Editorial /Éditorial

This special issue highlights discourse and interaction in computer-mediated communication (CMC) language learning environments. Our decision to focus on this area was motivated by a desire to promote research that demonstrates and explores close analysis of discourse and the moment-by-moment processes involved in interpersonal communication. Although a growing amount of this type of research already exists, this branch of technology-enhanced language learning remains relatively unexplored because only recently, with the expansion of bandwidth, has communication networks in certain parts of the world become more possible and accessible. The articles in this special issue confirm that 'the medium of communication does not appear to impair interaction, but rather seems to create a new environment with different features for the exchange and creation of information (e.g., Spears & Lea, 1994; Walther et al., 1994)' (Salaberry, 2000, p. 33).

In the first article of this special issue, Aurore Mroz responds to recent calls for learners to improve critical thinking skills and, at the same time, gain technological competence. She explores discourse produced by a focus group of intermediate learners of French at a public university in the US during cooperative problem-solving synchronous chat sessions within Second Life. Following Vandergriff's (2006) approach for analyzing electronic discourse and interactions, Mroz maintains that moments of discord during negotiation of meaning can lead to the co-construction of knowledge and the emergence of critical thinking and problem-solving as students work in a small group to transform individual contributions into collective progress. The author also analyzes the students' perceptions of their learning experiences in this type of virtual environment as a component of forward-looking course redesign and improvement. This dimension of the analysis revealed, for example, a substantial sense of freedom for students from preconceived notions and prejudices within the focus group. The study highlights the importance of students' perceptions of the increased potential for the transfer of competence gained within the virtual learning environment. In the larger scope of the study of classroom discourse, Mroz provides an excellent model for interactional analysis that could be used for traditional (written or spoken) discourse or electronic discourse.

In the second article of this special issue, Adam Mendelson offers a one-semester case study of a learner of Spanish at the intermediate level at a public university in the US. The study explores the trajectory of the learner's discourse in synchronous CMC tasks and face-to-face, in-class discussions; the author focuses on different types of evidence that demonstrate a move toward the use of more academic discourse. Mendelson found, for example, that this learner took longer turns as the semester progressed. Moreover, there was an increase in frequency, variety, and grammaticality of the learner's use of subordination when expressing opinions. The author also observed a noticeable decrease in online play, which was only attempted during the first part of the semester. Mendelson clearly demonstrates how synchronous chat is not necessarily a medium where informal discourse is used exclusively. Instead, this study reminds us that the pedagogical framework and goals in the form of expected outcomes play an essential role in shaping the use of new communication tools and virtual learning spaces.

In the third article of this special issue, D. Joseph Cunningham and Nina Vyatkina analyze discourse and interaction within the context of a telecollaborative intercultural exchange involving German professionals and learners of German enrolled in a German for the Professions course. Their study was designed to track and understand students' development of grammatical and pragmatic dimensions of language - specifically the use of politeness markers to establish rapport, among other things - during synchronous multimodal (i.e., video/audio and text) Web conferencing characterized as having a somewhat formal business or professional register. The online interactions were interspersed with pedagogical interventions drawing from transcripts of telecollaborative exchanges to create data-driven learning opportunities for the students as they reflected on previous sessions and prepared for the upcoming ones. Although the authors observed increased consistency with the appropriate use of modal verbs, the use of subjunctive turned out to...