[Air-l] Origin of the term "Internet" ?

Richard Stevens stevensr at smu.edu
Wed Mar 28 19:25:58 PDT 2007


There are other internets. Whenever you link two pre-existing 
networks, the resulting capacity for access is referred to as an 
"internet." Grammatically, I could easily say that if I can access 
the servers on two home networks (without the IP connection), I can 
perform an "internet search" that would not be an "Internet search."

-Rick

>Grammatically speaking, it should be capitalised as long as there is the
>possibility of other internets.  In other words, it is THE Internet, but
>other internets are also possible.  This is done to clarify which internet
>is being referred to. Rather like the Western (cultural) world, as opposed
>to western (geographic) places.  Nifty and often overlooked grammatical
>device.
>
>However, I'm not aware of any other internets so it seems rather redundant -
>though the possibility is always there, I suppose ... I always capitalise,
>just in case  :-)
>
>Hope this helps.
>
>Cheers,
>Hughie
>

-- 

-----------------------------

J. Richard Stevens, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Journalism
Southern Methodist University
P.O. Box 750113
Dallas, TX 75275

stevensr at smu.edu
http://jrichardstevens.com

"A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimension."
  --Oliver Wendell Holmes

"Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or 
for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is 
contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds 
contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; 
it invites anarchy."
  -Louis Brandeis, Olmstead v. United States 277 U.S. 438, 485 (1928).

  "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a 
thought without accepting it."
  --Aristotle

"The highest form of morality is not to feel at home in one's own 
home."  - Theodor Adorno


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