shadows are not always black

SHADOWS ARE NOT ALWAYS BLACK :

SHADOWS ARE NOT ALWAYS BLACK A study of the positive impact of internet on language Charanjit Singh Neha Kumra Dept of English Dept of English Lyallpur Khalsa College Lyallpur Khalsa College Jalandhar (Punjab) Jalandhar (Punjab)

INTRODUCTION:

INTRODUCTION Education and Life Education : subject of study is CULTURE “ CULTURE is concerned with questions of shared social meanings ,that is , the various ways we make sense of the world .” (Barker 2008:7 ) “CULTURAL STUDIES is concerned with all those practices , institutions and systems of classification through which there are inculcated in a population particular values , beliefs , competencies , routines of life and habitual forms of content .” ( Bennett 1998:28)

The most outstanding institution in this post post-modern world is MEDIA :

The most outstanding institution in this post post -modern world is MEDIA “The media as we know is the end-product of a long interaction between cultural and literary traditions and prevailing economic and social conditions . Its history is closely connected with the freedom of thought , the growth of representative government and periodically, challenges to the status quo. ” ( Feez et .al.2008:14)

Cultural studies --- at the helm of education Media --- dominant cultural construct Focus of Academia worldwide on the study of media , its products and practices :

Cultural studies --- at the helm of education Media --- dominant cultural construct Focus of Academia worldwide on the study of media , its products and practices

MEDIA AND LANGUAGE :

MEDIA AND LANGUAGE + a dexterous relationship media is realized through language . The purpose of language is the function of media, i.e. communication. media is a powerful social institution language is perhaps the most powerful force in the definition, development, strengthening and maintenance of social institutions

INTERNET a proverbial jinni that produces almost everything at the click of the mouse.   :

INTERNET a proverbial jinni that produces almost everything at the click of the mouse. “The Internet is an association of computer networks with common standards which enable messages to be sent from any registered computer (or host) on one network to any host on any other. It developed in the 1960’s in the USA as an experimental network which quickly grew to include military, federal, regional, university, business and personal users. It is now the world’s largest computer network…providing an increasing range of services and enabling the unprecedented number of people to be in touch with each other through electronic mail (e-mail), discussion groups, and the provision of digital ‘pages’ on any topic.” Crystal (2006: 3)

ITS PERVASIVENESS :

ITS PERVASIVENESS

ITS INTERFACE with language :

ITS INTERFACE with language “It is by now a cliché that the Internet has affected life and society in many, and in part, fundamental ways. So it does not come as a surprise that one of the affected areas is language and communication itself.” Stein (2006)

Media modifies language:

Media modifies language “…it is true to say that new online media are helping to transform language and literacy.” Warschauer (2001) The diffusion of CMC, computer-mediated communication Is rapidly changing t he purposes of writing, the genres of written communication, and the nature of audience and author.

Internet and its Positive Impact on Language   :

Internet and its Positive Impact on Language Internet massively contributes to the increasing functionality of language. Deletion of Hyphen – "People are not confident about using hyphens anymore, they're not really sure what they are for… The hyphen is seen as messy looking and old-fashioned". Angus Stevenson OLD VERSION NEW VERSION Bumble – bee Bumble bee Ice-cream Ice cream Pot-belly Potbelly

Slide 11:

Use of ellipsis Use of abbreviations Orthographic reduction and many more … Abbreviated form Original sentence /word bb ppls Bye bye peoples ICT Information and communication technology ABS Absolutely r are u You gf Girlfriend

Slide 12:

“Structural reductions…save time and keystrokes and thus speed up the communication process.” Cho (2010) Language is a tool to exchange not only information and goods and services, but also build and sustain certain relations between or among the users, betray attitudes, transmit feelings and reflect ideology. Crystal (2001: 110) asserts that email focuses on “clarity of the message on the screen” and opines that over time email will include a “much wider stylistic range than it does at present, as the medium is adapted to suit a broader range of communicative purposes”

Slide 13:

Internet effects communication as Doring (2003) claims that speakers are much more talkative and open-minded when they are online. communicative effectiveness creativity experimentation innovation

LANGUAGE IS DYNAMIC :

LANGUAGE IS DYNAMIC Thus , in order to survive, a language has constantly to be in the process of adaptation and adoptation. “The Internet community is composed of highly mobile individuals and thus forms a weak-tie social network.” Yang (2007) Language innovation takes place often in a social network with weak ties. Milroy and Milroy (1992)

Slide 15:

These innovations include : repetition of exclamation marks as in ‘ !!!’ to indicate too much surprise , repetition of letters or punctuation for emphasis as in ‘ see yaaaaaaaa’ and ‘is that OK??????’ , etc. “There is no indication, in any of the areas I have examined, of Netspeak replacing or threatening already existing varieties. On the contrary, the arrival of new, informal, even bizarre forms of language extends the range of our sensitivity to linguistic contrasts. Formal Language, and other kinds of informal language are seen in a new light, by virtue of the existence of Netspeak…I see the arrival of Netspeak… enriching the communicative options available to us. And the Internet is going to record this linguistic diversity more fully and accurately than was ever possible before.” Crystal (2001: 242)

HYBRIDITY…:

HYBRIDITY… by facilitating hybridity in language. “The technology allows many users to “talk” to each other at the same time in multi-party dialogue or polylogue while being physically distant.” Holmer (2008) import and export of words and structures through blogs, live chats and social networking sites like Facebook, Orkut and Twitter .

END OF HEGEMONY… “People have more power to influence the language of the Web than in any other medium, because they operate on both sides of the communicative divide, reception and production. They not only read a text, they can add to it…” Crystal (2001: 208) :

END OF HEGEMONY… “People have more power to influence the language of the Web than in any other medium, because they operate on both sides of the communicative divide, reception and production. They not only read a text, they can add to it…” Crystal (2001: 208)

Slide 18:

Thus , there is neither any central control over the language of Internet nor it recognizes national or territorial boundaries. Milroy (Milroy and Milroy, 1992 as cited in Yang 2007) assert that “close-knit territorially-based networks” are “a focal point for stigmatized urban vernaculars and other non-legitimized linguistic norms” in that they can “maintain and even enforce local conventions and norms, including linguistic norms, and provide a means of opposing dominant institutional values and standardized linguistic norms.”

Thank You & Have a Nice Day:

Thank You & Have a Nice Day