Cyberspace and language change.. The medium with more significant impact on language usage as well...
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Transcript of Cyberspace and language change.. The medium with more significant impact on language usage as well...
IMPACT OF THE INTERNET ON
LANGUAGECyberspace and language change.
Internet
The medium with more significant impact on language usage as well as change than the telegraph, telephone, radio, cinema, and TV all combined.
Comparison
Internet and Gutenberg's printing machine in 1436.
Comparison
Internet and Norman invasion in England of 1066.
Opposing Views
However, just as any past invention, the Internet's impact on society in general and on language in particular has raised opposing standpoints.
opponents
The Internet has caused considerable damage in terms of language usage and written proficiency.
Opponents
The Internet threatens national borders through manifest foreign influence and hegemony.
Opponents
The Internet threatens the existence of linguistic minorities and the linguistic identity of oppressed communities and nations.
Proponents
The Internet as a flat space promotes learning, democracy, and cultural understanding.
Proponents
Language change is inevitable and cannot be stopped.
Proponents
Languages are open systems. Change occurs as long as a language has
a speech community.
Proponents
English is seen as the lingua franca of the world.
Proponents
The Internet promotes efficient communication and bridges the gap between cultures and nations.
Proponents
The Internet is not a site of oppression.
Proponents
The Internet has promoted the revival of endangered languages strengthening and revitalizing speech communities.
Questions
However, how can we assert that the Internet, as the information highway of the twenty first century, is affecting speech and writing in a negative manner?
Questions
Can we attribute to it all instances of language change, or is language change a natural occurrence in any speech community?
Questions
Or is the Internet merely another social environment conducive to community building, where people develop their modes of communication and language skills in the same way that they have done through traditional means throughout human history?
Statement
The Internet remains a positive force for social change.
Statement
Its impact on language is far from being negative.
Statement
Cyberspace has provided a positive platform that is conducive to:
Statement
Massive contact,
Statement
Community building,
Statement
Language change Language shift.
Blaming the Internet
The Internet, as has been the case for any new invention, is being blamed for most of the perceived ills of our societies, including language deficiency and language shift.
Blaming the Internet
There is "nothing new about fears accompanying the emergence of a new communications technology" (Crystal p2).
Blaming the Internet
In the fifteenth century, the Church thought of printing "as an invention of Satan" because it was thought that "the dissemination of uncensored ideas would lead to a breakdown of social order" (Crystal, p2).
Blaming the Internet
The telegraph was thought to be the medium that "would destroy the family and promote crime" (Crystal, p2).
Blaming the Internet
The telephone and broadcasting were thought to have negative effects on society as the first “would undermine society,” while the second was thought to “be the voice of propaganda” (Crystal, p2).
Internet and Language
Language pundits in the US.
Internet and Language
The Internet threatens the existence of language as linguistic heritage
Internet and Language
The Internet has caused English to become Deficient Sloppy adulterated
Internet and Language
Lack of consensus How to counter the Internet’s impact without
violating net neutrality and free speech.
Internet and Language
What constitutes a linguistic threat for some is progress for others.
Internet and Language
What would be the appropriate remedy for bad spelling, bad grammar, or bad usage?
France Versus English
l'Académie française The enforcer that ensures the proper usage of
French language to preserve its purity.
Cyberwar
Recently, France developed and launched a computer program that automatically replaces English words with French words
Cyberwar
As an example, some these words are: Baladeur = Walkman Logiciel = Software Courrier = Email Dialogue en ligne = Chat
Hugo Cháavez versus the US
Campaign Objectives Stopping American Imperialism
Hugo Cháavez versus the US
How? By replacing all American words with Spanish
equivalents .
Hugo Cháavez versus the US
Host = Servidor Mouse = Ratón Staff = Equipo
The US versus the Internet
Email "punctuation tends to be minimalist in most
situations, and completely absent in some e-mails and chat exchanges" (Crystal, p94).
The US versus the Internet
Computer mediated communication (CMC) : Chatting Texting
Deviant Spelling
The new generations and particularly teenage users are the ones who have “introduced several deviant spellings” (Crystal, p9), such as kool = cool,fone = phone and B4 = before.
Trash Communication
David Campbell states that “Email, blogs, chat rooms, MySpace and Facebook seem to be treated as "trash" forms of communication where good spelling and grammar are irrelevant.”
A Brave New World
The Internet has enriched the English language
Affected our cultural identity
A Brave New World
Transformed the way we think Do things Communicate Manage time for the sake of efficiency and
expediency.
Global Village
Global connections among individuals, communities and nations.
Internet and Language Acquisition
language acquisition Mother language Second language Foreign language
A Voice and Presence
Allowed isolated and disenfranchised communities to come out of their isolation and strengthen the bond with their cultures.
Internet jargons
Chatting and Texting lol: laughing out loud a/s/l: Age/Sex/Location dur: do you remember
Communication System
“1337 sp34k” or LEET SPEAK n00b13: n00bie = noobie, newbie, a novice
and also a person who is stupid. Ebonics Leet: j0 1s 4 n00b13 6r0! = yo is a
newbie bro! I h4x0rd you = I hacked you
I h4x0r j00 = I hacked you
Communication System
Aralish 2: Sou2l = Question 3: 3mal = Work 5: O5ti = My sister 7: A7lam = Dreams 8: Al8dra = Speech (La Parole) 9: 9mar = Moon.
Arabic Alphabet
English Dominance
English as superstratum Colonialism Linguistic Oppression Science Commerce
Skånska cementgjuteriet 1887 Became SKANSKA in 1984 eliminate diacritics in letters such as å/Å, ä/Ä,
and ö/Ö to make their products internationally marketable
Internet Growth
Internet and Education
Claire Kramsch from university of California, Berkley and Steven L. Thorne from Pennsylvania State University, the Internet and computer mediated communication (CMC) are helping student learn a second language.
Internet as a Social Force
Cyberspace overcame distance Forced cultures to open to each other Sometimes bridging the gap Other times widening it.
Internet as a social Force
The general consensus is that “the Internet will accelerate ongoing changes in languages and affect the cultural attitudes, norms, and values of internet users” (Hansson and Bunt-Kokhuis, August 2004).
Positive Impact
Internet has enriched languages Allowed minorities to reclaim their
linguistic heritage Language revival
Positive Impact
Native American languages, Hawaiian, and a host of other devalued languages having a strong presence on cyberspace
Empowering their communities Attracting even outside new speakers.
Positive Impact
Cultural identity and community identification, which are almost impossible to attain in traditional settings, especially by people who do not share community traits, such as multiracial individuals and marginalized ethnic groups, have been possible through interneting communities.
Conclusion
Change in itself is a natural occurrence as long as there are speech communities. Therefore, in the words of Franklin Roosevelt, we really have nothing to fear except fear itself. In the world of bits and bytes, similarly to the world of mortar and bricks, English is doing fine and does not need anyone to defend it. Languages are open systems that change from within and from without as long as they are alive.