Pwn

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Pwn (below: Various pronunciations) is a leetspeak slang term derived from the verb "own",[1][2][3] as meaning to appropriate or to conquer to gain ownership. The term implies domination or humiliation of a rival,[4] used primarily in the Internet gaming culture to taunt an opponent who has just been soundly defeated (e.g., "You just got pwned!").[5] It was popular among Counter-Strike gamers before spreading through the more general Internet world.[6] The past tense and past participle, pwned, may also be spelled: pwnd, pwn'd, pwn3d, pwnt, poned, pawned, or powned.[citation needed]

In hacker jargon, pwn means to compromise or control, specifically another computer (server or PC), web site, gateway device, or application. It is synonymous with one of the definitions of hacking or cracking. The Pwnie Awards are awarded by a group of security researchers.[4]

Popularity of the term among teenagers rose in the mid-2000s, with the spread from the Internet written form to use in spoken language.[7]

Contents

Etymology

The word pwn might have arisen and spread as a common typo of the word "own" because the "p" and "o" keys are adjacent on a standard English keyboard.[7][8] However, it is also suggested that the word is a portmanteau of the words "power" and "owned," or alternatively, "perfectly owned."[9]

Various pronunciations

'Pwn' has no generally accepted pronunciation. variants include /oʊn/, /poʊn/, /pəʔˈoʊn/, /pɔːn/, /piˈoʊn/ and /pwəʔˈn̩/.

Even though the word pwn appears as early as 1989, because it is primarily used in written form only, it has no single accepted pronunciation. Originally, 'pwn' and its variants were pronounced /ˈoʊn/) in the same way as the derived verb 'own'; the tail of the 'p' being "silent". A notable usage of this pronunciation can be seen in the Internet distributed series Pure Pwnage (pronounced "pure ownage",[10] /ˈpjʊər ˈoʊnɨdʒ/).

As the internet, and to a lesser degree online games are still primarily text based mediums, it is far more common to see the word written than to hear it spoken. As such, while most of those speaking the word and will attempt to vocalise the 'p', there is no standardized pronunciation. Common pronunciations vocalising the 'p' include "pone", "pwen", "pawn", "pun"[11] and "pyeon".

Only two words in English have a "w" as a vowel; both are Welsh loanwords. A cwm (pronounced /kuːm/ to rhyme with "womb") is a cirque in a mountaintop, and a crwth (pronounced /kɹuːθ/ to rhyme with "tooth") is a type of lyre. Under this convention "pwn" would be pronounced in the same way as the final syllable of "harpoon" (pronounced /puːn/), though this is not typically done.

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ "Pwned - 10 Tales of Appropriation in Video Games" (Martin Pichlmair)
  2. ^ "Computer Slang"
  3. ^ Ludlow, Peter; and Wallace, Mark (2007). The Second Life Herald. MIT Press. p. 53. ISBN 0262122944
  4. ^ a b Naone, Erica (November 2008). "The Flaw at the Heart of the Internet", Technology Review 111 (6): 62–67.
  5. ^ Peckham, Aaron (2007). Mo' urban dictionary: ridonkulous street slang defined. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 230. ISBN 0740768751
  6. ^ Beaudoin, Andy (April 26, 2007). "A brave new World", The Update. Retrieved on 2009-05-23.
  7. ^ a b Bennett, Dean (February 8, 2007). "Teen slang now following Internet shortcuts", Canadian Press. Convenience link.
  8. ^ About.com, pwn - own, accessed 2006-01-01.
  9. ^ Australian Broadcasting Corporation, [1], Accessed 9th November 2009.
  10. ^ The word "pwnage" can be pronounced several different ways. The show's creators pronounce it "ownage". Jeremy justifies this pronunciation with the following statements: "When people say ˈpoʊn, they sound like a complete fag, and I'm not cool with being a fag, so I pronounce it 'own'." "'Pwn' was originally a typo of 'own', because the 'P' is near the 'O' on the keyboard. The person is still trying to say 'own'." [TeamSpeak chat, December 13, 2005].
  11. ^ Pwn, PC Magazine Experts Help Encyclopedia, accessed 2 March 2008.
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