Netymology
From Apps to Zombies: A Linguistic Celebration of the Digital World
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
Composed of 100 bite-sized entries of 400 to 600 words each, Netymology weaves together stories, etymologies and analyses around digital culture's transformation, and creation, of words.
Tom Chatfield presents a kaleidoscopic, thought-provoking tour through the buried roots of some of the digital age's most common terms: from the @ and Apple symbols, to HTML and Trojan horses, to the twisted histories of new forms of slang, memes, text messages and gaming terms.
There's also discussion of the trends behind digital words, and of the ways language itself is being shaped by new forces - and revelations about how these forces are, in turn, reshaping us.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Slimmer and far more engaging than the average dictionary, this volume contains 100 short essays on the lingo, abbreviations, and turns of phrase that have proliferated in the online world. British technology writer Chatfield catalogs the evolving English language with entries on words such as LOLZ, pwn, twitterverse, netiquette, and even the venerable byte. Chatfield's expansive knowledge of pop culture and technology lends intrigue to even an utterance of indifference, meh popularized, perhaps, by its use on the television show The Simpsons in the 1990s before it became a staple of online chat conversations. Moreover, he incorporates the linguistic roots of many terms. Discussing the phenomenon of a digital artifact going viral, he begins with the 1890s classification of the biological analogue. Obscure anecdotes and a good sense of humor ensure this volume will charm and inform both tech buffs and those who navigate the digital world with trepidation. The essays are only a few pages long, so reading the book straight through is a staccato experience but still pleasurable.
