Does the internet bring about linguistic homogeneity?

[superlittlegirl]

I have been on the internet for 7 years. Newsgroups and message boards have occupied my attention a large percentage of that time. I have picked up a lot of phrases and words that are largely considered regional, or colloquial, in nature. For example, as a Southerner, the appendage "eh?" was never a naturally occuring part of my spoken (or written) language. But it has crept in due to my contact with Canadians in the ether. I have also noticed many people using the phrasing "needs washed" instead of "needs to be washed" (washed just being the verb of my example). This phrasing is something that I always associated exclusively with New Englanders. Yet I see people from all over using it.

I collect words and phrases to add to my lexicon on a daily basis. I revel in clever turns of phrase and unusual vocabulary. But I'm wondering if regional linguistic peculiarities are becoming dilute to the point that identity is becoming indistinct?

 

[Jim_Henson]

I just heard a little girl from Minnesota say "Bugger off" does that count?

 

[Stout chap]

The internet doesn't exist in 1929. The lingo I use is all from what I've learnt from fellow gents at the club, b'god!

I've never heard an American say, bugger, wanker, arse, bollock. I should like those adorable Americans to adopt Britain's crude and vulgar swearwords. How about saying "telly", eh? Ho ho!

Of course, the Americans have influenced the language of the albion no end! Why, gotten is even coming back into fashion in the UK, which was banished years ago!

 

[Pyper]

I don't think it will bring about total homogeny. After all, we've had television for a good fifty years, and that hasn't brought about homogeny in the English language, even though it's an audible medium unlike the internet.

 

[MaggieH]

slg, I know what you mean. My best friend's in Utah, and makes fun of my phrasing (like "oh, jeezil pete"), yet I find myself picking up his exclamations ("good heck" or even "oh, good hell").

 

[Pagliacci]

People tend to,in social as well as working circles, rub off on each other and share languager and mannerisms after a while. I don't see why the internet should be different.

Then as people move on they bring these mannerisms and whatnot with them and they spread or die.
Though with the Internet local things have the chance of spreading much farther than before. I'm sure it'll get some linguists to tear their hair sooner or later.

 

[patient1]

Our lexicons may consolidate, but we still won't agree as to whether" roof" & "root" rhyme with "boot", or "foot" instead.

 

[Guest]

Meneya founts Fantastico, demo el merci. Namaste, gyambo il que Shaishai. Icgh, naam xaghehug'ba zappa que ju numero adin.

 

[Nicki19]

I have also noticed many people using the phrasing "needs washed" instead of "needs to be washed" (washed just being the verb of my example). This phrasing is something that I always associated exclusively with New Englanders. Yet I see people from all over using it.

You lost me on this one. New England born and raised here, and I don't know what you're refering to. (Unless you meant "needs washing"?)It always interests me to see how people think of other groups though.

I don't think that linguistics are becoming homogenized. I think people type differently than they speak. Some phrases may creep into internet conversations, but I dont think the spoken language has changed because of it. God knows I still hate how my Southern prof. says "init" and uses the word "kin." Shudder... I'll stay in MA and struggle with my "ah" thank you very much.

 

[kotori]

We all tend to pick up linguistic tics from the dominant culture. I say "y'all" now quite easily, though I've only lived here for 12 years. But it hasn't invaded my writing. And I still can't say "where's it at" without verbally putting quotation marks around it, and that is so ubiquitous here, even well educated people use it.

 

[superlittlegirl]

Did you teach her to say it? Shame on you!

I just heard a little girl from Minnesota say "Bugger off" does that count?

 

[Lancecastor]

Would Brian Boitano be considered a homogendeity in your region?

 

[superlittlegirl]

Good point, Pyper.

I think, though, since most of what we see on TV is passed through the filter of the film industry, it is already somewhat homogenous. TV portrayals of other cultures seem to me often to be producers' and writers' impressions of other cultures. I mean, how often does an American actor take voice training to play a British role, or vice versa?

I think a far greater spectrum of diversity is represented on the internet. We get to encounter people from other locales 'speaking' naturally, or at least as close to naturally as the medium allows.

I don't think it will bring about total homogeny. After all, we've had television for a good fifty years, and that hasn't brought about homogeny in the English language, even though it's an audible medium unlike the internet.

 

[superlittlegirl]

I think Brian Boitano is considered a homogendeity in all locales.

Would Brian Boitano be considered a homogendeity in your region?

 

[superlittlegirl]

I use a lot of those words, actually, Stout chap. I like for my swearing to be exciting, comic, and diverse. I picked up bugger and wanker when I was an exchange student to Australia, in my pre-internet days. I guess that part of my theory should encompass global travel. But my suspicion is the internet brings global exposure into people's laps with much less effort and cost than physical travel, and on a much broader scope.

The internet doesn't exist in 1929. The lingo I use is all from what I've learnt from fellow gents at the club, b'god!

I've never heard an American say, bugger, wanker, arse, bollock. I should like those adorable Americans to adopt Britain's crude and vulgar swearwords. How about saying "telly", eh? Ho ho!

Of course, the Americans have influenced the language of the albion no end! Why, gotten is even coming back into fashion in the UK, which was banished years ago!

