Language and the Internet

I am investigating how language has changed from Standard English to how it is used in Internet chat rooms nowadays. The fluidity of our ever-changing language is very interesting to me, and I wish to understand how changes are being made with every generation. With the introduction of the Internet, new means of communication have evolved, and I would like to find out how the English Language has been modified to fit in with this new technology, particularly abbreviations such as "c u l8r" etc., and the use of emoticons and smiley faces. Does anyone have any ideas, opinions or research on this subject?
Thanks!

Well, standard English is still here, but chatrooms and instant messaging and such have added a new form of communication which is like speech but not speech. It is in a sense a language of its own, but it is a language that is based on standard English.

:)

Over time I think some of these features will creep across into standard English, but it will be a slow process. ;-)

I think there is more to this subject than the new Chatroom language as with the internet and other new media a new language has emerged and we often are not aware of it. Did you know what a browser is 5 years ago? What about spider, crawler, bot, google, html, dial-up, blog, etc. etc.?
Actually, I'm working an a simliar project - the preparation to which can be viewed on our website ('netlog') and I'd like to get your feedback on it too. Thanks. Torsten

I see nothing wrong with 'B4'- it is perfectly understandable and faster. I prefer it to 'before'.

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Originally Posted by english-test.net

I think there is more to this subject than the new Chatroom language as with the internet and other new media a new language has emerged and we often are not aware of it. Did you know what a browser is 5 years ago? What about spider, crawler, bot, google, html, dial-up, blog, etc. etc.?
Actually, I'm working an a simliar project - the preparation to which can be viewed on our website ('netlog') and I'd like to get your feedback on it too. Thanks. Torsten

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New forms- 'to spider', etc. ;-)

Hello!
As a student I've been writing my B.A.work in linguistics entitled:"English language as it is used in chatrooms" and if you are really interested in the process of the language changes I can reccomend you the book of David Crystal :"English on the internet". If some of you are able to help me in my writing by indicating some more sources to me maybe, I would be very gratefull...really... regards, *marika*

I found this article quite interesting: http://www.indiana.edu/~reading/ieo/digests/d129.html

Heee,just wanted to make a small correction... the title of the book by Crystal is "Language and the Internet". The second book I know about and seems to be connected with the topic is the book by Susan Herring "Computer-mediated communication.Linguistic social and cross-cultural perspectives." The are also many websides investigating the Internet's influence on language,not only English. XXX *marika*