1. Introduction
English, being a global language with more than 400 million L1 speakers and many hundreds of millions second language speakers, has its origin in the Anglo-Saxon period (McIntyre 2009: 31). Throughout time the English language has undergone an extensive change. In the beginning there were four major dialects of Old English. Nowadays, English, as a lingua franca, is spoken in all parts of the world and has become the official language in countries like Uganda, Liberia or Ghana (McIntyre 2009: 31).
As my term paper is concerned with the topic of e-English, it is vital to mention that the development of the internet and the World Wide Web, two distinctive terms that must be looked at separately, had a huge impact on the development of English (Baron 2003: 2). As a result of the British colonisation, English spread overseas and had been spoken in all parts of the British Empire. The Expansion of the English language still continues nowadays, though not through colonisation, but a mixture of various factors such as politics, economics and most important with regard to my term paper technology (McIntyre 2009: 27).
Therefore, the first aspect to point out in this essay focuses on the technical requirements that facilitate language exchange throughout the entire world.
This will lead to the analysis of significant differences between spoken and written language in general and the effects of new technologies like the World Wide Web on the English language in particular. Subsequent to this, the major part of the term paper introduces the umbrella term Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) and investigates the question whether CMC could be seen as a new type of language or not.
Since the term CMC encompasses a broad spectrum of writing options ranging from personally written off-line texts on the one end of the scale to one-to-one dialogue through e-mails or short messages on the other end (Baron 2003: 52), various types of CMC including e-mail and chat room language will be discussed and presented within this paragraph.
The term paper ends with a conclusion, bringing together the results of the multiple factors involved in CMC read before the question of its influence on traditional written English and communication in daily life.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- From Old English to e-English: a survey.
- Linguistic issues.
- The oral – written distinction
- Basic ideas regarding language on the Internet.
- Computer Mediated Communication (CMC)
- Definition
- E-mail.
- Introduction into chat room language
- Why to study IRC?.
- Chat room English: a study
- General observations concerning the language in IRC.
- Indian Chat
- UK-Chat...
- American chat
- Linguistic features: an overview
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This term paper explores the evolution of the English language, specifically focusing on the impact of computer-mediated communication (CMC) on its development and usage. The paper investigates the influence of CMC on traditional written English and its role in everyday communication.
- The history of English language development.
- The impact of technology on language change.
- The differences between oral and written discourse.
- The emergence and characteristics of CMC.
- The linguistic features of various CMC forms, including chat room language.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter introduces the concept of e-English and its relevance in a globalized world. It highlights the impact of the internet and World Wide Web on English language development. The chapter also sets out the overall objectives of the paper.
- From Old English to e-English: a survey: This chapter provides a historical overview of the evolution of the English language, tracing its development from Old English to its current status as a global language. It also emphasizes the role of technology, particularly the World Wide Web, in language change.
- Linguistic issues: This chapter delves into the differences between oral and written discourse. It explores the impact of CMC on traditional written language and communication, particularly regarding the shift from a solitary writer to an interactive environment.
- Computer Mediated Communication (CMC): This chapter introduces the concept of CMC and its different forms, including e-mail and chat room language. It explores the potential for CMC to be considered a new type of language.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This paper focuses on the key concepts of computer-mediated communication, e-English, language change, linguistic features of CMC, oral-written distinction, and the impact of technology on language development.
- Quote paper
- Sebastian Weber (Author), 2011, Computer Mediated Communication, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/182205
