Tornow points out two other features that may eventually characterize written talk. The first is the possible occurrence of new metaphors related to computer-mediated language use, based on her assumption that computer mediation introduces new metaphors into our thinking. The second feature is the possible borrowing of terms from different disciplines, occurring as conversations across disciplines becomes more accessible through networking. As online environments increasingly become channels for interaction in educational situations, academic discussion is characteristically taking on the features of written talk. Because there is no or little comprehension.
Comprehension is a necessary ingredient.
The use of lower case at the start of the first sentence, the short phrases, the incomplete sentence, the uncorrected spelling mistake, and the informal tone are more representative of a chunk of oral conversation than it is part of a written exchange of academic ideas. Yet, as conversations with online course instructors indicate, such postings are considered evidence of students' critical reasoning, intellectual growth and thoughtful contribution to a topic of discussion, and assessed as such. Online instructors are thus, in effect, judging how effectively students can communicate meaning using the situational rhetoric of written talk, the conventions of which differ noticeably from those of traditional academic writing. As online interaction becomes more widely used in formal academic situations, and as more students of all age levels participate in electronic discourse, language educators may have to consider how to respond to such unconventional language use and structuring of ideas. In addition to examining the language itself, and perhaps more importantly, we need to understand how these changing conventions may be contributing to the construction of online learning communities and the development of online academic discourse.