Language Play Research Articles

Креативные возможности языка в интернет-коммуникации

The paper reports the findings of the study of the implementation of the creative function of language in Internet communication. This research perspective allows to consistently describe the functioning of language online and to explain the visible and controversially viewed by academics (as innovative or as destructive) processes in the language system, occurring under the influence of the Internet environment. The revision of traditional standards of communication when communicating via Internet occurs, first of all, due to extralinguistic factors (primarily, digital transformation) and, secondly, due to the Internet interlocutors’ (both the speaker and the listener) attitude towards creative use of the language. The new extralinguistic conditions of language (multimedia, non-linear nature, its modules, hypertextuality, etc.) primarily release its creative potential as the novelty is inherently creative and requires the updating of traditional, familiar, and already studied forms of communication.
 The influence of the creative function of the language can be traced both at the micro levels of the language system (especially at the phonetic and lexical levels) and at the macro level of the whole text (the emergence of new genres). At the phonetic level, influenced by the creative function, the language of the Internet acquires a special spoken-written character. Moreover, the imitation of orality in Internet communication is aimed not only at achieving maximum similarity of online communication to offline conversation, but also at the language play, emotionalism, updating the graphic code with emoji (for example, the use of emoji as ending punctuation marks, i.e., instead of period, exclamation mark, etc.). At the lexical level, the creative function of the language is evident in the emergence of proper Russian neologisms and borrowings for more accurate, sometimes more succinct denotation of the new reality. At the textual level, the study, e.g., of the model Internet genre of multimedia history, the identification of its special narrative structure and the multimedia nature of presenting the information suggests the creative potential of new genres in the online communication.

A Cross-Cultural Genre Analysis of Firm-Generated Advertisements on Twitter and Sina Weibo

To investigate the generic features of firm-generated advertisements (FGAs) in cross-cultural contexts, this study analyzed 327 FGAs by Dell Technologies and the Lenovo Group on Twitter and Sina Weibo. Integrating affordances and multimodality into genre analysis, the study showed that the FGAs were characterized by (a) flexible move structure, (b) persuasive language, (c) visual illustration, and (d) hyperlinks, hashtagging (#), and mentioning (@) functions. The FGAs on Sina Weibo, compared with those on Twitter, tended to use more language play, emojis, and contextual product pictures and show more emphasis on the niche of products, incentives, and celebrity endorsement.

Текстова аплікація як маркер міжтекстових зв’язків у сучасній українській поезії

In the article proposed, the researcher tries to characterize the main manifestations of text applications on the basis of Ukrainian poetry of the late XX - early XXI centuries. The author of the research concludes that the text application is actively used in modern Ukrainian poetry as a marker of intertextual interaction and an actualizer of precedent texts of religious content, various genres of Ukrainian folk art, as well as Ukrainian and world literature. The text applications found in the processed poetic works play an important role in the creation of poetic text and perform the function of setting, informative-signaling, meaning-making, plotforming functions, as well as the means of creating figurative and stylistic figures and the means of language play.

Wilde about Wilde — The Translation of Oscar Wilde’s Salomé in Croatian Literature of the Early 20th Century

The Irish writer Oscar Wilde was extremely popular in Croatian culture in the first decades of the 20th century. Although Croatian writers of that time generally did not read the original works of British authors but rather their translations, Wilde’s popularity in Germany and Vienna sparked interest in his works among the Croatian readership and spectatorship. This paper explores the translation of Wilde’s Salomé from German by Julije Benešić and Nikola Andrić, and the complex influence that this translation had on Croatian literature of early modernism, relying primarily on the interpretation of the same motif in the texts of young Fran Galović and Miroslav Krleža. The paper argues that the influence of Wilde’s aestheticism is visible not only in the adoption of typical motifs, characters, or atmosphere but also in the autonomous and self-reflective language play in Krleža’s texts.

Language play in and with Chinese: traditional genres and contemporary developments

Abstract Language play is playing with the rules of language for fun. This article is one of the first attempts at providing an overview of the traditional genres and current trends of language play in and with Chinese, a topic that has received relatively little attention in English. We explore the specific aspects of the Chinese language that are susceptible to play, and discuss a number of conventional formulas of Chinese language play. We also examine the affordances of new media and what we call translanguaging language play that involves mixing different named languages and scripts as well as mixing linguistic with other semiotic resources. The motivations and effects of language play are discussed, giving particular attention to the socio-political dimensions of language play. Throughout the discussion, we provide historical as well as contemporary examples to illustrate the ways in which Chinese language users play with language for specific purposes.

IN ‘SULTAN’ EPIC ‘HUMAN IS HUMAN’S HELL!’

Sulatan's poem is an epic of famous poet and author, Abdul Ghafoor Liwal. It has many features of an epic poem and the value of this subject is that the poem was considered to be an epic. The aim of writing this article is to find out what features this epic has in Pashto Language and due to which factors it can be considered to be an epic. Sultan epic has relation with philosophy, psychology, history and culture the same as other epics have. Also, the idea of Habes and Jean – Pal Sartre (Human is human’s hell!), which is taken from Greek Language Play, can be seen in this epic. Finally library research was used to complete the article. Also, clarifying and descriptive methods were used to finish the article. The goal of this article is to state that mostly a human being harms another human being, how we can do well to human beings rather harming them. The value of this research is it makes humans attentive to their deeds and actions in order to avoid doing evil. The finding of this research is that (Sultan) epic poem is an artificial epic and this epic poem states that (Human is human’s hell!) This concept has been taken from Greek Play. Later, Sartor and other scholars have mentioned this concept.