 

[superlittlegirl]

Se florg komply goos!

Meneya founts Fantastico, demo el merci. Namaste, gyambo il que Shaishai. Icgh, naam xaghehug'ba zappa que ju numero adin.

 

[LukkyKnight]

The internet doesn't exist in 1929. The lingo I use is all from what I've learnt from fellow gents at the club, b'god!

I've never heard an American say, bugger, wanker, arse, bollock. I should like those adorable Americans to adopt Britain's crude and vulgar swearwords. How about saying "telly", eh? Ho ho!

Of course, the Americans have influenced the language of the albion no end! Why, gotten is even coming back into fashion in the UK, which was banished years ago!

You, sir, have not spent enough time at literotica.

Meanwhile, I'll venture to add that fewer than 1% of the people in Uzbekistan ever use the phrase linguistic homogeneity so I think we're safe for a while longer yet.

 

[Lasher]

We all tend to pick up linguistic tics from the dominant culture. I say "y'all" now quite easily, though I've only lived here for 12 years. But it hasn't invaded my writing.

Just a little aside here on this thought.

Something I saw either saw or read a few weeks ago set off one big fucking bell in my head (I'll be damned if I can remember the source, though). It seems we develop two separate vocabularies in our minds - one that we use for the spoken word, and another that we use for the written word. Obviously it goes along with this that we develop these vocabularies in the same manner - we expand our oral vocabulary by speaking with others, while the words we read are more easily added to the other.

This made so much sense to me when I heard this. It's always been quite obvious to me that the way I write and the way I speak have little to do with each other. And it's especially evident to me when I'm posting. When I'm posting in a more conversational thread I tend to write the way I speak and out come the "ya'alls" and the "gonnas" and "wouldas" and words like that. But on the other hand when I'm writing something that's more of an essay then out come the 10¢ words.

That may explain why the "ya'alls" haven't crept in to your writing yet, Kotori.

I think we do see a bit of cross-cultural pollination of language, SLG, but I don't think it will get to the point of homogenization any time soon. I have yet to see any of the really hardcore Yinzers on the internet talking about going "dahn the basement ahn reddin' up n'at". When I do I'll get concerned, lol.

 

[WaxNWane]

I spend most of my on-line vocabulary trying to sound especially ethnic. It's my secretly clever ruse, yo.

Interesting thread, though. I just bought a book on the way the brain learns language - sign language included. One of the more fascinating aspects of our brains, and of culture, I think (yo).

I do shudder when I see phrases misused because the slang has gotten pervasive. Things like "I could of gone to the store", instead of "could have"; or "she's smellier then me", instead of "than".

 

[LukkyKnight]

"she's smellier then me"

~ROTFL~

Stop, you're killing me.

 

[WaxNWane]

~ROTFL~

Stop, you're killing me.

What's really funny is that should've (should of) been "than I".

 

[superlittlegirl]

I do shudder when I see phrases misused because the slang has gotten pervasive. Things like "I could of gone to the store", instead of "could have"; or "she's smellier then me", instead of "than".

I wonder if this doesn't have more to do with people translating their auditory impressions of language into written form? Or just poor spelling skills?

I doubt that someone who once said "could have" would switch to saying "could of" because of peer pressure, or slangy influence. I think such misuses are indicative of a poor understanding of language itself, or maybe in the case of "could of" a mis-translation of the contraction "could've" into written form.

 

[WaxNWane]

I wonder if this doesn't have more to do with people translating their auditory impressions of language into written form? Or just poor spelling skills?

I doubt that someone who once said "could have" would switch to saying "could of" because of peer pressure, or slangy influence. I think such misuses are indicative of a poor understanding of language itself, or maybe in the case of "could of" a mis-translation of the contraction "could've" into written form.

Think that's sort of what I was intending. The slang, or more accurately the lazy tongue gets the sound slurred down to the incorrect word.

That, and I probably just wanted to use "pervasive" in a sentence.

 

[superlittlegirl]

Gotcha.

Think that's sort of what I was intending. The slang, or more accurately the lazy tongue gets the sound slurred down to the incorrect word.

That, and I probably just wanted to use "pervasive" in a sentence.

 

[horny_giraffe]

I write very differently from how I speak--or so I've been told by those who know me face-to-face. That would be consistent with what Lasher was saying.

The other thing is that I still understand that the internet users are still estimated to be less than two thirds of the population even in the U.S. and Canada (around 196 million out of a total population of around 300 million.) Furthermore, I suspect that of those who use the internet, few of them use it for more than a few hours a week--and very rarely to write.

Internet gamers and those who spend a lot of time on the internet tend to be more insular simply because their internet time replaces time spent speaking to people face-to-face. So I think that their influence is not as great as it could be.

The fashion of using internet/haxor speak back in the nineties may have magnified the potential influence on language. But one clearly risks losing credibility if they use such language, nowadays.

Personally, I probably spend two to three hours a day conversing with people--and I spend most of my time alone. I can only imagine how much time a more social person who spend conversing. In contrast, I spend only a couple of hours or so maybe every couple nights actually writing messages on the internet.