Cyber socialising

Emerging genres and registers of intimacy among young South African students

Bibliographic Data

ID20406203
AuthorsZannie Bock (University of the Western Cape, corresponding author)
Year2013
Volume44
Issue2
Pages68-91
Publication date2013-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueLanguage Matters (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1022-8195 • E-ISSN: 1753-5395
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10228195.2013.784924
OpenAlexW2176715178
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited13

The popularity of digital media networks for socialising among the youth is well documented. Much has been written on the emerging norms of textese, the global shorthand for chatting. However, becoming a proficient user involves more than simply mastering this code: it requires knowing the appropriate genres and registers for chatting. This article aims to explore these conventionalised genres and styles from a discourse analytical perspective. It analyses data collected by first-year students in the Linguistics Department at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) who use an application called MXit for chatting with their friends. The analysis shows how, despite the seemingly unrestrained and non-standard nature of MXit chatting, it is highly conventionalised and structured and requires a particular ‘register of intimacy’ which relies heavily on evaluative language and affective markers. However, it is simultaneously fluid and innovative thereby enabling users to ‘style’ for themselves identities which combine elements of global sophistication with local situatedness

Affordance · Human–computer interaction · Linguistics · Popularity · Social science · Sociology · Sophistication · Computer Science · Digital Communication and Language · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · History · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Psychology · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub