Map of the Slovak Internet - Discursive Topography and Zoning of Virtual Slovak Language

The paper responds to the issue of stratification of the Slovak language in reference to the idea of Ján Bosák on "over stratification" (or hyper stratification) of the Slovak language. The text attempts to provide a topography of the Slovak virtual language space according to the Map of the Slovak Internet (2009). The map shows that current stratification patterns including, without limitation, break-down of the language along the vertical axis (standard, sub-standard, literary language) cannot be used on the plane of the virtual language as this brings about new and specific social, topical and communication-related structures of the space of the Slovak language (linguotope). Stratification of the language into linguistic planes, stylistic strata etc. is replaced with zoning along discursive fields, user zones, institutional areas, interest groups etc. that may be deemed non-homogenous spatial structures. The basic zoning unit is the web address, while the organizing principle is the communication self-regulation of users (citizens of the web, i.e. webizens, netizens) breaking down the Slovak virtual space in eight baselines. The paper deals in more detail with two of the baselines, namely the "academic soil" and "discussion line".