Abstract

Internet memes of the type composed of an image macro and text, have a strong form-meaning correlation that is shared among users of social media. Their frequency of usage and the immediacy of their broad reach around the world make them an interesting field of investigation for linguistic studies. I will argue in this article that Internet memes resemble linguistic signs. Users develop a literacy, i.e. a command of their usage through convention and shared usage history. Popular Internet memes can be found in a multiplicity of variations, where details of the shown picture are changed, while the general mood or topic of the meme, mostly expressed in the caption, remains broadly the same. This article will discuss cases where the development of meme variations works along the lines of known cognitive mechanisms like metaphor and metonymy, and their prerequisites, like abstraction. Some meme variations can be represented as grammaticalisation paths that lead to the emergence of grammatical features like morphemes.

Highlights

  • Memes are signs in human interactionRichard Dawkins (1976) famously describes memes as the cultural equivalent of biological genes: A meme is a unit of human culture

  • The Roll Safe meme includes a pointing gesture that can be shown to develop into a free morpheme, as it combines with new characters for variations of the meme

  • In variations of the Scumbag Steve meme, the brown cap worn by the character develops into a free morpheme that combines with new characters and objects for variations of the meme

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Summary

Introduction

Richard Dawkins (1976) famously describes memes as the cultural equivalent of biological genes: A meme is a unit of human culture. Producers of cultural content, which are human beings, should not be seen as mere ‘carriers’ of the content, but as wilful agents who select, alter and remove cultural material in their interactions and perceptions This happens according to their free will, and in relation to peer pressure, and requirements posed by the situational and general context. Emergent grammar means that grammatical categories and structures do not freeze once they are established (Hopper 2011) They are, rather, being reinterpreted, modified and negotiated in every interaction. The research questions underlying this analysis are the following: Can variations in Internet meme appearances be linked to cognitive mechanisms and to linguistic processes that lead to the emergence of new forms, like grammaticalisation?

Internet memes
A arammar of Internet memes?
Grammaticalisation
The grammaticalisation process of the English going to future
Emergent grammar and grammaticalisation processes in Internet memes
Meme: Roll Safe
Meme: Scumbag Steve
Meme: Arthur’s Fist
Summary and conclusion

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