Language and the Internet

CHAPTER: THREE

Finding an Identity

Chap 3

*Nadia Amaghou*Abdelhamid Bousaadi

HOW IS THE LINGUISTIC IDENTITY OF NETSPEAK UNCERTAIN ?

a) WHAT IS PERSCRIPTIVISM ?

b) WHAT IS DESCRIPTIVISM ?

c) WHAT IS BEST ?

WHAT COUNTS AS ACCEPTABLE IN NETSPEAK ?

a) WHAT ARE THE “HACKER ETHICS” ?

b) WHY AREN’T THEY APLICABLE ?

Nadia

WHY DO WE NEED A CHAPTER ON IDENTIY?

?

“Language is a central feature of human identity. When we hear someone speak, we immediately make guesses about gender, education level, age, profession, and place of origin. Beyond this individual matter, a language is a powerful symbol of national and ethnic identity. (Spolsky, 1999, p. 181)”

LANGUAGE???

Finding an identity

- The uncertain identity of Netspeak is reflected in the confusion of the users of the internet .

- As a result, people look for guidance.

- This leads to some kind of prespectivism which has started to emerge.

What is prescriptivism ?

• « The view that one variety of language has an inherently higher value than others . »

What is descriptive ?

• discribes the variations on an even ground.

Refers to the structure of a language as it is actually used by

speakers and writers

Refers to the structure of a language as certain people think it should be used.

Descriptive Prescriptive

Prescriptivism vs descriptivism

• An interesting comparison: Samuel Johnson's dictionary and Wired Style

Two Online Dictionnaires

?

• Wired Style: « when does jargon end and a new vernacular begin?

• Samuel Johnson’s dictionary: «no lexicographer shall imagine that his dictionary can embalm his language, and secure it from corruption and decay. »

CONCLUSION

• « Most of the netspeak authors are aware of the importence of grounding their work in descriptive reality. »

• What counts as acceptable Netspeak ?

Internet users are very creative. The rate at which terms are being Coined has no parallel in any language.

Coining words has at least two objectives: overcome the limitations of the electronic medium and entertainment.

The hacker ethic

• The belief that information-sharing is a powerful positive good.

• The belief that system-cracking for fun and exploration is ethically OK.

« If real internet communities are relatively small-scale, they will demonstrate their solidarity by evolving measure of identity, some of which will be nonlinguistic and some linguistic in character »

Shared Values

Jargon

OUTSIDERS

?

The future of the Netspeak is bound to..

1- the extent to which hacker-originated language has developed a sufficiently stable identity for internet useres.

2- the users’ production of new fresh linguistic directions, evolving norms of stylistics usage which owe nothing to hacker origines.

Making the rules explicit

Abdelhamid

Some features of Netspeak

One of the most obvious features of Netspeak is the lexiconthat belongs to the internet.

CRYSTAL (2001: 81)

internetlexicon

Binary, Computer, Cable, disk, bit ???

jargon of science

and technology

=> Internet restricted situations

Software options and commands Software Error messagesComputer hardwareThe Population of the internet

“Any style guide which promotes one variety of language at the expense of another is prescriptive”

David Crystal

-1- Software options and commands Look at page bellow

-2- Software Error messages

Error

Illegal Operation

-2- Software Error messages

-2- Error messagesForbidden

protocol

-2- Error messages404 Not

found

-3- Computer Hardware

Windows 95

-3- Computer Hardware

Windows 95

-3- Computer Hardware

Windows 7

-4- Population of Internet users

NetizensNetters

Nerds

Surfersboz

os

Wizards

mouse click+ = mouseclick

mouse + pad mousepad=

through+click clickthrough

click+per+cost

=

= Cost-per-click

A-Compounding

Creating Internet neologisms

B-AffexationPrefixese + mail =

cyber

+

link

hyper + text

Creating Internet neologisms

e book

hyper +

sex+

=

=

=

=

E-mail

E-bookHypertext

Hyperlink

Cybersexcyber + squatter = Cybersquatter

hardware winnitude

-ware -itude

geekitude

-ity

Suffixes

Creating Internet neologismsB-Affexation

software

brevity

obviousity

Suffi x extending

C-Blending

data

Information + net

program

Internet etiquette

Internet citizen

datagram

infonet

netiquette

Netizen

Creating Internet neologisms

+

+

+

=

=

=

=

You want a ride? Then answer this

Meet me at:*%@ street,

24$//x 2 near d McOm @C u 2n8

Creating Internet neologismsD-Acronyms

http Hypertext Transfer Protocol

lol Laughing out Loud

btw By the Way

Some features of Netspeak

Another feature of Netspeak

is . graphology

CRYSTAL (2001: 87)

Capitalization

punctuationBicapitalization

Emotional expressions

Capitalization anb Bicapitalization

emphasis

Don’t drink it! It’s bad

Punctuation and Emotional Expressions

Exercice

Conclusion

THANK YOU