Formes de séquentialité dans les courriels et les forums de discussion. Une approche conversationnelle de l'interaction sur Internet.

Abstract

Cybercommunication and related phenomena have raised considerable discussions in the literature, often related to optimistic and pessimist mythical projections in the domains of democracy, participation in public space, sociability, work, and education. A more empirical approach, based on the detailed analysis of linguistic and interactional patterns, is needed in order to give another perspective on these new media and in order to question the conceptual tools indispensable for understanding them. In this framework, this article proposes a conversational approach of Internet communication in e-mails and discussion lists. It focuses on a particular phenomena: the practice of quoting the previous message in an answering message, where the quote is evaluated, completed, commented on, answered to. This practice introduces a particular kind of interactivity in the message. The analysis deals with various aspects of this practice, as the ways in which the second message can segment the first, the types of adjacent pairs which can be found in this chaining of messages, the modes of accomplishing and repairing the interpretation given by the second message.

Keywords

• interaction
• sequentiality
• CMC
• conversational analysis