This is the illusionist in which I, Helen Zoltzman, grow language on a damp tea towel.

Coming up in today's show, we've got Gretchen McCulloch, the internet linguist and the

author of the new book, Because Internet Understanding the New Rules of Language, which is a

very interesting dive into how languages used and develops online.

But as the internet is so huge and enables language to develop much more rapidly, how are

we to keep up with using it right?

I find myself with writing habits and etiquette that I picked up don't know how or where or

when, but maybe Gretchen can help me learn why.

On with the show.

Maybe you can help me understand myself Gretchen.

At some point in the last few years, I realize now that I stopped putting a full stop or

period.

What do you call it in Canada?

In Canada it's a period, but I understand full stop too.

Okay.

I realize it stopped putting a period at the end of messages or tweets.

Why did I do that?

One of the things you need to think about is when we're talking, we don't necessarily

talk in complete sentences.

We talk in utterances, which can be anywhere from a single word like, yup, to a whole monologue.

And so when we're writing informally, we also kind of write in those utterances.

Those are breaks.

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