What are the notable linguistic features of Computer Mediated Communication?

1. Orthography

informal (“phonetic”) spelling

do wot I did

luv from SD

dunno how easy it’ll be

speed-writing (esp. with mobile phones), combination of informal spelling with letter omission

thx 4 yr txt

absence of capitalization (even with pronoun I and proper names) 

got your email. i’ll be over later on in the day. 

2. Vocabulary 

informal

If you give it to me to look at in the summer hols, I’ll be able to have a peek at it myself sometime.

I thin the N lot managed to dagger it quite effectively.

Oh goody... Even goodier.

use of interjections

At last — phew!

This was the last bid with N, oh, ages ago. 

Not back till Saturday: grooh.

use of “in”-terms and abbreviations (BTW, ROTFL, PTB)

BTW have you heard an update on the continuing saga?

3. Grammar

“telegraphic” language

Have forwarded the N email.

Will do, but am not back in office until Tuesday.

“chaining” (multiple coordination/subordination in sequence)

4. Discourse and Text

use of interaction features (e.g. questions)

i’ll be over later on in the day, ok?

The main trip up seems to be that what we were thinking of is not in this call, am I right?

“stream of consciousness” writing

just one more thing, do i want to go to england to teach in a school??? do i? oh well, i’ll decide that when i have to.

message-comment structures in e-mail, etc.

— Have just had your payslip and returned tax card.

— Oh goody.

hypertext (in the WWW)

5. Paralinguistics and Graphics

spaced letters

in case you’re wondering why things went R E A L S L O W just now

multiple letters

PLEEEEESE

alternative markers for emphasis

*now* or _now_

capitalization (“shouting”)

COME ON YOU!

little or “excessive”punctuation 

do i want to go to england to teach in a school???

“smilies” (emoticons)

Sue’s hedgehog followed Tim round the building :—)

Anyone wanna buy some CPROS lottery tickets? :—) 

What do these features tell us about CMC? 

CMC demonstrates a mix of features drawn from prototypically spoken and prototypically written media (including sub-types of these — e.g. telegraphic language) 

Text-type has an important role in determining the nature of the language used in CMC. Overall, however, the trend is towards a more informal, “spoken” style of writing. This is especially obvious at the paralinguistic/graphic level, where additional means have been developed to represent effects that are possible in face-to-face interaction but not in writing. 

The constraints of real-time interaction seem to be responsible for many of the features of CMC language. These seem then to have diffused into asynchronous text types. 

Socially, there seems to be some trend towards group solidarity amongst users of CMC. Several linguistic choices appear aimed at reducing social distance and emphasizing group membership.


source: http://www.ling.lancs.ac.uk/staff/paulb/206/cmclec.pdf