Computer-mediated Communication- Potential and Actual Effects on the English Language

Ever since the extent of the Internet's popularity as a mass medium became foreseeable, linguists have speculated about and investigated its effect on the English language. Now that the majority of English speakers worldwide uses the Web to communicate, its influence on linguistic practices has never been more obvious. This book investigates the extent and nature of the Internet's impact on language use. It begins with a brief overview of Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) and its history, covering all of the most discussed and relevant aspects in respect to Internet and language. The following chapters analyse in great depth the Web's impact on vocabulary, and the process of lexical innovation. They cover new spelling and punctuation conventions that have developed online, and discuss the varying levels of formality and informality in language use. Finally, the book presents a detailed empiric study of the linguistics of business email. This investigation is targeted at an audience of linguists and laymen interested in how the daily use of email, chat and instant messenger alters the way we write and talk.