Language in the age of dataism

Abstract

The digital age brings dramatic changes to language and communication; its effects can be seen in the ways we use language, the channels we use to communicate and the manners in which ideas are spread. From the other end of the spectrum, our linguistic behaviour, communications and knowledge are transformed into data which can be used or bought to feed intelligent technologies. The article presents a bird's eye view of this dynamics of change, first by focusing on the impact of digitisation on language itself, further by analysing current trends in the language industry where traditional services are being replaced by technology- and data-driven solutions, and finally by exploring the impact of these technologies on man and society at large. We make a case for digital linguistics as an interdisciplinary field of study which adopts a human-centred approach to the sociolinguistic, technological, economic, infrastructural and ethical issues emerging with regard to language in the digital age.