Language And The Internet

Two Posts On Language and the Internet

Dictionaries Are Trying to Keep Up with Internet-Speak, mkay?

But from memes to emoji, the pace of language change online poses challenge for lexicographers.

The Star (Toronto) | December 15, 2015

Long before Oxford Dictionaries named the tears-of-joy emoji 2015’s “word” of the year, the language grumps were grumbling about the downfall of the written word.
Dictionary.com had recently sanctioned “fleek” and “yaaas” — three a’s. Merriam-Webster had officially welcomed “wtf” and “nsfw” into its fold. “Bae” and “bezzy,” “YOLO” and “wahh,” “fur baby” and “mkay” — hardly a month goes by without one of the world’s most reputable dictionaries trumpeting some tidbit of Internet slang.

<more at http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2015/12/15/dictionaries-are-trying-to-keep-up-with-internet-speak-mkay.html>

Source: http://www.trackmyfone.com/blog/parents-can-now-decode-internet-slang-with-the-help-of-a-dictionary/

English Is Strangling Other Languages on the Internet

Katie Dupere | December 12, 2015

When it comes to Internet accessibility, having a strong Wi-Fi connection is just the beginning. What's the use of even the fastest internet speeds if you can't read the words on the page?Even if global access to Internet becomes a reality, language barriers make complete accessibility an impossibility.
Language diversity, or lack thereof, is a major problem on the web. Only 5% of the world's 7,100 languages are accessible on the Internet. Though about 80% of those languages are spoken by 100,000 people or less, this is no doubt a sizable problem when it comes to the goal of global connectivity.

<more at http://mashable.com/2015/12/12/english-strangling-internet-languages/>