Alphabet to E-mail

{{Short description|2000 book by Dr. Naomi Baron}}

{{Infobox book

| italic title =

| name = Alphabet to E-mail

| image = Alphabet to E-mail.jpg

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption = First edition

| author = Dr. Naomi Baron

| title_working =

| cover_artist =

| country = United States

| language = English

| subject = Linguistics

| published = 2000 (Routledge)

| media_type = Print

| pages = 316

| awards =

| isbn = 0-415-18685-4

| isbn_note =

| oclc =

| dewey = 421.1

| congress = PE1075

| notes =

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| website =

}}

Alphabet to E-mail: How Written English Evolved and Where It's Heading ({{ISBN|0-415-18685-4}}) is a book by linguist Dr. Naomi Baron, a professor of linguistics at American University, Washington, D.C. It was first published in 2000, published by Routledge Press.{{cite web|last1=Kharif|first1=Olga|title=The Man Who Brought a :-) to Your Screen|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/bw/stories/2001-04-22/the-man-who-brought-a-to-your-screen|website=BloombergBusiness|accessdate=1 February 2016|date=22 April 2001}}

In it, Baron explores the history of the English language in written form, and considers how it has evolved through its history, ending with an evaluation of the state of the English language today, and how the Internet and the use of email and text messaging has affected it.{{cite news|last1=Baron|first1=Naomi|title=Put On a Public Face|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/11/opinion/put-on-a-public-face.html|accessdate=1 February 2016|work=The New York Times|date=11 April 2011}}

Baron considered that email did not have an inherent writing style, and believed it was evolving to resemble speech.{{cite web|last1=Varchaver|first1=Nicholas|title=The Perils Of E-mail|url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2003/02/17/337317/index.htm|website=Fortune Magazine|access-date=1 February 2016|date=17 February 2003}} She also expressed her disappointment with the effect of electronic means of communication upon the written word.{{cite web|last1=Fahmy|first1=Sameh|title=E-mail and the mangling of the English language|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/2002/05/15/email-language.htm|website=USA Today|accessdate=1 February 2016|date=14 May 2002}}

Baron noted that 25-years of research revealed that:

{{blockquote|.. people offer more accurate and complete information about themselves when filling out questionnaires using a computer than when completing the same form on paper or through a face-to-face interview. The differences were especially marked when the information at issue was personally sensitive.}}