David Crystal - The Effect of New Technologies on English

Summary

This video script explores how new technologies have historically influenced language, using examples from printing, telephones, broadcasting, and the internet. It highlights how these innovations introduced new communication styles, such as sports commentary, texting, and tweeting. The speaker notes that while some feared these changes would harm language, they instead created unique linguistic expressions. Despite concerns over abbreviations like 'LOL,' most language use remains unchanged. The video underscores that technology shapes how we communicate, but its long-term impact on language is still evolving.

Takeaways

• 📚 New technology has always influenced language significantly, such as the impact of the printing press in the 15th century.
• 📰 Innovations like newspapers, telephones, and broadcasting introduced new varieties of English and communication styles.
• 📞 Early reactions to the telephone were negative, with people fearing it would harm social interaction, but it adapted into everyday life.
• 📻 Broadcasting created new linguistic formats such as sports commentary, news reading, and weather forecasting.
• 🌐 The internet has introduced new language styles, such as text messaging, blogging, and tweeting, each with its own distinctive features.
• 📝 Technologies like Twitter initially focused on self-reflection ('What are you doing?') but later shifted towards broader perspectives ('What's happening?').
• 💬 Text messaging and tweeting are shaped by character limits, but the linguistic changes are subtle, with only minor abbreviations like 'LOL'.
• ⏳ While the internet has influenced language, the core structure of English remains largely unchanged over the past 20 years.
• 📖 Predictions about technology ruining language are common, but the actual impact on linguistic fundamentals is minimal.
• 🔤 Linguists show that text messaging contains only about 10% abbreviations, debunking the myth that it significantly degrades language.

Q & A

How has technology influenced language in the past?

Technology has dramatically influenced language over time. The introduction of printing in the 15th century led to new varieties of English, and subsequent technologies like the telephone, broadcasting, and the internet have similarly shaped language usage.

What concerns were raised about the telephone when it was first introduced?

When the telephone was introduced, people feared it would cause a societal disaster, as they believed it would discourage people from leaving their homes to talk to each other. However, these fears did not materialize.

How did broadcasting influence language in the 20th century?

Broadcasting introduced new varieties of language through media forms like sports commentary, news reading, weather forecasting, and chat shows, which didn't exist before radio and television became widespread.

What changes in language style did the internet bring?

The internet introduced distinct styles of language in various domains, such as texting, blogging, and tweeting. Each platform has developed its own language style influenced by character limits and the format in which information is shared.

Why was Twitter's prompt change in 2009 significant for language use?

Twitter's shift from the prompt 'What are you doing?' to 'What's happening?' altered how people used language on the platform, moving from introspective, first-person pronouns to more descriptive, outward-focused language involving third-person pronouns and different tenses.

What are the main differences between texting and tweeting?

Text messaging allows up to 160 characters, typically sent to one person, while tweeting has a 140-character limit (now extended) due to the inclusion of a user ID, and tweets are broadcast to a wider audience. The styles of language used in both are distinct.

How does the current influence of the internet on language compare to past technological innovations?

While the internet has introduced new language styles, the speaker argues that the vast majority of the English language remains unchanged. Unlike major shifts caused by past technologies like printing, the internet's long-term effects on language are still uncertain.

Why do some commentators view texting and social media as a threat to language?

Commentators like John Humphries have argued that young people are damaging the English language with abbreviations in texting and social media, likening it to historical acts of vandalism. However, the speaker refutes this, noting that only a small fraction of text messages use abbreviations.

What is the proportion of abbreviations in typical text messages according to linguists?

Linguists have found that only about 10% of the language in text messages consists of abbreviations, while the remaining 90% is standard English or the user's local dialect.

What generalization does the speaker make about how technology affects language?

The speaker generalizes that every new internet domain influences language in specific ways. However, the long-term impact of the internet on language is still uncertain, as it is too recent to fully assess its effects.

Outlines

00:00

📖 The Influence of Technology on Language Over Time

This paragraph explores how new technologies, from the printing press in the 15th century to the telephone in the 19th century, have significantly influenced the evolution of language. The paragraph discusses how innovations like newspapers and broadcasting introduced new varieties of English and communication styles. Early reactions to the telephone and radio were filled with fear of societal decline, but instead, these technologies introduced fresh ways to use language, such as sports commentaries and news reading. Similarly, the internet and social media platforms are bringing about new forms of expression and communication.

