Die internet as platform vir 'n nuwe Afrikaanse spraakgemeenskap en 'n nuwe variëteit : 'n korpuslinguistiese ondersoek

Abstract

It is generally accepted that the growing interest in the internet has opened new horisons for language research. The aim with this study is to explore the internet as a dynamic language environment and to investigate how written language is used and adapted to suit the conditions of three modes of computer mediated communication, (CMC) namely e-mail, chatrooms and websites. The research aims in this dissertation focus on the extend to which specific e-style characteristics are found in different CMC modes and whether the internet is emerging as a homogeneous linguistic medium or as a collection of distinct varieties, reflecting the different needs, purposes and attitudes of its users. Results have shown that these still rather new modes of communication have fostered new norms of expression and developed innovative ways of written language, particularly in the case of e-mail and chatrooms. Language use in CMC has been proven to be adapted to suit the particular conditions according to level of synchronicity, means of expression and situation in the respective communicative settings. A number of linguistic features are shown to be characteristic of the modes of CMC investigated in this study. This dissertation concludes that although there are a few linguistic properties which the three different internet situations analyzed in this study share, these do not make a very strong case for a view of internet Afrikaans as a new variety of Afrikaans. It is proposed that the kind of language which is used on the internet in its different situations should rather be regarded as a new linguistic medium - something fundamentally different from both writing and speech, as traditionally understood.It is generally accepted that the growing interest in the internet has opened new horisons for language research. The aim with this study is to explore the internet as a dynamic language environment and to investigate how written language is used and adapted to suit the conditions of three modes of computer mediated communication, (CMC) namely e-mail, chartrooms and websites. The research aims in this dissertation focus on the extend to which specific e-style characteristics are found in different CMC modes and whether the internet is emerging as a homogeneous linguistic medium or as a collection of distinct varieties, reflecting the different needs, purposes and attitudes of its users. Results have shown that these still rather new modes of communication have fostered new norms of expression and developed innovative ways of written language, particularly in the case of e-mail and chartrooms. Language use in CMC has been proven to be adapted to suit the particular conditions according to level of synchronicity, means of expression and situation in the respective communicative settings. A number of linguistic features are shown to be characteristic of the modes of CMC investigated in this study. This dissertation concludes that although there are a few linguistic properties which the three different internet situations analyzed in this study share, these do not make a very strong case for a view of internet Afrikaans as a new variety of Afrikaans. It is proposed that the kind of language which is used on the internet in its different situations should rather be regarded as a new linguistic medium - something fundamentally different from both writing and speech, as traditionally understood.