“The Internet and the English Language” by Terence Carter Presented by Lauren Snyder April 25 th, 2007

Introduction The Internet allows users to communicate quickly and effectively, but this leads to a degraded syntax. The English language suffers at the hands of Internet users. Although written, communication over the internet is often loose and informal and resembles the spoken word. Internet users have morphed Standard English into their own language that is faster and easier to use

The Nature of the Internet It is seen as acceptable to take such short cuts in e- mails because it seems that everyone else does. Enables users to disseminate and deliver information quickly and inexpensively, express unrestricted and uncensored ideas, and instantly transmit electronic files and documents

Recent Developments Widespread use of and IRC (Internet Relay Chat, or "Chat Rooms"), and the creation of web pages dealing with every imaginable topic Target audience is reached instantly Communication between users tends to be fast paced, as users try to contend with the rush of incoming information in real-time. Increased pressure to receive, process, and react to information on the fly often results in responses that are, in general, curt or short in nature

The Nature of Internet Communication Loose and informal tone Colloquial word choice and usually poor diction Shorthand and abbreviations for the sake of saving time (LOL, TTYL) Omission of punctuation, spelling, syntax, and capitalization These characteristics often make “Internet speak” hard to comprehend for the average person.

“Invisible Person” Syndrome People are less conscientious about their grammar, punctuation, and spelling on the Internet because they can remain somewhat anonymous. Many people feel that the people with whom they are conversing online do not know or care who they are Poorer writing skills are considered the “standard” of Internet communication, and therefore, users of this colloquial speech are not singled out.

Training and Tools A lack of understanding about the Internet may lead many users to overlook something they have mastered (the English language) in favor of something that they are not familiar with Spelling and grammar checkers are not without flaws. For example, spell check will not catch incorrectly used homonyms.

Conclusion Internet communication has its own set of rules: rules that do not follow the standards of good English. Language evolves: the most common usage of words and expressions win out, and the English language and the way we use it will be altered to incorporate them. In order to see positive changes in the English language, we must find a comfortable medium between today's "net-speak" and standard English. Any questions?