Salient Features of Netspeak

There is a widely held intuition that some sort of Netspeak exists – a type of language displaying features that are unique to the Internet, and encountered in all the above situations, arising out of its character as a medium which is electronic, global, and interactive. The term ‘Netspeak’ is an alternative to ‘Netlish’, ‘Weblish’, ‘Internet language’, ‘cyberspeak’, ‘electronic discourse’, ‘electronic language’, ‘interactive written discourse’, ‘computer-mediated-communication’ (CMC), and other more cumbersome locutions. Each term has a different implication: ‘Netlish’, for example, is plainly derived from ‘English’, and is of decreasing usefulness as the Net becomes more multilingual; ‘electronic discourse’ emphasizes the interactive and dialogue elements; CMC focuses on the medium itself.

As a name, Netspeak is succinct, and functional enough, as long as we remember that ‘speak’ here involves writing as well as talking. The Internet is a medium almost entirely dependent on reactions to written messages. The core feature of the Internet is its real or potential interactivity. It is therefore of considerable interest to note the way in which salient features of Netspeak, taken from one or other of its situational manifestations, have already begun to be used outside of the situation of computer-mediated communication, even though the medium has become available to most people only in the past decade.

What makes Netspeak so interesting, as a form of communication, is the way it relies on characteristics belonging to both sides of speech / writing divide. Speech is typically time-bound, spontaneous, face-to-face, socially interactive, loosely structured, immediately revisable, and prosodically rich. Writing is typically space-bound, contrived, virtually decontextualized, factually communicative, elaborately structured, repeatedly revisable and graphically rich. How does Netspeak stand, with reference to these characteristics?

TEXT RENDERING

7.1. Render the text about the computer language C++ from Ru into En and relate the information given in the text to your personal life experience.

Языку C++ исполнилось 25 лет

Первый официальный гид по новосозданному языку С++ появился ровно 25 лет назад. 14 октября 1985 г. Бьерн Страуструп представил новый язык программирования высокого уровня, который позволял писать программы для разных компьютеров, используя почти неизменный программный код, который был ближе к языку людей, нежели к машинным кодам.

В последнее время С++ становится самым широко используемым языком программирования, который поддерживает объектно-ориентированное программирование. Страуструп стал первопроходцем в области использования объектно-ориентированной и общей техник в области создания программных приложений, где эффективность является приоритетным свойством, таких средств как симуляторы, графика, пользовательские интерфейсы, прикладные системы, системы для научных вычислений.

DISCUSSION

8.1. Work in groups of four students. Complete the ‘ vocabulary network ’ below with the most characteristic features of the English language of ICT. Speak on the recent linguistic tendencies in the English language brought about by the intense development of computer technologies. Report back to the class the results of your discussion.

Vocabulary Network