Video Fix: How the internet is changing language?

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Technology and internet are part of our days and life. We use technology channels to communicate, to learn or to work. But what happens with the language we use on the net? Are we using neologisms or new language expressions? Let’s take a look at what the eminent linguist David Crystal thinks about how is the internet changing language today.

According to what Crystal told to the BBC News media: “new colloquialisms spread like wildfire amongst groups on the net. The net is an amazing medium for languages as language itself changes slowly but the website has speeded up the process of those changes so you notice them more quickly”. He also said that: “online you show how brilliant you are by manipulating the language of the internet”.

Video Fix_ How the internet is changing language

Language adapts to our needs and to new trends as for example the creation of the verb ‘to Google’ which has a universally understood meaning in different languages. According to the BBC, for Prof Crystal it is still too early to fully evaluate the impact of technology on language.

Internet slang is present in every language and it evolves with the language. You can take a look at the Internet Slang Dictionary in English were you can find some of the neologisms already adapted to our language.


Written by Olga Jeczmyk: Translator-Interpreter, Social Media and Content Manager as well as Communication and Terminology Trainee. Terminology Coordination Unit of the European Parliament in Luxembourg.

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