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It's pen pals for the internet generation.?


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It's pen pals for the internet generation.? #16 (permalink) Tue Nov 14, 2006 20:22 pm   It's pen pals for the internet generation.?
 

Hi Tamara,

Hope you got the little barb from Englis huser! My goodness, whatever next?

A
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It's pen pals for the internet generation.? #17 (permalink) Tue Nov 14, 2006 20:29 pm   It's pen pals for the internet generation.?
 

Hi Tamara,

Just a smiley? Don't know what that means.

A
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It's pen pals for the internet generation.? #18 (permalink) Tue Nov 14, 2006 20:37 pm   It's pen pals for the internet generation.?
 

A smiley is just a smiley.
Just to say that I'm not a serious and devoted barb-collector. And never have been.
Sorry. :)
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It's pen pals for the internet generation.? #19 (permalink) Tue Nov 14, 2006 20:45 pm   It's pen pals for the internet generation.?
 

I have to admit that my understanding of this little nugget of a sentence (as far as the understanding went, that is) was that something made possible by technology today is being compared to the penpalery of yesteryear. 8)
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Using a dictionary #20 (permalink) Tue Nov 14, 2006 20:47 pm   Using a dictionary
 

Hi Tamara,

I meant your spelling of 'internet generation'. I'm not worried about typos, but I think dictionaries are good when we want to know how a word is spelt or pronounced, or when we're uncertain about its meaning.

I didn't mean to offend you. I just thought I could make a good and helpful suggestion. I'm sorry for underestimating you - I realise by now that you already consult appropriate works of reference.

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It's pen pals for the internet generation.? #21 (permalink) Tue Nov 14, 2006 21:10 pm   It's pen pals for the internet generation.?
 

Englishuser, that's OK.
I'm not a pouter (or what word do you use for a person who easily takes offences?)
I'd even say that it's a bit difficult task to make me actually feel offended. :)

Quote:
I think dictionaries are good when we want to know how a word is spelt or pronounced, or when we're uncertain about its meaning.
I completely agree with your (fresh (;) ) idea about dictionaries. Thank you for your thought! :)

Tamara
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It's pen pals for the internet generation.? #22 (permalink) Tue Nov 14, 2006 21:28 pm   It's pen pals for the internet generation.?
 

Hi Tamara

Just out of curiosity, how does your MS Word "feel" about the word "internet" (without the capital 'I')? Have you checked? :lol:

There are a number of other publications in addition to Wired News that have adopted the non-capitalized spelling. Personally, I think it's only a matter of time before even the dictionaries decide that saying "the internet" is no different from saying "the phone company". :mrgreen:

Amy
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Internet v. internet #23 (permalink) Tue Nov 14, 2006 21:37 pm   Internet v. internet
 

Hi Yankee,

You wrote:

Quote:
Personally, I think it's only a matter of time before even the dictionaries decide that saying "the internet" is no different from saying "the phone company".


Do you really think so? The Internet was actually spelt 'the internet' in the past. Nowadays, the old spelling seems rather out of fashion.

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It's pen pals for the internet generation.? #24 (permalink) Tue Nov 14, 2006 21:39 pm   It's pen pals for the internet generation.?
 

Yankee wrote:
Hi Tamara

Just out of curiosity, how does your MS Word "feel" about the word "internet" (without the capital 'I')? Have you checked? :lol:

Hi Amy :)

As I usually write my 'posts' using MS Word (before posting), I don't need to check it specially.

The answer is: "my" :) MS Word becomes green :) and politely suggests the capitalised version.
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Internet v. internet #25 (permalink) Tue Nov 14, 2006 21:42 pm   Internet v. internet
 

Hi Tamara,

You said:

Quote:
The answer is: "my" MS Word becomes green and politely suggests the capitalised version.


That's the version we should stick to, in my opinion.

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It's pen pals for the internet generation.? #26 (permalink) Tue Nov 14, 2006 21:50 pm   It's pen pals for the internet generation.?
 

I'm quite sure that the majority of people treat the internet like any other noun and at some point this will become the standard. It's similar to the spelling of the word email. At the beginning, most dictionaries suggested 'e-mail' or 'E-mail' (and probably still do) but most people simple write 'email' as one word because it's faster and makes more sense. Remember that it's the majority of users of a language who make the rules not just some linguists. The latter only analyze the language as it is used and update the rules accordingly.

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It's pen pals for the internet generation.? #27 (permalink) Tue Nov 14, 2006 22:07 pm   It's pen pals for the internet generation.?
 

Hi Torsten,

You said:

Quote:
At the beginning, most dictionaries suggested 'e-mail' or 'E-mail' (and probably still do) but most people simple write 'email' as one word because it's faster and makes more sense. Remember that it's the majority of users of a language who make the rules not just some linguists.


According to most dictionaries, 'email' and 'e-mail' are both equally correct. Some people still prefer 'e-mail' as it seems more proper to them. Either way, I think the most important thing is to be as consistent as possible in one's writing. If you capitalise Internet in the first paragraph of a text you should do so in the second paragraph as well.

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It's pen pals for the internet generation.? #28 (permalink) Tue Nov 14, 2006 22:15 pm   It's pen pals for the internet generation.?
 

.
In addition, I predict internet will simply not be able to logically remain capitalized. Even today you find definitions of "the Internet" such as this:

(Note: capital "I"). The Internet is the largest internet (with a small "i") in the world.


I can easily imagine additional large internets in the future: internet II, internet III, internet IV, etc. That's not really any different from saying channel 2, channel 3, channel 4 (TV stations).

Amy
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Internet v. internet #29 (permalink) Tue Nov 14, 2006 22:21 pm   Internet v. internet
 

Hi Amy,

I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what future has in store for us.

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It's pen pals for the internet generation.? #30 (permalink) Wed Nov 15, 2006 8:34 am   It's pen pals for the internet generation.?
 

Morning! :)
Yankee wrote:
internet II

Internet2 @Wikipedia
:) (just a joke)

By the way, yesterday I had an opportunity to see using internet in the 'creeping line' of the BBC News on TV.
Used (in the context) exacty the same as 'email' or 'phone'.

I don't know whether it's a heavy argument (albeit I'm aware of the dictionary meaning of the word 'argument' :))
It's just a fact :)
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