Substitution of paraverbal and nonverbal cues in the written medium of IRC

For a long time, dialogue analysis has separated spoken language from written language. This dichotomy is valid in many cases as it is mostly parallel to the distinction of synchronous and asynchronous communication with the associated affinity to graphic and acoustic media, respectively. During the present decade, many forms of computer mediated communication (CMC) have become widespread. With Internet Relay Chat (IRC), CMC introduced the new form of synchronous, written -or rather typedmany-to-many communication. This novel constellation gives rise to several aspects that require a further differentiation of the strict dichotomy of spoken vs. written language. This paper will discuss how the total absence of paraverbal and nonverbal relational (and social) cues is fostering the evolution of a repertoire of text-based surrogates for these. Examples will also show that the planning strategies involved in the fast-paced conversations on IRC are not those usually employed for written language.