Abstract. The aim of this literature review is to critique the contributions to the fields of discourse analysis and electronic communication. This will develop a study of how the process of exchanging meaning is functionally motivated within electronic 'talk'. This literature review will aid in establishing the theoretical framework and methodological focus needed for an original contribution to dialogue on electronic talk as a system of social meaning-making within cyberculture. As well I hope to create a semiotic model for 'Natural Language' within the chatroom milieu.

Research on-line is different from face to face research. There is the question of whether cyberspace is even "real" and therefore worthy of study. In addition, there are questions of whether cyberculture, especially exchanges within chatrooms, are public or private. (Cybersociology ~ http://www.cybersociology.com ~ issue six: Research Methodology Online ~ http://www.socio.demon.co.uk/magazine/6/issue6.html).

(Cyberspace as A Political Public Sphere) > http://www2.addu.edu.ph/~rex/cyberspace-1.htm ("Free Speech" in Cyberspace) > http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is98/final_papers/Kim.html (THE INTERNET AND THE PUBLIC SPHERE: WHAT KIND OF SPACE IS CYBERSPACE?) http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~migol/text/sphere.html (Community Development In The Cybersociety of the Future) http://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/courses/govt312/Rheingold.htm

My data will be from a particular chatroom and all participants will be aware that their conversations are being observed and used in research. (Ethics approval from the University of South Australia is viewable at http://se.unisa.edu.au/ethics.html). Methodologists from within the qualitative field of social sciences have long detected the affects that such participation has on "natural conversation". So what will you do about this?  - Develop the idea more fully.

The emergence of the term 'chat' to describe electronic communication text forms is one indication of its difference from existing talk modes. There is the sense that on-line conversation is not serious and therefore may not be worthy of an intensive linguistic study. The term, 'chat', however captures only some of the dimensions of this emergent communication form. analogies with TV “chatshows”?

RESEARCH QUESTIONS ~ as a starting point toward analyzing a culture of electronic-talk: You need to make the reasons for these particular questions clear.

·      How is turn-taking negotiated within chatrooms? yes -but why? What does turn - taking reveal?

·      With the taking away of many identifying cues of participants (gender, nationality, age etc) are issues of sexism and political correctness careful: this term (political correctness) has an ideological history as prevalent as in face-to-face talk?

·      How is electronic chat reflective of current social discourse? not constitutive of?

·        Is meaning constructible within chatrooms? meaning not clear