The impact of electronic communication and the net language on the language use and linguistic expressions of today’s youth in Hungary

Abstract

The present study retraces how the prestige of written language conventions impacts internet-based communication and how this linguistic subculture influences the use, development and evolution of language. The author’s basic premise is the “linguistic frugality” as a definitive characteristic of the Internet, resulting in the formation of a written slang. The authors shed light at the respective forms used in internet communication. The study explores the main manifestations of the abovementioned slang and investigates idiosyncratic orthographic solutions dominating the World Wide Web. Due to the paralinguistic deficiencies of the written text primarily manifested in the lack of a metalanguage or mimicry, the emotional content of our messages is expressed in the form of smile symbols. Consequently, the phonetic equivalents of the written image tend to dominate texts exhanged via e-mail or chat lines. The increasing domination of the net language by images results in visible semiotic and grammatic consequences. Thus a new metaphoric language is being born as established textual forms start to become obsolete. However, one basic question remains: Will the new digital communication options lead to linguistic vitality, linguistic diversity and creative language use, or the net language will have a negative impact on the development of language and result in overall value loss? In sum, the authors explore the impact of net language or internet-based communication on the language use and linguistic expressions of today’s youth. © 2020, FACTEACHEREDUCATION. All rights reserved.