Electronic Discourse: Breaking Out of the Medium

Abstract

A specific set of linguistic features, together with certain unique iconographic and communicative conventions of the Internet language, is considered to be a manifestation of a new type of discourse, electronic discourse. These features are typically present in most formats of computer-mediated communication, especially those in which communication is spontaneous, less formal and has an overall nature of oral rather than written interaction. Recently, however, the presence of electronic discourse has been registered in other styles of written speech, which do not belong to the domain of electronic communication – fiction and academic writing. Though the functions of electronic discourse in these styles are different, the fact that electronic discourse is increasingly escaping the boundaries of electronic communication is significant and deserves attention with regards to its implications for the overall language development.