The focus in this article is on the evolution of language and technology in relation to multilingualism, in particular on how multilingual provision has developed in tandem with the development of the internet and the World Wide Web (WWW). In trying to understand how multilingualism has evolved, it is also necessary to understand how the technical aspects of digital technology as well as the politico-economic dimensions to that technology have changed. Four distinct periods emerge in the development: monolingualism, multilingualism, hyperlingualism, and idiolingualism. Monolingualism covers the origins of the internet and later the WWW as monolingual spaces. This was followed by a long period that charts the slow but gradual development of increased language provision and what I am terming “partial multilingualism.” Multilingualism expanded substantially, potentially limitlessly, with the development of Web 2.0. This has involved the diversification of online spaces to the point of “hyperlingualism.” I argue that we are still in this hyperlingual phase, but alongside it, a new phase is developing, that of “idiolingualism” as a result of mass linguistic customization. In this article, I discuss these phases, paying attention to both their technical and economic contexts, as well as their implications for linguistic diversity online and in wider society.

中文翻译：

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多语与技术：从单语到异语的数字通信发展回顾

本文的重点是与多语制相关的语言和技术的演变，特别是多语种提供如何随着互联网和万维网 (WWW) 的发展而发展。在试图了解多语言是如何演变的过程中，还需要了解数字技术的技术方面以及该技术的政治经济层面是如何变化的。发展过程中出现了四个不同的时期：单语、多语、多语和异语。单一语言涵盖了互联网的起源以及后来作为单一语言空间的万维网。随后是一段很长的时期，描绘了语言提供的缓慢但渐进的发展以及我所说的“部分多语种”。” 随着 Web 2.0 的发展，多语种大幅扩展，可能无限扩展。这涉及到在线空间的多样化到“过度语言化”的程度。我认为我们仍处于这个超语言阶段，但与此同时，一个新阶段正在发展，即由于大规模语言定制而导致的“特殊语言”阶段。在本文中，我将讨论这些阶段，关注它们的技术和经济背景，以及它们对在线和更广泛社会的语言多样性的影响。作为大规模语言定制的结果的“特殊语言”。在本文中，我将讨论这些阶段，关注它们的技术和经济背景，以及它们对在线和更广泛社会的语言多样性的影响。作为大规模语言定制的结果的“特殊语言”。在本文中，我将讨论这些阶段，关注它们的技术和经济背景，以及它们对在线和更广泛社会的语言多样性的影响。