Abstract
This PhD thesis by Dr. Terrell Neuage examines the linguistic structures of online chatroom conversations, focusing on how digital dialogues evolve from oral traditions. Using conversational analysis and intertextuality theories from Bakhtin and Kristeva, the study explores the construction of meaning in interactive online environments. The research is based on the proposed online journal southernexpressway, designed to facilitate academic discourse within the University of South Australia community.
Introduction
The thesis investigates the shift from oral to online communication, analyzing how language structures enable conversation in chatrooms and discussion groups. It draws on linguistic methodologies to study the "speech act" in digital contexts, emphasizing the role of hypertext and intertextuality in shaping online discourse.
Methodology
The methodology combines conversational analysis (CA) from Howard Sacks with intertextuality theories by Mikhail Bakhtin and Julia Kristeva. The study analyzes chatroom and discussion group interactions within the southernexpressway journal, focusing on linguistic patterns and the construction of meaning. Hypertext theories by George Landow and J. David Bolter are applied to understand the structure of online "talk-text."
Eggins and Slade's framework of "chat" and "chunks" is used to differentiate between local, turn-by-turn interactions and globally structured conversation segments. The research also explores the concept of heteroglossia, where multiple voices engage in dialogue, producing diverse meanings.
Project Design: southernexpressway
The proposed project involves creating an online journal named southernexpressway, an interactive "zine" for students and staff at the University of South Australia. The journal focuses on textuality, art, and reviews, with discussion groups and chatrooms for academic discourse. The project was designed to be announced in 1999, soliciting volunteers from the university community.
Chatrooms were monitored with ethical considerations, including notices informing participants of research observation. The design ensured sections of the site could remain outside the study to prevent fracturing under social demands. The journal aimed to foster an academic environment, distinct from non-academic chatrooms prevalent on the internet.
Bibliography
- Bernard-Donals, Michael. Mikhail Bakhtin. Cambridge University Press, 1994.
- Eggins, S., and Slade, D. Analysing Casual Conversation. Cassell, 1997.
- Emerson, Carl, and Holquist, Michael. The Dialogic Imagination. University of Texas Press, 1981.
- Kristeva, Julia. "Word, Dialogue, and the Novel." In The Kristeva Reader, edited by T. Moi, 35–61. Columbia University Press, 1986.
- Landow, George P. Hypertext: The Convergence of Contemporary Critical Theory and Technology. Baltimore, 1992.
- Stubbs, Michael. Text and Corpus Analysis. Blackwell Publishing, 1996.
- Turkle, Sherry. Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet. Simon and Schuster, 1995.
Accessing the Full Thesis
The complete thesis, including case studies and appendices, is available through the University of South Australia library. Contact the university for access to the published version.