Internet Linguistics

The Internet is now an integral part of contemporary life and linguists are increasingly concerned with how it is impacting on language. In this student-friendly guidebook, leading language authority Professor David Crystal follows on from his landmark bestseller Language and the Internet and takes things one step further. This book presents the area as a new field: Internet linguistics. In his engaging trademark style, Crystal investigates how so much junk email gets past the spam filter - and, more importantly, how to stop it - looks at why we (over)use exclamation marks in online communication, analyses the phenomenon of Twitter from a linguistic standpoint and much more. He addresses the online linguistic issues that affect us on a daily basis and incorporates real-life examples and data drawn from his own studies and personal involvement with Internet companies. Including a wide range of activities and suggestions for further research, this is the essential introduction to this critical new field for undergraduates of English language and linguistics.

David Crystal is a freelance writer, lecturer and broadcaster, based in Holyhead, North Wales. He is author of numerous books including Just a Phrase I'm Going Through (Routledge 2009). The first Routledge David Crystal Lectures DVD, The Future of Language, was published in 2009.

"Crystal draws on his wealth of expertise to shed light on the important issues related to language form and use online.Internet Linguistics should be read by all graduate and undergraduate students interested in applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, and computer-mediated communication." Mark Warschauer, University of California, USA "David Crystal is a master linguist and master teacher. Given his expertise on language and the internet, he is the ideal author for this student text." Naomi S. Baron, American University, USA