In August, I wrote a blog about hippie-era slang that coincided with the 40th anniversary of Woodstock . I explained how speech has always been a principle medium for cultures to define and differentiate themselves. Today, it is clear to linguists and laymen alike that people are incorporating language that reflects their online activity into [...]

The overwhelming proliferation of Instant Messaging (IM), text messages, and Twitter has long placed linguists on alert.  The seamless incorporation of these media into everyday life and communication is astounding.  From 2001 to 2002, text messages leapt from 30 million sent to nearly 1 billion. Records also show that in March 2008, over 3 million [...]