Negotiating meanings online: Disagreements about word meaning in discussion forum communication

This article describes word meaning negotiation (WMN) in online discussion forum communication, a form of computer-mediated communication (CMC). WMN occurs when participants who are engaged in a discussion about a particular topic remark on a word choice of another participant, thus initiating a meta-linguistic sequence in which a particular word is openly questioned and the meaning of that word is up for negotiation. By closely studying the process of WMN and focusing on the practices of the participants engaged in it, this article empirically explores how situated meaning in concrete utterances is established by participants who are in disagreement about word meaning. Routine ways of entering into a WMN sequence are identified, as well as typical ways of contributing to the negotiation once the discussion has shifted focus from being on topic to being on word meaning. The article highlights the context-sensitivity of word meanings and illustrates how participants engaged in WMN orient toward both semantic properties of the words themselves as well as to relevant aspects of the conversational context.

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The Speech Act of Request in Computer-Mediated Communication

Deskripsi Bahasa ◽

10.22146/db.v3i1.395 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Maria Miwita Rosari

Keyword(s):

Speech Acts ◽

Speech Act ◽

Online Discussion ◽

Computer Mediated Communication ◽

Discussion Forum ◽

Law School ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Online Discussion Forum ◽

Computer Mediated ◽

Politeness Strategies

Through conversation ones establish relationship with others and keep channels open for further relationships. Politeness strategies and issues have been the focus of a number of studies. The way ones request for something to others depends on some factors such as the context they are in and the interlocutors they talk to. This article aims at developing the latest discussion on politeness phenomena by paying attention to the specifics of Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) settings specifically an online discussion forum. This article attempts to identify how speech act of request is performed in Top Law School (TLS) online discussion forum. The data were analyzed to observe the forms of speech act of request and the types of speech act of request performed in the online discussion forum. The findings of this paper revealed that the forms of speech act of request are expressed by declarative, interrogative, and imperative sentence. Moreover, the types of speech act of request employed by the users are directive, indirective, and literal speech acts. The writer believes that the study will be beneficial and a good reference for future researchers in conducting research on pragmatics under the same topic. Hopefully, it will enrich readers’ knowledge and understanding of the speech act of request and the politeness in CMC.

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Stereotypes

Communication ◽

10.1093/obo/9780199756841-0040 ◽

2011 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mary Lee Hummert

Keyword(s):

Mass Media ◽

Interpersonal Communication ◽

Computer Mediated Communication ◽

Communication Process ◽

Word Choice ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Communicative Behaviors ◽

Social Stereotypes ◽

Computer Mediated ◽

Social Scientific

The study of the relationship between stereotypes and communication is strongly interdisciplinary, involving not only communication scholars from many areas (interpersonal, discourse, organizational, mass media, computer-mediated communication, and so forth) but also social psychologists, sociolinguists, psycholinguists, and political scientists. In particular, the attention to stereotypes by communication scholars and to communication by social psychologists has helped advance scientific knowledge of the influence of stereotypes as cognitions on communicative behaviors—even at the level of word choice—and the equally strong influence of communication in all its forms on the construction and persistence of stereotypes. The research from both communication and psychological approaches has primarily applied social-scientific theories and methods to the study of stereotypes and communication, providing critical insights into stereotyping as an interpersonal communication process in which the influence of stereotypical beliefs is often implicit, that is, outside the conscious awareness of communicators. Media scholars have added to these insights by highlighting the ways mass media reflect and perpetuate social stereotypes. Discourse scholars have contributed yet another important layer of knowledge, showing how writers and speakers subtly implicate and instantiate stereotypes in text and talk. All of these approaches—interpersonal communication and psychology, discourse, and mass media—have considered the effects of communicative stereotyping on individuals and societies, strategies to reduce negative outcomes, and communication as a resource to lessen stereotyping.

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The Functions of Negotiation of Meaning in Text-Based CMC

Handbook of Research on E-Learning Methodologies for Language Acquisition ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-994-6.ch018 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 291-306 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sedat Akayoglu ◽

Arif Altun

Keyword(s):

English Language ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Computer Mediated Communication ◽

Nonnative Speakers ◽

Negotiation Of Meaning ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Computer Mediated ◽

Meaning Negotiation ◽

Mediated Discourse ◽

Research Questions

This chapter aims at describing the patterns of negotiation of meaning functions in text-based synchronous computer-mediated communication by using computer-mediated discourse analysis. Two research questions were sought in this study: (a) what types of negotiation of meaning emerge in text-based synchronous CMC environments, and (b) is there any difference between native speakers (NSs) and nonnative speakers (NNSs) of English in terms of negotiations of meaning functions in this environment. The emerged functions of meaning negotiation were presented, and when comparing the NS with NNSs, the most frequently used negotiation of meaning functions were found to be different, but the least frequently used ones were found to be similar. The findings of this study might give insights to researchers, educators, and teachers of English Language when designing instruction in terms of patterns of negotiation of meaning functions in text-based synchronous computer-mediated communication.

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