ABSTRACT
Technology has widened the possibilities for interaction between native speakers (NSs) and nonnative speakers (NNSs) by removing the need for geographic proximity. Online dyadic text chat in particular provides NNSs with opportunities for spontaneous free conversation with speakers other than the language teacher in an online one-to-one out-of-class setting. That is, online dyadic chat provides a context where language learners can potentially engage in social interactions with others using the language as a medium of communication (cf. Anderson and Corbett, this volume). Online chat is a form of conversational interaction in which participant roles are relatively unconstrained. Tudini (2007) has shown that, contrary to expectations, in these online textual conversations, NNSs of Italian generally have equal status with NSs as interaction managers and can nominate and pursue topics. These equalities, however, exist in relationship with other possible asymmetries, most notably between the statuses of the participants in relation to the language itself—the status of native speaker (NS) and of nonnative speaker (NNS).
