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- Title
Are online news comments like face-to-face conversation? A multi-dimensional analysis of an emerging register.
- Authors
Ehret, Katharina; Taboada, Maite
- Abstract
This article focuses on the question of whether online news comments are like face-to-face conversation or not. It is a widespread view that online comments are like "dialogue", with comments often being referred to as "conversations". These assumptions, however, lack empirical back-up. In order to answer this question, we systematically explore register-relevant properties of online news comments using multi-dimensional analysis (MDA) techniques. Specifically, we apply MDA to establish what online comments are like by describing their linguistic features and comparing them to traditional registers (e.g. face-to-face conversation, academic writing). Thus, we tap the SFU Opinion and Comments Corpus and the Canadian component of the International Corpus of English. We show that online comments are not like spontaneous conversation but rather closer to opinion articles or exams, and clearly constitute a written register. Furthermore, they should be described as instances of argumentative evaluative language.
- Subjects
FACE-to-face communication; ONLINE comments; DEBATE; CORPORA; SOCIAL media
- Publication
Register Studies, 2020, Vol 2, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
2542-9477
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1075/rs.19012.ehr