David Crystal - How is the internet changing language today?

In this short interview, David Crystal (English language expert) states how technology always changes language. From the creation of printing to telephones, technology evokes new styles, spellings and punctuation systems, not to mention new patterns of dialogue. He concludes with the idea that language has become expressively richer as a result of the internet. Click here for the youtube clip.

David Crystal's theory on the development of the English language

BBC television program 'It's only a theory' with David Crystal: Expert on linguistic evolution David Crystal explains why he believes texting is good for teenagers. His studies show that only 10% of words in text messages are abbreviated, and that abbreviations actually date back hundreds of years - despite the myth that teenagers created them. According to Crystal, the earlier you get a mobile phone and the more you text, the better your literacy will ultimately be. Click here for youtube clip.

Ted Talks: What makes a word real?

Is the internet degrading the English language? Social networking sites allow you to 'defriend' someone - is 'defriend' even a real word? New words like 'hangry' (hungry and angry) are evolving every day, but just how real are these slang words? This is explored in this TedTalk given by Anne Curzan. She concludes that dictionaries are human and not timeless, yet we tend to treat them as though they have no author. There is no objective dictionary force out there: if a community is using a word and knows what it means then the word is 'real', because it is we who make it real. Click here for the Ted Talk!

Stages of children's linguistic development