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In:Mathematical Modelling in Linguistics and Text Analysis: Theory and applications
Edited by Adam Pawłowski, Sheila Embleton, Jan Mačutek and Aris Xanthos
[Current Issues in Linguistic Theory 370] 2025
► pp. 226–235

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Quantitative assessment of paralinguistic accommodation in WhatsApp chats

A user-centered case study

ORCiD logo with link | University of Lausanne
Published online: 13 October 2025
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.370.19xan
Abstract
In this chapter, we present a quantitative approach to paralinguistic accommodation phenomena in computer-mediated communication. Using a large corpus of authentic Whats-App chats between a focal user and her interlocutors, we attempt to determine the extent to which her use of paralinguistic cue categories reflects her interlocutor’s deviation from their collective average. Results show clear evidence of such convergence for the frequent categories of emojis and interjections. The proposed method inherits Pearson’s correlation sensitivity to outliers, which calls for the use of more robust indices in the presence of marked stylistic idiosyncrasies.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Method
    • 2.1Data
    • 2.2Paralinguistic cue extraction
    • 2.3Quantitative assessment of accommodation
  • 3.Results
  • 4.Discussion and conclusion
  • References
References (25)
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