Reader positioning and engagement strategies in English and Arabic online discourse

The exploration of communication and cross- cultural nuances on vastly networked digital platforms remains relatively limited. Based on English and Arabic tweets on X (formerly Twitter), this study explores how writers construct interpersonal meaning, authorial stance, and position the putative reader when discussing ChatGPT. A qualitative analysis of tweets about ChatGPT in both English and Arabic was conducted from the functional perspective of appraisal theory by Martin and White (2005). The findings indicated that the Arabic writers slightly employ more attitudinal instances (42%) than English writers (34%). Yet both groups primarily employed “appreciation” resources, allowing them to objectify their positions and minimize subjectivity. Both English and Arabic writers expressed positive attitudes toward ChatGPT, with a tendency to employ lexicogrammatical resources to increase the intensity of their feelings and evaluations. Arabic writers were more expansive, preferring to expand the dialogical space and open it up for alternative positions when engaging with their readers (79%). In both datasets, English and Arabic writers preferred not to show authorial interventions or explicitly confront the readers in the discussion. In terms of reader positioning, the English writers frequently asserted alignment with their readers, unlike their Arabic counterparts who took a more neutral stance. The findings highlight cross-cultural variations in online written communication and the need to bridge the gap between online discourse practices and academic writing expectations to empower writers.