Does the Uniformitarian Hypothesis about language still hold in the age of modern online communication? In other words, have email, texting, instant messaging, etc. introduced new processes of language change, or are these just new forms of data that help reveal linguistic variation that has always been there?
(Note that there is no correct response to this question, only more (or less) plausible answers supported by evidence. )
Some possible positions (reflect exactly one of these and do so clearly):
a) The Uniformitarian Hypothesis still holds, entirely, and here is why.
b) The Uniformitarian Hypothesis mostly holds, and here is why.
c) The Uniformiarian Hypothesis does not hold any longer, and here is why.
Draw on course concepts – evidence – in order to explore this question and defend your position