The device on which you are reading this is causing language to change more rapidly than scholars can keep up with. Since the very first email was sent in the 1960s, the internet has been implicated in some of the largest changes in our collective language behavior in ways that some language historians argue is every bit as monumental as the invention of the printing press. 

This course takes the language of social media—construed broadly as the various ways we connect using digital means--and uses it as a springboard to explore the kinds of questions that have fascinated language scholars for decades: how we learn new structures (I can has syntax?), how we use sound systems (YAAAAAAS!), and even how we open and close interactions (kthxbai). Together, we’ll unlock the transient and permanent changes the internet has wrought upon our language use. 

Intended Audience:

This course is open to any first-year student who is curious about language, communication, the internet, or who just spends too much time on their phone. No background in linguistics required.