ABSTRACT
Most linguists make regular use of several Internet functions: e-mail, ftp, telnet , and WWW browser s. Indeed, these functions are beginning to be taken for granted as pan of our professional lives. However, many of us do not know what the Internet actually is or how it works. This chapter attempts to remedy this. It is essentially an Internet primer. It offers basic information about the operation of eight Internet technologies, as well as a brief review of Internet history, emphasizing how the Internet has changed linguistics in just a few short years.
