The Future of Language: How Technology, Politics and Utopianism are Transforming the Way we Communicate

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Will language as we know it cease to exist What could this mean for the way we live our lives Shining a light on the technology currently being developed to revolutionise communication, The Future of Language distinguishes myth from reality and superstition from scientifically-based prediction as it plots out the importance of language and raises questions about its future. From the rise of artificial intelligence and speaking robots, to brain implants and computer-facilitated telepathy, language and communications expert Philip Seargeant surveys the development of new digital languages, such as emojis, animated gifs and memes, and investigates how conventions of spoken and written language are being modified by new trends in communication. From George Orwells fictional predictions in Nineteen Eighty-Four to the very real warnings of climate activist Greta Thunberg, Seargeant explores language through time, traversing politics, religion, philosophy, literature, and of course technology, in the process. Tracing how previous eras have imagined the future of language, from the Bible to the works H. G. Wells, and from Star Wars to Star Trek, the book reveals how perfecting language and communication has always been a vital component of utopian dreams of the future. Questioning the potential ramifications of recent and future developments in communication on society and its ideals, The Future of Language is a no holds barred investigation into the state of civilisation and the impact that changes in language could have on our lives.

Reviews

You leave this book with a renewed belief in language as inherently creative, offering what Noam Chomsky called "infinite expression by finite means, and still our best way of expressing the sensory infinitude of being alive. -- Peter Williams * New Statesman *
In his scholarly, must-read book, Seargeant makes us think about the underpinnings of these convenient tools and what they portend for language, one of the cornerstones of human identity. -- Vijaysree Venkatraman * New Scientist *
It is certain that our use of language is going to change in the near, mid- and long-term future. In this thought-provoking and sometimes rather alarming book, the implications for the human race are considered. Philip Seargeant raises issues that no one can afford to ignore. -- Steve Buckledee, University of Cagliari, Italy
Seargeant asks what might be around the corner for language as new technologies keep coming. His wide-ranging survey considers impacts that include social media and generative AI. Each is part of a larger pattern of disruption in the ecology of language use. -- N.J. Enfield, University of Sydney, Australia * Times Literary Supplement *

Author Bio

Philip Seargeant is Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics at the Open University, UK. His recent publications include The Art of Political Storytelling (Bloomsbury Academic, 2020) and The Emoji Revolution (2019). He has won awards for his short films on language and communication, including the viral series The History of English in Ten Minutes. He is a frequent contributor to publications such as Wired, The New European, Prospect, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post and The Independent.