The Internet has changed the way we write. It's influenced how we speak and how we act and, I would even argue, how we think. Being a language person, I really love to think about how language changes and is influenced.
Consider the following ways of writing that are normal on the Internet, but perhaps were not the norm prior:
-Acronyms for often-used phrases (LOL, YMMV)
-Written sounds we make to convey speech (meh, gah)
-Use of punctuation to describe how we are speaking (emphasizing. every. word. A lot!!!)
-Purposely mis-spelled words for effect (teh, haz)
-Brand new words to describe brand new things (tweets, blogosphere)
-Emoticons/phrases to express, well, emotions ( ;-), I <3 your blog)
Those are just a few I thought of off the top of my head. I'm sure there are many more examples of how the Internet is changing our language.
This week's question of the week is:
What is your favorite new way of writing that you get from the Internet?
I've got two: the written sounds and the punctuation to show the speech pattern. I especially love the words "meh" and "gah!" And I'm a huge user of the periods between words and multiple question marks or exclaimation points. It's just cause I love. them. so. MUCH!!!!
What about you? Do you find yourself using the acronyms regularly or throwing some internet words out in real life? Do you like the changes in teh language or r u wishing everyone would still write out the words even if it means longer texts? Any cool interweb speak that I missed which you enjoy?
4 comments:
i always 'wrote like a talked' except when constrained, so that's probably about the same... what i enjoy linguistically is prolific 'new' words/phrases travel across the internet. it took about a decade for "awesome!" to travel from the coasts inwards, i imagine, in the 80s. now it would take about 7 layers of "share".
The only significant contribution i have to make to the discussion, then, is to point to www.urbandictionary.com as a handy bookmark for when the latest meme pops up (rule 34? whazzat?... oh. ohhh. oh)
; D
Nothing new to add but I do love an exclamation point!! And emoticons ;) And I use them all.the.time. lol
Man, I am such a shitty writer. For reelz! (That would be one of my new fave expressions.) I'm also a devotee of the DH, DS, DD abbreviations. They are neat because the internet is only one place in the universe where that would be understood, and they also seem a bit internet old school - like the cool kids aren't using them anymore.
Ok I'm going to get the details wrong because I'm going from memory, but I read somewhere that it took something like 70 years for the telephone to get 1 million users and it took Facebook 9 months. Craaaaazy.
I like how we try to type like we speak. Like how I said craaaaazy.
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