discourse analysis; interpersonal language function; Systemic Functional Linguistics; genre analysis; academic discourse; conference presentation; research article; undergraduate textbook; mass media discourse; web genres; discussion forum; institutional homepage; news report; newspaper headline; computer game

The monograph presents research results of explorations into a variety of possible realizations of the interpersonal language function in an array of genres and discourse domains. The first section discusses methodological and terminological issues, provides a survey of the development and the current state of research into the interpersonal aspects, or intersubjective positioning, in discourse; the second section provides an insight into the interpersonal components in spoken as well as written genres of academic discourse; the third, and largest, section focuses on the characteristics of the form and function of interpersonal elements in both traditional and novel or emerging electronic genres in mass media discourse (in online discussion fora, institutional home pages, news reports, news headlines, and computer games).