The Internet offers endangered languages a chance to have a public voice in a way that would not have been possible before.
David CrystalRead
The main effect of the Internet on language has been to increase the expressive richness of language, providing the language with a new set of communicative dimensions that haven't existed in the past.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The Internet has enhanced language by adding new ways to express ideas and emotions.
David Crystal emphasizes that the Internet has fundamentally transformed language by enriching its expressiveness. This transformation has created new dimensions of communication that were previously unavailable, enabling users to convey thoughts and feelings in more nuanced and varied ways.
Themes
InternetLanguageExpressionCommunicationRichness
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about technological advancements in communication, one might quote this to illustrate how the Internet has transformed our language.
More from David Crystal
All quotes →Bilingualism lets you have your cake and eat it. The new language opens the doors to the best jobs in society; the old language allows you to keep your sense of 'who you are.' It preserves your identity. With two languages, you have the best of both worlds.
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Language has no independent existence apart from the people who use it. It is not an end in itself; it is a means to an end of understanding who you are and what society is like.
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Enshrined in a language is the whole of a community's history and a large part of its cultural identity. The world is a mosaic of visions. To lose even one piece of this mosaic is a loss for all of us.
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Every usage, no matter how bizarre or nonstandard, fascinates me, as it tells me something about the way language is evolving.
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Likewise, there is no evidence that texting teaches people to spell badly: rather, research shows that those kids who text frequently are more likely to be the most literate and the best spellers, because you have to know how to manipulate language.
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