The morpho-syntax of French Internet chat: the case of the conjugated verb phrase

• Published in: Echo des etudes romanes Vol. 10; no. 1-2; pp. 21 - 33
• Main Author: LAZAR, Jan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: French
• Published: 01.01.2014
• ISSN: 1801-0865

We live in a period which is inseparably linked to new forms of electronic communication. The Internet provides its users with new forms of communication including messaging, discussions, and chats. It appears that the French language used in email messages, forums, blogs and chat sessions differs from the standard written language. The computer has become a tool, a sort of mediator, which indirectly modifies the CMC discourse. The new 'genre' is commonly referred to as 'computer-mediated communication' (CMC) in English linguistics, whereas French linguistics uses different terms including: 'oral-written hybrid forms' (ANIS, 1998, 1999, 2001), 'Cyberl@ngue' (DEJOND, MERCIER, 2002) or mediated electronic discourse (PANCKHURST, 1998, 1999). The aim of our contribution is to analyze specific forms of such type of written communication which appear in French chats, and their influence on the morphological structure of subject-verb agreement. It should be noted that online communication takes place in real time because the message appears immediately after 'Enter' is pressed, which means that chat discussions have a conversational character (ANIS, 1999: 71). In order not to lose the progression of conversation with other chatters, it is necessary to react as quickly as possible, because the message remains very little time on the screen. As a result, the users abbreviate the messages so as to keep up with the chat communication. According to JANDOVA (2006, 22) the messages on chats are generally composed of six words. This economy of expression necessarily leads to a reduction of morphological structure of the discourse. Adapted from the source document