Do me a syntax: Doggo memes, language games and the internal structure of English

Punske, Jeffrey; Butler, Elizabeth

doi:10.1016/j.amper.2019.100052

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…• Textspeak, Chatspeak, or SMS-language removes vowels, capitalization, spacing, and so on that are not necessary to understand a message, motivated by the formerly limited number of characters in SMS, and the required multiple pressing of a key to generate a letter (Drouin & Davis, 2009); likewise, Digitalk refers to manipulations of standard written language in online communication, such as Instant Messengers (Turner et al, 2014); • Leetspeak (or l337) replaces letters with numbers or adds suffixes to words as a form of playful encryption that is easy to read (Perea et al, 2008); Leetspeak originates in bulletin boards and online gaming as ironic language variation to mock new users (Blashki & Nichol, 2005) but has since become Internet mainstream; similarly, Chanspeak was popularized on the 4chan imageboard as sub-community related misspelling and simplifying of words (Nascimento et al, 2019); • LOLspeak (or LOLcat) humorously uses incorrect grammar and spelling as language plays, primarily in cat memes on social media (Fiorentini, 2013); likewise, DoggoLingo is a joyful idiom in dog memes to mimic how dogs would talk in human imagination (Punske & Butler, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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You Can (Not) Say What You Want: Using Algospeak to Contest and Evade Algorithmic Content Moderation on TikTok

Steen,

Yurechko,

Klug

2023

Social Media + Society

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Social media users have long been aware of opaque content moderation systems and how they shape platform environments. On TikTok, creators increasingly utilize algospeak to circumvent unjust content restriction, meaning, they change or invent words to prevent TikTok’s content moderation algorithm from banning their video (e.g., “le$bean” for “lesbian”). We interviewed 19 TikTok creators about their motivations and practices of using algospeak in relation to their experience with TikTok’s content moderation. Participants largely anticipated how TikTok’s algorithm would read their videos, and used algospeak to evade unjustified content moderation while simultaneously ensuring target audiences can still find their videos. We identify non-contextuality, randomness, inaccuracy, and bias against marginalized communities as major issues regarding freedom of expression, equality of subjects, and support for communities of interest. Using algospeak, we argue for a need to improve contextually informed content moderation to valorize marginalized and tabooed audiovisual content on social media.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…• LOLspeak (or LOLcat) humorously uses incorrect grammar and spelling as language plays, primarily in cat memes on social media (Fiorentini, 2013); likewise, DoggoLingo is a joyful idiom in dog memes to mimic how dogs would talk in human imagination (Punske & Butler, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

You Can (Not) Say What You Want: Using Algospeak to Contest and Evade Algorithmic Content Moderation on TikTok

Steen,

Yurechko,

Klug

2023

Social Media + Society

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“…Open-ended playful registers online such as the aforementioned leetspeak, LOLspeak, and doge also give way to the development of reliable grammatical intuitions within individuals who become immersed in them(Gawne & Vaughan 2011, McCulloch 2014, Punske & Butler 2019.20 The first author does not remember uttering artifacts of language acquisition such as an excited-sounding [ˈʌŋ.ɡə], but one of the original witnesses brings up the matter routinely. [44.224.250.200] Project MUSE (2024-06-03 20:05 GMT) …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Language play is language variation: quantitative evidence and what it implies about language change

Brook,

Blamire

2023

lan

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This article argues that language play is intimately related to linguistic variation and change. Using two corpora of online present-day English, we investigate playful conversion of adjectives into abstract nouns (e.g. made of awesome∅), uncovering consistent rule-governed patterning in the grammatical constraints in spite of this option stemming from deliberate subversion of standard overt suffixation. Building on Haspelmath’s (1999) notion of ‘extravagance’ as one of the keys to language change, we account for the systematic patterning of deliberate linguistic subversion by appealing to tension between the need to stand out and the need to remain intelligible. While we do not claim that language play is the only cause of linguistic change, our findings position language play as a constant source of new linguistic variants in very large numbers, a small proportion of which endure as changes. Our conclusion is that language play goes a long way toward accounting for linguistic innovations—with respect to where they come from and why languages change at all.

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“…While ludlings are certainly able to reveal aspects of the grammar and/or linguistic cognition (Sherzer 1976, Diehl & Kolodzey 1981, Lefkowitz 1989, Burridge 2004, Iverson & Salmons 2005, Vaux 2011, Roberts 2017), they are not our focus here. Instead, we target the sort of open-ended language play that emerges spontaneously-and without overt guidelines-from language users subverting rules together in minor ways (along the lines of Diehl & Kolodzey 1981, del-Teso-Craviotto 2006, Gawne & Vaughan 2011, Lefler 2011, Punske & Butler 2019.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Language play is language variation: Quantitative evidence and what it implies about language change

Brook,

Blamire

2023

lan

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article argues that language play is intimately related to linguistic variation and change. Using two corpora of online present-day English, we investigate playful conversion of adjectives into abstract nouns (e.g. made of awesome ∅), uncovering consistent rule-governed patterning in the grammatical constraints in spite of this option stemming from deliberate subversion of standard overt suffixation. Building on Haspelmath's (1999) notion of 'extravagance' as one of the keys to language change, we account for the systematic patterning of deliberate linguistic subversion by appealing to tension between the need to stand out and the need to remain intelligible. While we do not claim that language play is the only cause of linguistic change, our findings position language play as a constant source of new linguistic variants in very large numbers, a small proportion of which endure as changes. Our conclusion is that language play goes a long way toward accounting for linguistic innovations—with respect to where they come from and why languages change at all.

show abstract

Do me a syntax: Doggo memes, language games and the internal structure of English

Cited by 5 publications

References 11 publications

You Can (Not) Say What You Want: Using Algospeak to Contest and Evade Algorithmic Content Moderation on TikTok

You Can (Not) Say What You Want: Using Algospeak to Contest and Evade Algorithmic Content Moderation on TikTok

Language play is language variation: quantitative evidence and what it implies about language change

Language play is language variation: Quantitative evidence and what it implies about language change

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