Because Tumblr-Internet-Speak: Four Assumptions of Discourse Analysis Within New Rules of the English Language

Abstract

The literature has described linguistic deviations from the conventional use of English in Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) as distinguishing aspects of language used on the Internet. (Page, Barton, Unger, Zappavigna, 2014) The purpose of this paper is to analyse the unique language patterns seen on Tumblr, a popular microblogging platform, and how these patterns fit into four assumptions of discourse analysis as described by Rodney H. Jones (2009). Using a textual analysis method on a corpus of 60 texts extracted from Tumblr, this paper shows how four assumptions of discourse analysis can be found in Tumblr posts. The four assumptions of discourse analysis are that language is ambiguous, it is always in the world, it is used to show belonging to social groups, and it is never used alone. The ambiguity of language is taken advantage of, and Tumblr users use this ambiguity as a way of creating new vocabulary. New terms on Tumblr are coined and used by different social groups to show their association or aversion to said groups. Furthermore, textual analysis shows how Tumblr users mostly use language such as contractions, abbreviated forms, and acronyms in their blogs, which indicates that the said language is always in the world - the context in which, when, and for what a language is used determines what it signifies. Lastly, the analysis shows that the language is never used all by itself: non-standard use of punctuation adds tone to the text, and it functions as a ranting tone that impersonates rhetorical speech.