Identification of Moves of Informal Internet-based Chats Between Iranian EFL Teenagers and Foreigners

This study aims at explaining informal Internet-based chat format with respect to its genre and writing components and system. The researchers analyzed 53 chat samples which were produced by 53 Iranian students in high intermediate and advanced levels of English in a private institute while chatting with foreigners. Besides the genre analysis, the purposes why people all around the world chat on the Internet were investigated based on these samplesi. Five moves and seven purposes were found. Our data suggest that although purposes of samples are different, they follow the same moves. The results show that informal Internet based chat concerns with different purposes as chatting for improving English language, familiarity with different peoples and countries, friendship, finding a sexual partner or talking about religious or political ideas