Linguistic and paralinguistic aspect of internet discourse (on the example of french users)

This paper attempts to study the identity of virtual communication on the modern stage, and stresses the multidimensionality and ambiguity of solutions of many problems associated with Internet communications such as: the definition of the Internet discourse, the difference of this type of discourse from others: electronic, virtual, computer ones; the genre classification of the Internet discourse. Illustrative material is derived empirically in the process of investigating such components of the French Internet discourse - blogs, chats, social networking, forums, e-mails. By the example of French users the author considers linguistic and paralinguistic features of the Internet discourse as a special type of speech, and offers the essential characteristics of its genres. The article also analyzes an emotive component of the Networking discourse and the basic ways of its linguistic expression