05:01

💬 The Rise of Social Media and Its Language Styles

This section focuses on the specific language changes brought about by the internet and social media. Technologies like text messaging, Twitter, Facebook, and blogging have each developed their unique styles of communication. The paragraph explains that platforms like Twitter, which limits posts to a certain number of characters, have influenced the way people express themselves. It compares Twitter's initial prompt 'What are you doing?' with the later 'What’s happening?', noting how this shift in phrasing led to changes in language use, from introspective first-person statements to more outward-looking, news-oriented content.

10:03

🛠 The Lingering Influence of Technology on Language

This paragraph highlights how the internet is still too young to have caused permanent changes in the English language, despite perceptions that technology is radically altering communication. While some may argue that modern abbreviations like 'LOL' signify a decline in language standards, the paragraph asserts that the majority of English remains unchanged. It concludes that any lasting influence from the internet will take more time to develop, noting that while technology creates new ways to use language, the core of English remains stable.

Keywords

💡Technology

Technology refers to the tools and innovations that influence human behavior and society. In the video, the speaker emphasizes how different technological advancements, from printing to the internet, have profoundly impacted language. Examples include the development of newspapers, telephones, and the internet, all of which introduced new forms of communication and language use.

💡Printing

Printing refers to the invention of the printing press in the 15th century, which revolutionized communication by enabling the mass production of texts. This technological breakthrough led to new varieties of English and other languages. The speaker highlights how newspapers, headlines, and editorials, which emerged due to printing, created distinct language styles.

💡Telephone

The telephone, developed in the 19th century, introduced a new way of communicating over long distances. Initially, people were unsure how to use it, often shouting and asking who was on the other end. Over time, it became a standard communication tool, changing social interaction but not disrupting society as feared. It also influenced language by introducing new conversational norms, like answering with 'hello.'

💡Broadcasting

Broadcasting, which emerged in the 1920s, refers to the transmission of audio or visual content through mediums like radio and television. It introduced new language styles, particularly in news reading, sports commentary, and weather forecasting. The speaker explains how broadcasting gave rise to various linguistic forms that were previously non-existent.

💡Internet

The internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks, which has dramatically influenced communication since its widespread use in the 1990s. The speaker describes how the internet has spawned new language varieties, from blogging to text messaging, each with its distinct style. However, despite its impact, the speaker argues that the internet's influence on language remains relatively small for now.

💡Text Messaging

Text messaging involves sending short written messages between mobile devices. The speaker highlights how this form of communication is limited to 160 characters, leading to the creation of abbreviations like 'LOL.' However, they argue that abbreviations make up only a small fraction of the language used in text messages, with most of it still being standard English.

💡Twitter

Twitter is a social media platform where users post short messages, or 'tweets,' limited to 140 characters. The speaker discusses the linguistic shift that occurred in 2009 when Twitter changed its prompt from 'What are you doing?' to 'What’s happening?' This change encouraged users to focus on external events rather than personal experiences, influencing the pronouns and tenses used in tweets.

💡Abbreviations

Abbreviations are shortened forms of words or phrases commonly used in text messaging and online communication. The speaker acknowledges the rise of abbreviations like 'LOL' but emphasizes that they only constitute about 10% of the language in texts. They argue that concerns over abbreviations ruining the English language are exaggerated.

💡Prophets of Doom

Prophets of Doom refers to individuals or groups who predict negative outcomes from new technologies. The speaker mentions how people feared the advent of printing, telephones, and the internet, believing these innovations would harm society or language. However, the speaker dismisses these concerns, noting that language remains largely unchanged despite these technological advancements.

💡Language Stability

Language stability refers to the concept that, despite changes brought about by new technologies, the core structure and use of a language remain largely intact over time. The speaker argues that while the internet has introduced new forms of communication, English has remained fundamentally the same over the past 20 years. Major changes may take more time to manifest.

Highlights

Technology has always influenced language dramatically, as seen with the printing press, newspapers, and telephone.

The printing press in the 15th century introduced new varieties of English and changed how people communicated.

