Language And Technology Flashcards
Computer-mediated communication (CMC)
any form of communication that uses the medium of a keyboard or digital service, rather than being spoken or written
Examples of cmc
Facebook, email, twitter, Wikipedia, memes etc
Characteristics of CMC
- turn taking
- ephemeral (temporary/shortlived)
- largely social in function
- allows language to take visual form but offering many characteristics of spoken language
CMC texts tend to involve…
- increased interactivity
- multimodal texts
- text image cohesion
- intertextuality
- collaborative writing / multiple authors
Susan Herring (1996)
CMC is a form of communication that takes place between human beings via the instrumentality of computers. Computer sits between the text producer and receiver
Naomi Baron (2008)
CMC resembles speech in that it was largely unedited…
- Contains many first and second person pronouns.
- present tense and contractions.
- Generally informal.
- CMC looked like writing in that the medium was durable.
- wide range of vocabulary choices and complex syntax
What is one of the most productive ways for technology to shape language?
To invest old words with new meanings.
E.g. troll, spam, save, avatar, hack
Neologisms and technology
Blending
E.g. FaceBook, SnapChat, WhatsApp
Allen Metcalf (2016)
If an expression is widely used, it is because it is widely useful. People wouldn’t use a word if they didn’t find it useful
Functional theory of language
Language changes to suit the needs of its users in terms of cognition (relating information), expression (indicating mood), conation (exerting influence)
E.g. supported by Metcalf (2016)
Deutscher (2006)
Motives of language change
- economy = langauge changes to save its users time and energy e.g. abbreviations
- expressiveness = finding new ways to express or emphasise meaning when old ways lose power e.g. new ways to say “good”
- analogy = language changes in ways that match how other changes have taken place e.g. reduction in irregular plural nouns and increased regular plural “s”
What is SMS
Short Message Service or “texting”
- began in the late 1990s
- originally limited to 160 characters so people frequently used contractions and abbreviations
E.g. LOL, LMAO, C U THERE, BRB
David Crystal (2008)
- people have been initialising common phrases for ages e.g. IOU is known from 1618
- no difference apart from the medium of communication e.g. modern LOL and older SWALK (sealed with a loving kiss)
- omitting letters isn’t new e.g. Eric Partridge published a Dictionary of Abbreviations in 1942
Brown (2003), Lyddy et al (2014), Ling and Baron (2007), Wood et al (2011)
The % of abbreviations in text messages collected from peoples of various ages, ranges from as low as 3.2% among American College students but up to 40% among 8-12 year olds in UK schools (but varying depending on age within that group)
Texting and prescriptivism
- breaches formality in communications between students and teachers or workers and their employees
- influence on perceptions of appropriate formalist in different forms of communication
- articles in media= texting was increasing the use of poor English and that this would affect their writing
