Is “normal” writing, the language in books, articles, and newspapers, being swept aside by the hordes on the Internet, be it on email, on Twitter, or on social media? Should we care? Gretchen McCullough is the expert of cloud English, a linguist fascinated by and smart about the dizzying changes occurring where least we expect it. “Because Internet: Understanding how Language Is Changing” is McCullough’s odyssey, thesis, and paean to the new. Whether she is exploring emoji or dissecting social patterns in Twitter usage or how slang morphs within different Internet communities, she is erudite, entertaining, and generous. In the end, she emerges as a champion of the new. A rambunctious yet robust tour of a fascinating new land.
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