The Internet and Languages

Marie LebertProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.9

Word count: 175K words
Chapters: 18

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.L'Internet et les langues by Marie LebertAuthor: Lebert, Marie,Language: French, Class: TK: Technology: Electrical, Electronics and Nuclear engineering, Release Date: Nov 8, 2009

Editor's review

Written in French by Marie Lebert and released by Project Gutenberg, this electronic text explores the relationship between the internet and languages. It turns its attention to changes in the linguistic ecosystem of the digital age: how the internet affects the spread, use and survival of languages, and what new possibilities it opens up for minority languages. As a product of Project Gutenberg, it is itself a footnote to the history of the e-book—the project was founded by Michael Hart in 1971, and the idea of free electronic books has continued ever since. The book is short and its discussion is closer to popular exposition than to dense theory, making it a suitable introduction to the topic of "digital technology and language." Readers may wish to keep the French-language context in mind and consider how the author discusses linguistic diversity in the online setting. For readers interested in language policy, internet culture and the digital humanities, this is a lightweight but thought-provoking resource.

Who it's for

A good fit for

French-speaking readers interested in the relationship between the internet and languages
Beginner learners studying linguistic diversity and digitalization
Readers interested in Project Gutenberg and the early history of e-books
Language learners who wish to read popular social-science texts in French

Not a good fit for

Readers unfamiliar with French who need a Chinese translation
Professional researchers expecting systematic linguistic theory or empirical data

Reading tips

First read the whole text to grasp the author's core argument about the internet and languages, then go back and sort out the key points.
Compare what you read with how languages you know are used online, to deepen your understanding.
If reading French is difficult, first read through with a dictionary, focusing on the main ideas of each section rather than scrutinizing every word.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book written in French?

Yes, according to the metadata the book's language is French and the author is Marie Lebert. Readers need some ability to read French; the available information does not mention a Chinese translation.

What is this book's relationship to Project Gutenberg?

The book was released by Project Gutenberg. The project was the first provider of free electronic books, and its founder, Michael Hart, pioneered the e-book concept in 1971; this book is a product of that free e-book tradition.

Is this book suitable for studying linguistic theory?

Not really. The book is a popular discussion of internet-and-language issues rather than a systematic work of linguistic theory. For rigorous theoretical frameworks or empirical research, consult specialized literature instead.

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About the author

Marie Lebert Author · French

Marie Lebert is a French translator and researcher of books and digital publishing. She holds a doctorate in linguistics from the Sorbonne and has worked in translation and library roles at international organizations in several countries; she now lives in Australia. Her research focuses on multilingualism online, e-books and the history of translation, and her writing for general readers traces how books have moved from print to digital form. Representative works include La Jérusalem médiévale, Del libro impreso al libro digital, Le Projet Gutenberg and Le Livre 010101: Enquête, and 47 of her titles are held in the collection. Her e-books and writings on Project Gutenberg are distributed free of charge through the University of Toronto's NEF and Project Gutenberg, making them easy to access online. Public information about her is limited, and her works centre on digital publishing and changing reading practices.