Linguistics in the Age of the Internet

Abstract

I would like to present a developmental model that could broaden our usual linguistic approach. We must do this to make linguistics capable of participating in solving some of the newer problems of our time. Today, simple linguistics is no longer sufficient to integrate these latest developments. We need interdisciplinary knowledge and skills that enable us to (a) store our experiences to date and (b) keep pace with developments in culture, economics, and technology. The data storage and data transfer capabilities of computers already exceed our wildest dreams. Computer research and, within that, interdisciplinary research into the impact of the internet has also begun in the Hungarian language area. We must prepare ourselves for a new era (language teachers, applied linguists, and linguists of all kinds) in which we take advantage of this unparalleled, unprecedented set of tools.