In recent years, the Internet has come to dominate our lives. E-mail, instant messaging and chat are rapidly replacing conventional forms of correspondence, and the Web has become the first port of call for both information enquiry and leisure activity. How is this affecting language? There is a widespread view that as 'technospeak' comes to rule, standards will be lost. In this book, David Crystal argues the reverse: that the Internet has encouraged a dramatic expansion in the variety and creativity of language. Covering a range of Internet genres, including e-mail, chat, and the Web, this is a revealing account of how the Internet is radically changing the way we use language. This second edition has been thoroughly updated to account for more recent phenomena, with a brand new chapter on blogging and instant messaging. Engaging and accessible, it will continue to fascinate anyone who has ever used the Internet.

 Accessible to anyone who has used the Internet  Looks at the language of a full range of Internet phenomena, such as e-mail, chat rooms, and the Web, as well as a range of newer phenomena such as instant messaging and blogs  Written by one of the world's leading authorities on language issues

1. A linguistic perspective; 2. The medium of netspeak; 3. Finding an identity; 4. The language of email; 5. The language of chatgroups; 6. The language of virtual worlds; 7. The language of the web; 8. New varieties.