Transcript The Internet and the English Language

“The Internet and the English
Language
by Terence Carter
Charles Sauter
English Renaissance
• English is the language of choice for the
Internet
• Internet consist of an abundance of new
users
• Expected is a trend of improved writing
skills
• English tends to suffer
– Uninterested internet users
English Renaissance
Cont..
• Ex.
– Woman who types 80 words per minute typing
page after page of programming for her office
– Checked for errors by her colleagues: none
ever found
– Would be said that she has mastered the
keyboard
– However when the same woman wrote an
email to her coworker
English Renaissance cont.
• The email included phrases like;
– “thx!”
– “how R U”
– “I hope things R OK”
– The internet helps create bad habits
– People feel its acceptable to take short cuts
and cut corners with there grammar
Evolution or Devolution
• Internet evolution
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Allows users to disperse information quickly
Deliver information inexpensively
Express ideas
Instantly transmit files and documents
Use to be a tool for exclusive use of government,
educational and scientific communities
– Once consisted of 23 host computers now swelled to
over 19.5 million host computers 1 million web sites
– Originally difficult for layperson to understand
Evolution or Devolution
• Communication between users fast paced
• Users try to contend with the rush of incoming
information in real-time.
• Generates responses that are;
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Short in nature
Contain smaller words
More difficult to spell synonyms
Abbreviations become more active
Finesse is ignored in the interest of saving time
In Praise of Words
• Communication based on written word
• Closer to verbal interaction
• Net users tend to “speak” in loose and
informal tone
– Word choice often basic and diction tends to
be poor
– Users appear scared of using whole words
and complete sentences
In Praise of Words
• Stenography
– To transcribe the spoken or dictated word at a natural
talking speed onto paper pending translation into
proper English.
– Variation of stenography has become the standard
lingo for transmission of information online
– Using abbreviated language
• Conveys the message that the user did not have enough
time to write you proper English however this scalped down
version will be good enough to transmit the information
In Praise of Words
• Examples of acronyms and Abbreviations
– Wrt (with respect to)
– <g> (for grin)
– LOL (laughing out loud)
– TTYL (type to you later)
The use of these expressions with the users
omitting common conventions of the English
language like; punctuation, spelling, syntax
makes reading there writing difficult to
comprehend.
Training and Tools
• Lack of training and knowledge about
internet tools may also contribute to the
nature of Internet communications
– Ex
• Old naval explorers set sail with no maps of where
they were going but instead had experience in
naval navigation and great knowledge of the seas
they were efficient in sailing but it was not
perfected
Training and Tools
cont…
• Modern Explorer of the Internet
– Set sail upon vast sea of information without the
knowledge of, or experience with the tools at his or
her disposal.
– Such people may seek to cut corners in areas which
they know like the English language
– Spend more time learning about the Internet
– Spelling and grammar checkers
• Useful tools but are not without flaws
• Don’t identify words used improperly or out of context
All Things Must Change
• New technologies become part of
everyday life
• Language Changes
– Ex. Everyday language might hear people
talking about “being online” or things
“crashing” all because of computers and the
internet
– More terms are incorrectly used, more
skewed meanings of words gain legitimacy
All Things Must Change cont.
• Most common usage of words and
expressions win out
• English language and the way we use it
will be altered to incorporate them
• New words and meanings are adequately
constructed to describe concepts
necessary for effective communication
Conclusion
• Internet Communication has its own set of rules:
rules that do not follow the standards of good
English
• Don't know whether this is evolution of language
or just a phase that must be endured.
• When a comfortable medium between today’s
“net-speak” and standard English is reached, we
will be able to see positive changes in the
English Language