Machine-Facing English: Defining a Hybrid Register Shaped by Human-AI Discourse
Hyunwoo Kim, Hanau Yi
TL;DR
The paper defines Machine-Facing English (MFE) as a cross-linguistic register emergent from sustained human-AI discourse, addressing how AI constraints reshape syntax and pragmatics. It synthesizes Hallidayan register theory, enregisterment, accommodation, and Gricean pragmatics, and analyzes bilingual Korean-English interactions complemented by reflexive drafting via an NLD-P assistant. Five core features—redundant clarity, directive syntax, controlled vocabulary, flattened prosody, and single-intent structuring—accompanied by pragmatic patterns like asymmetric turn-taking and restart culture, illustrate a shift toward machine-parseable discourse. The work offers design and pedagogical implications, highlights data and methodological needs for future AI-assisted research, and advocates transparent, methodical approaches to studying evolving machine-facing communication in multilingual contexts.
Abstract
Machine-Facing English (MFE) is an emergent register shaped by the adaptation of everyday language to the expanding presence of AI interlocutors. Drawing on register theory (Halliday 1985, 2006), enregisterment (Agha 2003), audience design (Bell 1984), and interactional pragmatics (Giles & Ogay 2007), this study traces how sustained human-AI interaction normalizes syntactic rigidity, pragmatic simplification, and hyper-explicit phrasing - features that enhance machine parseability at the expense of natural fluency. Our analysis is grounded in qualitative observations from bilingual (Korean/English) voice- and text-based product testing sessions, with reflexive drafting conducted using Natural Language Declarative Prompting (NLD-P) under human curation. Thematic analysis identifies five recurrent traits - redundant clarity, directive syntax, controlled vocabulary, flattened prosody, and single-intent structuring - that improve execution accuracy but compress expressive range. MFE's evolution highlights a persistent tension between communicative efficiency and linguistic richness, raising design challenges for conversational interfaces and pedagogical considerations for multilingual users. We conclude by underscoring the need for comprehensive methodological exposition and future empirical validation.