In:Multi-Dimensional Analysis, 25 years on: A tribute to Douglas Biber
Edited by Tony Berber Sardinha and Marcia Veirano Pinto
[Studies in Corpus Linguistics 60] 2014
► pp. 81–108
Chapter 1.3 25 years later
Comparing Internet and pre-Internet registers
Published online: 31 July 2014
https://doi.org/10.1075/scl.60.03ber
https://doi.org/10.1075/scl.60.03ber
This chapter presents a study aimed at comparing Internet and pre-Internet text varieties along the dimensions of register variation introduced by Biber (1988). The research uses the recommendations for corpus design set forth by Biber (1993) for the compilation of a representative corpus of online communication, containing texts from webpages, blogs, emails, and Twitter and Facebook messages. The multi-dimensional analysis performed is additive, whereby the dimension scores for the Internet registers are mapped on the existing multidimensional space from Biber (1988). The results indicate that Internet registers share considerable linguistic similarities with registers from the pre-Internet era, yet they also have particular characteristics that set them apart from their extant counterparts. The chapter details these similarities and differences.
References (14)
Baron, N. (2012). Enunciados segmentados em MIs [Utterance breaks in Instant Messaging]. In T.M.G. Shepherd & T. Salies (Eds.), Linguística da Internet [Internet linguistics]
(pp. 125-156). São Paulo, SP: Contexto.
Berber Sardinha, T. (2012). Variação entre registros da Internet Variation across Internet registers. In T.M.G. Shepherd & T. Salies (Eds.), Linguística da Internet [Internet linguistics]
(pp. 55-76). São Paulo, SP: Contexto.
Biber, D., & Kurjian, J. (2007). Towards a taxonomy of web registers and text types: a multi-dimensional analysis. In M. Hundt, N. Nesselhauf, & C. Biewer (Eds.), Corpus linguistics and the Web (pp. 109-132). Amsterdam: Rodopi.
Bruce, I. (2010). Evolving genres in online domains: The hybrid genre of the participatory news article. In A. Mehler, S. Sharoff, & M. Santini (Eds.), Genres on the Web: Computational models and empirical studies (1st Ed.; pp. 323-348). New York, NY: Springer.
Grieve, J., Biber, D., Friginal, E., & Nekrasova, T. (2010). Variation among blogs: A multi-dimensional analysis. In A. Mehler, S. Sharoff, & M. Santini (Eds.), Genres on the Web: Computational models and empirical studies (1st Ed.; pp. 303-322). New York, NY: Springer.
Hardy, J.A., & Friginal, E. (2012). Filipino and American online communication and linguistic variation. World Englishes, 31(2), 143-161.
Herring, S.C., & Paolillo, J.C. (2006). Gender and genre variation in weblogs. Sociolinguistics, 10(4), 439-459.
Cited by (22)
Cited by 22 other publications
Cannon-Jones, Jill & Viola Wiegand
2025. To what extent can a comedy drama provide a classroom model for natural conversation?. Register Studies
Coussé, Evie & Yvonne Adesam
SHAKIR, MUHAMMAD
Claridge, Claudia
Clarke, Isobelle
Wang, Yaqin & Haitao Liu
Wingrove, Peter
Larsson, Tove, Magali Paquot & Douglas Biber
2021. On the importance of register in learner writing. In Corpus-based approaches to register variation [Studies in Corpus Linguistics, 103], ► pp. 235 ff.
Werner, Valentin
Werner, Valentin
2021. A register approach toward pop lyrics in EFL education. In Corpus-based approaches to register variation [Studies in Corpus Linguistics, 103], ► pp. 209 ff.
Berber Sardinha, Tony & Marcia Veirano Pinto
2019. Dimensions of variation across American television registers. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics 24:1 ► pp. 3 ff.
Berber Sardinha, Tony & Marcia Veirano Pinto
2021. A linguistic typology of American television. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics 26:1 ► pp. 127 ff.
Sardinha, Tony Berber & Marcia Veirano Pinto
Costa, Andressa
Liimatta, Aatu
Liimatta, Aatu
2020. Using lengthwise scaling to compare feature frequencies across text lengths on Reddit. In Corpus approaches to social media [Studies in Corpus Linguistics, 98], ► pp. 111 ff.
Berber Sardinha, Tony
2018. Dimensions of variation across Internet registers. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics 23:2 ► pp. 125 ff.
Berber Sardinha, Tony
Shakir, Muhammad & Dagmar Deuber
Shakir, Muhammad & Dagmar Deuber
2019. A Multidimensional Analysis of Pakistani and U.S. English blogs and columns. English World-Wide. A Journal of Varieties of English 40:1 ► pp. 1 ff.
Biber, Douglas & Jesse Egbert
Biber, Douglas & Jesse Egbert
2020. Orality on the searchable web. In Voices Past and Present - Studies of Involved, Speech-related and Spoken Texts [Studies in Corpus Linguistics, 97], ► pp. 317 ff.
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 1 december 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.
