230589 Linguistics in the Digital Age (BS) (WiSe 2016/2017)

Computers (in different sizes and shapes) have become an integral part of our daily lives and communication: we write emails, post status updates to Facebook, send emoji-laden messages to our WhatsApp groups, and play games simultaneously with thousands of players while skyping with relatives in a far-away country – possibly at the same time and on the same device. How does this influence us linguistically? Does too much texting have a detrimental effect on our language? Why do many YouTubers sound so similar? How can we define Netspeak or gaming language?
This course will look at various forms of computer-mediated communication (CMC) mainly from a linguistic perspective. Students will discuss theoretical aspects of media-, socio- and text-linguistics and use the theoretical knowledge as analytical toolkit for their own research projects.