Linguistic Deviations in Virtual Discourse: A Computer-Mediated Approach

Virtual discourse is related to the new trends of using technology in communication. As such, different types of virtual discourse have been adopted such as electronic messaging, computer-mediated texts, e-mail messages and the like. These kinds of discourse are surely characterized by specific linguistic features that are different from the normal ways of speaking and writing. It is supposed that there are deviant manifestations in such discourse. This study is an attempt to investigate linguistic deviations in virtual discourse. Thus, it aims to answer the following questions: What kinds of linguistic deviation are there in virtual discourse? What is the value of such deviations? The current paper is structured as follows: section 1 is an introduction; sections 2&3 present a theoretical background on both virtual discourse and linguistic deviation; section 4 is devoted to data analysis, results and discussion; finally, section 5 summarizes the most important conclusions.