Determining the sociolinguistic parameters of Internet users – possibilities and limitations

Abstract

The subject of this article is a reflection on the possibility of applying sociolinguistic methodology to the study of the language of Internet comments, in which language is examined in connection with the social characteristics of its users. The aim of the considerations is to answer the question whether it is possible to establish sociolinguistic parameters of Internet users in Internet communication, which is considered to be anonimous. The problem is analysed in the context of the presence of dialectisms in Internet comments, which is probably related to the sociolinguistic factors determining the authors of the entries. The material basis for the considerations are comments published on a dozen thematically homogeneous websites.