Abstract
Abstract
Because human interaction is central to computer‐mediated communication (CMC), it has long been of interest to applied linguists to understand how communication in digital spaces impacts the expression and understanding of meaning, especially in regard to politeness, appropriateness, and related social phenomena. In other words, a central question has been and continues to be how the pragmatics of languages are expressed, learned, and taught in contexts where communication is mediated through an electronic device. This entry therefore brings together two areas of inquiry—CMC and pragmatics—and discusses how CMC can offer a fruitful environment for researching and teaching pragmatics.