[MUD-Dev] Internationalisation: The effect of Tongues in virtual societes

[Sasha Hart]

[Ghovs]

> From my personal experience, when visiting specifically
> non-english MUD/MMORPG environments, there will be a LOT more
> anglicisms (that is, evil infestations of english language into
> the other) in people's speech than in an ordinary, every-day
> language purist society.

Yes! By gum, I sure am glad that english doesn't change or have any
foreign borrow-words like 'potato'!

> Such places are fragile in a way, since they have no adequate
> means to enforce the specific language, thus pushing people with
> their back against the wall in some cases, when a horde of english
> speakers springs up overnight.

Isn't it awful? It's just like when a 'horde' of Mexicans move in
down the block!

> It has always been so that english was the main language on the
> internet, as evidenced by such cultural expressions as spam, spam,
> spam, spam and spam (oh, and banner ads).

Yes, the rest of the world was too smart to invent
spam. Fortunately, english is a peerless choice for expressing
offers of penis enlargement to everyone, regardless of sex and
age. And I mean that 100%, no pumps or pills!

> As it is, you are practically forced to know english to
> participate in a large on-line community which reaches beyond your
> national borders. Wether that is a unifying factor, that's fodder
> for sociologists, but it does definitely help people understand
> others who are half a world away. (I said 'understand', not
> 'like')

I have repeatedly found myself forced to adapt my speaking to the
people I want to express things to, and I can also attest that it is
very tiring.

Tongue in cheek-
Sasha
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