The telephone was initially seen as a potential disaster for social interaction, but it did not harm face-to-face communication.

The arrival of broadcasting in the 1920s introduced new forms of language, such as sports commentary and weather forecasting.

Each new internet platform, like texting, blogging, or social media, creates its own style of English.

Text messaging and tweeting have character limits (160 and 140 characters, respectively), which influence language usage in those formats.

Twitter started with the prompt 'What are you doing?' in 2006, which encouraged personal, introverted language use.

In 2009, Twitter changed its prompt to 'What's happening?', shifting the focus from personal experiences to external events and news.

Different internet platforms lead to varied uses of language, from first-person pronouns in tweets to more diverse tenses in broader discussions.

Although the internet has brought some changes to English, the language today remains almost identical to how it was 20 years ago.

There is a misconception that the internet is rapidly changing language, but this impact is still minimal and speculative.

Text messaging is often criticized for its abbreviations, but in reality, only about 10% of text language uses abbreviations.

John Humphries, a British commentator, famously claimed that text messaging is ruining the English language, but this view is unfounded.

Despite fears about the internet, language remains largely stable, with only minor shifts seen in informal communication.

Prophets of doom have existed with every major technological innovation, from the printing press to the internet, predicting societal disaster.

Transcripts

[Music]

now when new technology comes along it

influences language it has to technology

always has influenced language quite

dramatically think of the Technologies

of the past printing arrives in the 15th

century suddenly we have new varieties

of English that weren't there before new

varieties of any language of course but

we're talking about English today we

have newspapers eventually and look at

the style of a newspaper with its

headlines and all and the cartoons and

the captions and the editorials and all

the things you now know about a

newspaper once upon a time there was no

such thing so fast forward to the 19th

century and we have the develop M of the

telephone you know when the telephone

arrived people did not know how to deal

with it they they didn't know what to

say when they picked up the phone they

would shout and say who is that are you

there and so on today we just go hello

or we give the telephone number or

whatever it is we do people thought the

telephone was going to be the biggest

disaster in society because it would

mean people would no longer go out of

their houses to talk to each other

and it would be a disaster of course it

hasn't been like that when broadcasting

comes along in the 1920s a lot of people

thought it was a disaster they thought

this is going to be a medium of um

people being brainwashed by this new

system of getting into our heads into

our homes it hasn't been like that but

broadcasting has introduced new

varieties of the language think of all

the things you can do on the radio and

on television that you couldn't do

before like

Sports commentary think of a football

commentary you know that didn't exist

until you know the last few decades

think of news reading weather

forecasting chat shows all of these come

in as a result of broadcasting now the

internet is doing exactly the same thing

the internet arrives not so long

ago you guys here most of you have never

known a world without the internet those

of us who are slightly less young um

well remember a world without the

internet we're talking only since the

199s remember the worldwide web arrives

in

1991

only when could you have first done a

search on Google not before 1999 because

Google didn't exist before then those of

us who are older when did we first send

an email not before the

mid90s so text messaging on your mobile

phones when did that that come in not

until the early

2000s instant messaging early 2000s

blogging the word blog arrives in 1997

it's short for webblog meaning the kind

of diary that you can put on the

web nobody blogged before about

2003 Facebook

Facebook 2004 only Facebook has not been

here forever only 2004 YouTube 2005

Twitter 20 6 how many of you

tweet any of you any of you actually use

Twitter a couple of hands going up

anybody read other people's tweets very

much again not many of you but

Facebook yeah nods yeah nod nod nod no

no not not not yeah all over the place

yeah but these are examples of new

technologies developing into new styles

of English now each of these internet

outputs that I've talked about has a

distinctive English style oh heck it's

not just English a distinctive Serbian

style too a distinctive any language

style the style you use when you're

texting is not the style you use when

you're blogging or Facebooking or

twittering and so on and notice that the

Technologies influence the language in

quite specific ways the most obvious

examples are the short messaging

services like text messaging and

tweeting so text messaging is 160

character isn't it that's your maximum

if you're sending a message through your

mobile phone that's your lot if you're

going to Tweet you've got 140 characters

the reason for the difference is that if

you're tweeting which is really sending

your text message to the web that's what

tweet tw Twitter is all about sending

