Internet Terminology (Novice-Intermediate)

Practice on Your Own

The internet and social media are part of our everyday life. No matter which language you are learning, some people who speak the language probably use the Internet and social media, and inevitably there is vocabulary that develops around it.

• Do some online research to find out about the prevalence of internet usage, smart phones, Facebook and Twitter, and other types of online platforms in the country/ies where the language is spoken.
• These platforms are largely produced in the English language and therefore the terminology is often heavily from English. Other languages either borrow English terms or try to assign an equivalent term. Which approach is dominant in the language you are learning?
• Make a list of the main terminology related to the internet/smart phones/devices in the target language, such as internet, email, online, text message, computer, tablet, inbox, application, software, hardware, desktop, mouse, keyboard, chat, share, like (as it is used on Facebook, for instance), etc.
• What does this list tell you? How many of the terms used are English?
  • It is important to talk to your conversation partner about the terms used. Sometimes people commonly use terms that are different from what is officially considered correct in that language (such as using the English word “computer” even if there is another word for computer in the language). Remember to discuss this with your conversation partner.
• Try to use some of the terms you have learned in sentences. (Depending on the grammar you have learned so far, these sentences may be very simple or more complex.) For example:
  • I sent you a text message.
  • I will email you./I will send you an email.
  • I need to do a Google search./I did an internet search.
  • I was online./I am online now./I will be online.
  • I liked his photo on Facebook.
• If possible, you might want to experiment with putting your phone, computer, or email and social media accounts in the language you are studying. (Just make sure you remember how to switch it back if you need to!)

Practice in Conversation Session

• Show the list of terminology you have prepared to your conversation partner. Make sure that you have spelled the terms correctly. Now say them out loud to check your pronunciation, paying special attention to words that are adopted from English but are pronounced differently.
• Have a dialogue with your conversation partner in which they ask you questions about the internet and social media and you respond with the sentences that you have already prepared. Here the focus is on the correct use of these terms in a sentence, regardless of the tense/time-frame. See if you are able to switch roles and ask your conversation partner the same questions.