"A linguist explores how the internet is redefining our vocabulary. No cap-this bruh slaps and slays." - Adam Grant, author of Think Again

"Incisive and funny, this is a page turner from start to finish. Algospeak is a must read for anyone seeking to understand how we communicate today." - Taylor Lorenz, author of Extremely Online

"Packed with fascinating facts, of-the-moment observations and a sparkling voice, Algospeak is a gift to any word nerd." - Amanda Montell, author of The Age of Magical Overthinking and Cultish



From the rise of leetspeak and words such as "unalive" to the trend of adding "-core" to different influencer aesthetics, the internet has ushered in an unprecedented linguistic upheaval. We're entering an entirely new era of etymology, heralded by the invisible forces driving social media algorithms. And with over 7 billion internet users uploading over 2.5 quintillion bytes of media every day, the sheer volume of potential new words is astounding.

In Algospeak, online etymologist Adam Aleksic shines a light on the roots of words that we don't realise have come from unexpected places - from incel culture, from the innovation of users trying to get around content moderation algorithms, from the marketing speak that has invaded our personal lives. New slang emerges and goes viral overnight. Accents are shaped or erased on YouTube. Grammatical rules, loopholes, and patterns surface and transform our interactions, social norms and habits.

An energetic, astonishing journey into language and the internet, Algospeak reveals the bigger social story of how language shapes us, just as much as we shape it.

About the Author
Adam Aleksic, known as @etymologynerd online, is a Harvard linguist and online etymologist, specialising in the intersection between language and social media. With almost 2 million followers across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and now Substack, Adam creates content and does his own original research into language and how it's changing. He's lectured at Georgetown, Stanford and UPenn and is a regular contributor to the Washington Post. He currently lives in Mexico City.

Reviews
"A linguist explores how the internet is redefining our vocabulary. No cap-this bruh slaps and slays." * Adam Grant, author of Think Again *
There's no one who understands the internet and language better than Adam Aleksic. Blending meticulous research, original data, and an unmatched fluency in online culture, Adam unpacks how our vocabularies are evolving in real time. Algospeak is a masterclass in linguistic evolution and online culture. It doesn't just unpack what's happening to language, but also reveals the many ways the internet is impacting culture and the ways we communicate and connect in person. Incisive and funny, this is a page turner from start to finish. Algospeak is a must read for anyone seeking to understand how we communicate today. * Taylor Lorenz, author of Extremely Online *
As someone who has neither Tik'd or Tok'd, I found Algospeak enthrallingly enlightening, written in an enticingly friendly way by one of the medium's most linguistically aware and experienced practitioners. Any Gen V [vintage] linguist like me has to read it. But not just us. All who use social media, or are puzzled by it, or are infuriated by it, will benefit from a reading. It's a brilliant expose of the aims and strategies underlying the algorithms that control these media, and of the motivations of the companies who create them, as well as providing a beautifully illustrated account of how users change language in order to respond to them. Algospeak takes our understanding of online communication to a new level. * David Crystal, author of How Language Works *



Book Information
ISBN 9781529949155
Author Adam Aleksic
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint Ebury Press
Publisher Ebury Publishing
Weight(grams) 314g
Dimensions(mm) 233mm * 153mm * 19mm