The Linguistics of Social Media: An introduction

Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Internet Slang and Abbreviations
About this Book
	Why the World Needs a Book About the Linguistics of Social Media
	Who this Book Is Intended for
	How to Read this Book
1 Language and Social Media
	1.1 Introduction to Linguistics: Word Sorcery and Other Magic Tricks
		Linguistics as a Discipline
		What Linguistics Is Not
		Linguistics in Practice
		Core Areas of Linguistics
		How Linguistics Might Be Useful in Studying Social Media
	1.2 Introduction to Social Media
		A Very Brief History of How We Got Talking Online
		Communication On the Internet Is Here to Stay
		Generations of Internet Communicators
		What Is Social Media?
		The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: We Are Not Here to Judge
	Note
	References
2 Using Social Media for Your Purpose: Exploring Genre, Register and Style
	2.1 What Do We Use Language For?
		Spoken Language, Written Language and the Continuum Between Them
		How to Organise Language Texts: Genre, Register and Style
		Taking Texts Apart: the Mechanics of Characterising Texts
	2.2 Using Social Media for Your Purpose
		Case Study 2.2.1. Genre, Register and Style of Instant Messages
		Case Study 2.2.2. Genre, Register and Style of Reddit Posts
		Case Study 2.2.3. Genre, Register and Style of Wikipedia Articles
	In a Nutshell
	Notes
	References
3 Using Social Media to Speak to Your Tribe: Considering Audience Design, Language Choice and Multilingualism
	3.1 How Do You Speak to Your Tribe?
		Audience Is Key!
		I Speak Your Language
		Juggling Multiple Languages
		Switching Languages and Language Choice
	3.2 Using Social Media to Find and Keep Your Tribe
		Case Study 3.3.1. Tailoring Facebook Updates to Your Audience
		Case Study 3.3.2. Mixing Languages On TikTok to Increase Prestige and Appeal to Your Audience
	In a Nutshell
	Notes
	References
4 Using Social Media to Get Things Done: Analysing Speech Acts and Politeness
	4.1 How Do We Use Language to Get Things Done?
		Speech Acts: a Performance in Three Acts
		How to Do Things With Words
		Meaning More Than You Say: Indirect Speech Acts and Politeness
	4.2 Using Social Media to Get Things Done
		Case Study 4.4.1. Putting Your Best Foot Forward On LinkedIn
		Case Study 4.4.2. Enhancing Your Company’s Image On Twitter and Weibo
		Case Study 4.4.3. Doing ‘Collaboration’ in a Virtual Workplace
	In a Nutshell
	Note
	References
5 Using Social Media to Be Yourself: Examining Indexing, Gender and Communities of Practice
	5.1 How to Find Your ‘Self’ and What Language Has to Do With It
		The Presentation of the Self in Everyday Life
		Indexing, Speech Communities and Communities of Practice
		Performing Gender: Girly Girls and Manly Men
		Performing Sexuality: Coming On and Coming Out
	5.2 Using Social Media to Be Yourself
		Case Study 5.5.1. Presenting Your ‘Best Day’ On Facebook
		Case Study 5.5.2. From Creating a Sense of Belonging to Creating a Hybrid Identity On Instagram
		Case Study 5.5.3. Expressing Your Sexuality On Twitter and TikTok
	In a Nutshell
	References
6 Using Social Media to Save the World: Theorising Metaphor
	6.1 From Linguistic Signs to Reality: Conjuring Up a Picture
		Metaphors We Live By: Ubiquitous and Systematic
		Metaphors From the Body: Directly Experiential Metaphors Are Primary
		Metaphors in the Mind: an Unsolved Puzzle
	6.2 Using Social Media to Frame the World Around Us
		Case Study 6.2.1. Promoting ‘Green’ Living Journeys On Personal Blogs
		Case Study 6.2.2. Playing the Political Game On Facebook and TikTok
		Case Study 6.2.3. Using Twitter to Declare War On a Global Pandemic
	In a Nutshell
	Note
	References
7 Using Social Media to Influence Public Opinion: Surveying Texts With Move Analysis and Corpus Linguistics
	7.1 Beyond the Sentence: How Is Discourse Structured?
		Move Analysis: a Top-Down Discourse Analysis Approach
		Corpus Linguistics-Driven Discourse Analysis: a Bottom-Up Approach
	7.2 Using Social Media to Influence Public Opinion
		Case Study 7.2.1. Reviewing Your Experiences On TripAdvisor
		Case Study 7.2.2. Evaluating Perspectives On YouTube
	In a Nutshell
	Note
	References
8 Using Social Media to Amuse and Entertain: Introducing Word-Formation and Grammatical Constructions
	8.1 The Structured Lexicon
		Words and How to Find Them
		Analogy in Word-Formation Processes
		Analogy in Grammatical Constructions
	8.2 Using Social Media for Humour and Wordplay
		Case Study 8.2.1. Using Hashtags for Creativity and Wordplay
		Case Study 8.2.2. Sharing a Laugh With Internet Macro-Memes
	In a Nutshell
	Note
	References
9 Using Social Media to Rally for Your Language: Measuring Linguistic Vitality and Language Endangerment
	9.1 How to Tell If Your Language Is Thriving
		Ticking the ‘Other’ Box: Minoritized Languages
		Measures of Linguistic Vitality
		Language Policies and Planning
		Could the Native Speaker Please Stand Up?
	9.2 Using Social Media to Rally for Your Language
		Case Study 9.2.1. Re-Evaluating Minoritized Languages On YouTube
		Case Study 9.2.2. Creating ‘Breathing Spaces’ for Minoritized Languages On Facebook
		Case Study 9.2.3. Expanding Minoritized Language Classrooms to Twitter
	In a Nutshell
	Notes
	References
10 Epilogue: Ethical Considerations and Language Change
	The Linguistics of Social Media: Some Common Threads
	More Research Is Needed: Ethical Considerations and Avoiding Harm
	Language Never Falls Apart: Language Change and Social Media
	In a Nutshell
	References
Index
Index of Languages
Index of Social Media Platforms