[web as culture]

Even if you are unable to make it to (Giessen, Germany) the fascinating-sounding conference on the web as culture (ethnographic, linguistic and didactic perspectives), you can watch it streaming live as of tomorrow at 13:00 Germany time (so subtract 8 hours to get Alberta time).

Read more about the conference here and watch other keynotes streamed live over here.

Given my current interest, I'm going to be watching this keynote with interest: Prof. Dr. Angelika Storrer "Chatspeak: How web users adapt written language to synchronous communication"

"Chatspeak: How web users adapt written language to synchronous communication

Prof. Dr. Angelika Storrer, Technische Universität Dortmund

Thursday, July 16, 2009, 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Abstract: In synchronous forms of web communication – chat groups, instant messaging etc. – users directly interact with each other by text messages. Since most of these messages are keyed in and exchanged in a very short time, they are typically formulated in a speech-like style and deviate from the standards of grammar and orthography established for written language. In the mass media these deviations are often interpreted as a symptom of the decay of literacy. Most linguists, in contrast, describe and analyze the stylistic peculiarities of online messages as a new register which adapts written language to the demands of interactive online communication. The paper will support the linguists’ view using data from a corpus of German chat logfiles recorded in different chat environments (IRC, moderated and non-moderated webchats) and in various communication settings (E-Learning, business, politics, flirt/socializing). Findings from quantitative and qualitative studies in this corpus will show (1) which factors influence form and structure of the utterances, (2) how register-specific word and sign formation patterns compensate for the lack of direct visual and auditive contact between the chat participants and (3) how web users make use of these patterns for self-presentation and community building. In conclusion we will discuss how the stylistic peculiarities of this new written register should be considered in the context of language teaching and language learning.

Angelika Storrer is Professor for German Linguistics at Technische Universiät Dortmund. Her current research focuses on linguistic aspects of computer-mediated communication and hypertext; lexical information systems and computational lexicography; corpus linguistics."