(CRIENGLISH.com)
Updated: 2008-05-22 16:06

BEIJING -- Do you know what "3Q" means? How about "Orz" or "= ="? Believe it or not, this so-called "Martian Language" has become a hit among teenagers in China.

An undated picture shows a letter written in the "Martin Language," the new craze for Chinese teenagers. [dayoo.com]

An online survey showed that 80 percent of Chinese teenagers aged 15 to 20 are using Martian Language. Out of a class of 50 in a middle school in south China's Guangzhou city, 70 percent were crazy about the "Martin Language," according to the local newspaper, Information Times.

Since most teachers and parents cannot understand the new "words," it has become an effective way for students to keep their correspondence private. Privacy seems to be the biggest factor in the popularity of the new languages.

However, students feel that, in addition to being a secret tool for communicating with best friends, the language gives them a sense of identity.

The "Martian Language" is a term used to describe words in the Chinese speaking cyberspace that are not commonly recognized. The words are a combination of English letters, Chinese characters, Internet slang and symbols. The language first became popular in Taiwan in 2004, and then spread to the mainland in 2007.