The Linguistic Characteristics Of Interpersonal Communication In Cyberspace

With the development of computer technology and network, computer as a communication medium has attracted users of all over the world because of its convenience and efficiency. Today, text-based CMC is engaged in regularly by millions of people around the world, an increasing portion of whom now gain access to the global network ?known as the Internet and communicate in a virtual space called cyberspace. A new means of communication, computer-mediated communication (CMC) has gradually merged itself into the mainstream of interpersonal exchanges. The linguistic, social and cultural phenomena resulted from this process have started to draw attentions of many sociologists and linguists. However, as Herring notes: 揝urprisingly, although text-based CMC is constructed almost exclusively from linguistic signs, linguists have been slow to consider computer-mediated language a legitimate object of inquiry?(1996:3). Inspired by some existing references focused on linguistic aspects of CMC, the author of this essay conducts this modest project, trying to probe the linguistic features of this means of interpersonal communication existing in cyberspace. Text-based CMC involves two different categories: synchronous communication and asynchronous communication. In a variety of synchronous forms of CMC, Internet Relay Chat (11(C) has its uniqueness in linguistic features and the study of it can exert the instrumental advantages of computer. Therefore, this thesis puts its emphasis on the analysis of Internet Relay Chat. This thesis consists of five chapters: The Introduction gives a brief account of the definition of CMC and the development in CMC researches and points out the aim of this thesis. Chapter I introduces the context of CMC, the historical background of CMC studies, the position of English as a universal language in cyberspace and gives some general remarks on the language used in CMC. Chapter II presents a brief introduction to some typical forms of CMC and illustrates the operational interface of IRC. This chapter also explains the general rule of communication in cyberspace ? netiquette. Chapter III reveals the linguistic features of IRC. The analyses of these features are supported by authentic examples taken from IRC servers. These analyses indicate that IRC has a tendency toward imitating natural conversations. In addition, as a text-bascd communication from, the letters and codes input give IRC certain auditory and iconographic characteristics. Chapter IV gives a pragmatic analysis of IRC by applying Goffman抯 idea of conversational constraints. Goffman抯 concepts of system and ritual constraints are just loosely applicable in the description of IRC, because of the uniqueness of IRC in operational ii environment and communication manners. However, the development in computer technology and network may affect the functions of these constraints. Chapter V indicates that one of the most applicable methods of exploring the linguistic characteristics of CN4C is the construction of a 搇earner corpus? because it has more advantages in the analysis of IRC than most of the conventional methods. The Conclusion sums up the insights gained from the analysis in...