your text message which is normally just

to one person so that everybody can read

it and now you've got 140 characters and

the reason is you have to have 20

characters for your ID you see you've

got to say who you are that leaves you

140 short well yes but not that short I

mean 140 characters for English that's

about 30 words you can say quite a lot

in 30 words you know so it's not as

short as all that but anyway the point

I'm making is that that

technology all influences a language in

quite specific ways so let's just take

Twitter as the example it arrives in

2006 if you tweeted if you went online

you would be given a prompt and the

prompt was in 2006 what are you doing

what are you doing so you would

say I am doing whatever I am on a train

really interesting stuff this I am

watching a film I am stuck in a lift

there was a famous example of Steven fry

you may know Steven fry who got stuck in

a lift in early 2006 or seven and he

tweeted to the whole world I am stuck in

a lift and millions and millions of

people wanted to see his next tweet to

find out when he was out of the lift and

it took a long time and it took all day

and he and he kept it going and going

and going and suddenly everybody

realized that Twitter could tell you

what was going on in people's minds and

that's how it started notice what are

you doing very introvert isn't it I am

lots of first person pronouns present

tenses I am stuck in the lift and then

in 2009 Twitter changed its prompt

instead of what are you doing the prompt

became what's happening tell us what's

happening now think about that for a

second what are you doing says look into

yourself what's happening says look

around you so suddenly there are no not

so many first person pronouns there are

third person pronouns now he's doing

this she's doing that they're doing that

the tenses start to alter past tense as

well as future tense this has just

happened I've just seen something I am

about to see something the advertisers

come on Twitter and say look at our new

book this is what we're selling and in

and Twitter suddenly becomes a kind of

news reporting service rather than a

diary and a fundamental linguistic

change takes place as a result simply

because not just the technology but the

software with the tech technology makes

you think in a different way from what

you were doing before so I generalize

that point now you see and say every

Internet domain that you're dealing with

influences the way in which you use

language sometimes in quite specific

ways but it isn't yet possible to

predict the future because it's all so

recent it takes a long time before new

trends technological or otherwise

actually

influence the language in a permanent

sort of way you know the internet is is

too young yet to know exactly how much

influence it is going to have on English

or Serbian or whatever language I know

people think that the internet is having

a major major influence on language that

the English language today is not the

same as it was 20 years ago that's

rubbish the English language today is

almost identical with what it was 20

years ago I know there are a new

abbreviations that have come into text

messaging like lol you

know LOL you know things like this but

this is cool stuff but there isn't very

much like that this is a tiny tiny

fraction of the English language the

vast majority of English is exactly the

same today as it was 20 years ago in a

hundred years time maybe there will be a

lot of influence from the internet but

at the moment it's pretty stable so

should authority figures be be worried

about texting and Facebook and social

media or should they just be encouraged

to see it as a temporary phenomenon and

which does not affect the basics oh I

think very much that uh the the prophets

of Doom uh are out there and they always

come out when there is a new technology

there were prophets of Doom with

printing in the 15th century saying

printing is a terrible thing because it

will mean anybody can say what they like

in public I told you already the

prophets of Doom with with tele phones

they thought this is a disaster for

society prophets of Doom with the

internet as well yes there are some

famous figures that have gone into print

and said text messaging especially is a

disaster for the English language there

is a commentator in Britain who

everybody knows in Britain his name is

John

Humphries uh because he runs the morning

breakfast show and so everybody listens

you see he's very well known and in the

Daily Mail a few years years ago he was

on record as saying that uh the young

people of today are ruining the English

language they are doing to English what

the vandals and Goths did to society all

those hundred centuries ago raping and

pillaging the English language

destroying it with your

abbreviations your horrible

abbreviations don't you know what you're

doing kind of

attitude again total rubbish

why because text messaging and likewise

all the other internet activities was

never never full of

abbreviations when you actually do

collect as linguists do a collection of

text messages and you look at them and

you count up all the abbreviations that

are in those text messages you find that

the average number of abbreviations in a

text is only

10% in other words 90% or so of the

language you use in a text is standard

English you know I mean it's the or at

least your local dialect maybe but not a

brand new language full of crazy

abbreviations that nobody has ever seen

[Music]

before