76 LANGUAGE AND THE INTERNET
Table 3.1. (cont.)
8 ‘Brave the
new world of
new media’This is a fairly orthodo xaccount of the need to
maintain typographical conventions (italics,
quotes, capitals) to separate title from plaintext.
Wiredmakes its distinctions (for names of films,
songs, albums, Web sites, Internet services, etc.)
just like any other publisher would.
9 ‘Go global’ ‘Yes, we write in English, but in these Webbed
times, writing from a US-centric perspective is
hopelesslyoutdated.’ (p. 21) Style shifts may be
necessary, for such things as date-expression,
phone number style, and prices. For foreign
words, ‘don’t be lazy or xenophobic – take the
time to figure out correct spellings and accent
marks.’ (p. 21) ‘Writing with a global perspective
means being cosmopolitan: enjoying the best of
other cultures and tongues, and resisting the
impulse to put foreign ideas and phrases through
a bottom-feeder filter.’ (p. 21)
10 ‘Play with
dots and
dashes and
slashes’
They draw attention to the clash between copy-
editors and coders, in writing on or about the
Net. ‘Online, publishing meets programming –
and punctuation leads a double life.’ (p. 22)The message is clear about what the editors would like Netspeak to
be,anddoubtlessreadersofWiredfindthisstylecongenial.Butgen-
eralizing the point is problematic, for a great deal of apparently suc-
cessfulInternetcommunicationdoesnotconformtoit.Ireceivein-
numerable e-mails which are anything but fragmented sentences; I
read innumerable Web sites where the content demands longer and
more sophisticated exposition. It is unlikely that a single principle
of economy could ever explain the variety of uses, intentions, tastes,
and effects which give the Internet its character. ‘Tabloidy’ might
appeal to one type of readership, but it will appal others. And it is
because the Internet copes with both extremes of user, allowing a
broadspectrumofusersinbetween,thatitisbecomingsouniversal.
Any style guide which promotes one variety of language at
the expense of another is prescriptive. Traditional prescriptivism