Multi-modal talk
Online spoken language
Match the feature to the definition.
Lots of the features you see in different types of communication using technology mirror
the features you might expect from spoken language, or they will help to create the illusion
of speech.
Taboo language
Pictures of faces used to show emotion. They can also be
created using punctuation. 
Replication of
speech patterns
Letters repeated to add emphasis, e.g. I’m soooooo
booorrrreeed.
Cultural
referencing
Spelling words as they sound e.g. dun instead of done.
Acronyms and
initialisms
Using the first letters of words to make up phrases, e.g. LOL,
ROTFLOL.
Phonetic
spelling
Words and phrases that are generally considered
inappropriate in certain contexts. You can come up with your
own examples!
Emoticons and
smileys
Using references to things that are happening in the media,
music, television, fashion, sport, film, celebrity etc. e.g. ‘the
80s called – they want their outfit back’, ‘doh!’.
Repeated letters
Removing words to make the utterance shorter, e.g. Not seen
it instead of I haven’t seen it.
Abbreviation and
contraction
Replacing words, or parts of words, with letters and numbers
that sound the same, e.g. 2, C, U, 8. Can be extended to
make whole phrases, e.g. CUL8R.
Deletion
Language that is dictated by the formality of standard
spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Replication of
non-verbal
features
Shortening words, e.g. uni instead of university, or haven’t
instead of have not.
Simultaneous
Talk
The use of phrases, constructions and presentation to
recreate and simulate visual and auditory features of spoken
language, e.g. using um … or er … to suggest thinking time.
Over-use of
vocabulary
The online conversation takes place in real-time with
immediate turn-taking.
Acronyms and
initialisms
Using more words than you really need to convey an idea to
add emphasis and stress, e.g. ‘U R never, ever, gonna
believe this... not in a million, billion years ...’.
Non-Standard
English
Using features to replicate inter-personal aspects of spoken
language and to make it seem real, e.g. using capital letters
to indicate shouting, using facial expressions (emoticons),
simulating laughter (hahaha), use of suspension dots (...)/
hyphens (-) to indicate pauses etc.
Online spoken language
Multi-modal talk
ANSWERS – Online spoken language
Match the feature to the definition.
Lots of the features that you will see in different types of communication through
technology mirror the features you might expect from spoken language, or they will help to
create the illusion of speech.
Emoticons and
smileys
Pictures of faces used to show emotion. They can also be created
using punctuation. 
Repeated letters
Letters repeated to add emphasis, e.g. I’m soooooo booorrrreeed.
Phonetic
spelling
Acronyms and
initialisms
Taboo language
Cultural
referencing
Deletion
Spelling words as they sound e.g. dun instead of done.
Using the first letters of words to make up phrases, e.g. LOL,
ROTFLOL.
Words and phrases that are generally considered inappropriate in
certain contexts. You can come up with your own examples!
Using references to things that are happening in the media, music,
television, fashion, sport, film, celebrity etc. e.g. ‘the 80s called – they
want their outfit back’, ‘doh!’.
Removing words to make the utterance shorter, e.g. Not seen it instead
of I haven’t seen it.
Letter/ number
homophones
Replacing words, or parts of words, with letters and numbers that
sound the same, e.g. 2, C, U, 8. Can be extended to make whole
phrases, e.g. CUL8R.
Non-Standard
English
Language that is dictated by the formality of standard spelling,
punctuation and grammar.
Abbreviation and Shortening words, e.g. uni instead of university, or haven’t instead of
have not.
contraction
Replication of
speech patterns
The use of phrases, constructions and presentation to recreate and
simulate visual and auditory features of spoken language, e.g. using
um ... or er ... to suggest thinking time.
Simultaneous
Talk
The online conversation takes place in real-time with immediate turntaking.
Over-use of
vocabulary
Using more words than you really need to convey an idea to add
emphasis and stress, e.g. ‘U R never, ever, gonna believe this... not in
a million, billion years ...’.
Replication of
non-verbal
features
Using features to replicate inter-personal aspects of spoken language
and to make it seem real, e.g. using capital letters to indicate shouting,
using facial expressions (emoticons), simulating laughter (hahaha), use
of suspension dots (...)/ hyphens (-) to indicate pauses etc.