremely sorry for using it without asterisks, I shouldn't have used it and I had no intention to offend anyone at all.

 

[GoesStation]

The Periscope app is available for free. You can download it from the Google Play store, if you have Android. I love this app because it has brought me closer to [STRIKE]the[/STRIKE] native speakers. I really enjoy watching live streams. It is popular in both the USA [no comma] and [STRIKE]the[/STRIKE] Great Britain [or the United Kingdom] because [STRIKE]since the[/STRIKE] people from these countries go live over it.

See above. I struck out the last definite article because only some people from those countries use the app; including the makes it sound like every person in those countries uses it.

 

[Rover_KE]

I started adding asterisks as soon as I saw the contents of the thread, before I had even seen the multiple suggestions that the OP do it.

Thanks for editing post #1 in the first place.

Sorry but I don't know what you mean by "OP". Can you please tell me what OP is?

You said, "I've saved you a job." What does that mean? I don't have a job on this forum.

'The OP' means 'the original poster' (that's you, Aamir). [It can also be used in other contexts to mean 'the original post'.]

The job we asked you to do was edit your post with asterisks. Ems did that for you, so she saved you a job – in other words, she did the work so that you don't have to do it.