Dunia Fauna Kumpulan Puisi Jantung Lebah Ratu

This article discusses the world of fauna from a collection of poems called Jantung Lebah Ratu by Nirwan Dewanto. This poetry collection contains sixty-six poems with three subtitles; Kantung Kesatu: Biru Kidal, Kantung Kedua: Kuning Silam and Kantung Ketiga: Merah Suam. Of the forty-six poems, nine were taken with the theme of fauna. The focus of this research is two things, namely to reveal the structure and to reveal the world of fauna in the poetry collection Jantung Lebah Ratu. The method used to collect data is the literature study method. The description method is used to analyze the data. The analysis technique used in this research is purposive sampling technique. The analysis of the nine poems uses structural theory from Fananie, Atmazaki, Pradopo and Michael Riffaterre's semiotic theory. Based on the results of the analysis, it was found that the nine poems were analyzed in terms of structure (form and content). Then, to reveal the world of fauna, a semiotic theory was used. The sound play of assonance, alliteration, deep rhyme, final rhyme, imagery and figurative language that the poet wants to convey are able to make readers imagine about the world of fauna.

The potential power of play in second language academic writing

Research in applied linguistics has shown the potential for language play to have a facilitative role in second language development, with numerous studies exploring how and why language learners play with language in and out of the classroom, as well as the effects of such play. Despite a growing acknowledgement of the value of play in language learning, it play has received little attention in second language writing. This paper explores the potential value of play in the context of academic second language writing, with a specific interest in its implications for instruction. I begin by defining play and its role in human behavior more generally and reviewing the more specific role of language play in second language development. I next turn to examining the potential value of play (including language play and genre play) in academic writing, drawing on relevant research. Finally, I consider how we might help create second language writing classrooms that foster opportunities for play, and I conclude with potential directions for future research.

Discourse of Gender Asymmetry in Social Media: methodology of research

The paper highlights the problem of gender stereotypes and gender stratification and provides the description of constructionism and discourse analysis as the methodological foundations of gender studies. Gender is viewed as both a social construct and discursive practice. The author proposes a specific methodology for discourse analysis that takes into account the specifics of social media. The methods of research include analysis of linguistic data, processed through the lens of constructionist analysis, discourse and content analysis. The author grounds the study on M. Foucault’s approach that influenced discursive and constructionist studies. The features of the articulation of the topic are shown based on materials of the social network VKontakte. The author reveals the discursive techniques, with the help of which indicates the position and role of the subject. In social networks, unlike other media discourses, the problem of gender relations is expressed exaggeratedly. With the traditional spectrum of plots for stereotyping, the network newspeak is prone to use language play and genre fusion. Hence, the polar features of gender discourse in the network space should be noted: the coexistence of aggressive orthodox patriarchal judgments with sarcastic rethinking of gender roles and the manifestation of egalitarianism in the interpretation of masculinity and femininity. Gender discourse is represented as an element of ideological discourse that the author designates as modern newspeak, which is characterized by the ability to politicize any aspect of culture and strive for domination.

Agency of the Witches and Language Play in Shakespeare’s Macbeth

This study undertakes an analysis of Shakespeare’s Macbeth (1606) and its principal characters vis-à-vis their immediate appeal and identification with the Shakespearean audience during the first-ever performance of the play in the early years of the seventeenth century. The role of the witches (or the weird sisters) in orchestrating the destinies of the characters and also the events of the play by employing their astute and skillful use of language is a significant point of discussion in this study. In this regard, a discussion on the historical aspects of kingship and witchcraft in relation to the then king of England, James I, and on the possible impact of those factors upon the staging of the Shakespearean play Macbeth in the royal court is also carried out here. The study argues that the binaries of good and evil or light and darkness are relative categories that often feed into each other. Equivocation, as a device of language play, is analyzed here both as part of the witches’ machinations within the play and as a subterfuge for political gains by humans in the world outside it. These two worlds seem to merge into each other within the narrative of the play and thus appear before the reader/audience with all their inherent complexities and imperfections. Towards the end of this study, a brief historical overview of the refashioning of Shakespeare through adaptations and reworkings in foreign locations, particularly in India, is also provided to emphasize the allegorical and multivalent nature of his plays.

Covid-19 anti-proverbs in russian

In the article, the authors analyze Russian anti-proverbs about COVID-19 that became popular on the internet during the pandemic. The anti-proverbs under study describe the most important parts of people’s lives that were changed during the pandemic: the new disease, life in quarantine, working in quarantine, and fighting with the disease. These five spheres allowed dividing all the anti-proverbs into five semantic modules bearing the same names. The substitutes in the anti-proverbs are semantically related to the four semantic fields: disease, health, work and internet. The theoretical ground for the study of anti-proverbs is based on the idea that they are syntactically independent units that express certain wisdom and are used as means of language play. They produce an emotional impact on people and thus become a tool for influencing social opinion. The mechanisms of the creation of the anti-proverbs are studied in the article and the most widely used mechanisms are revealed.

LUU QUANG VU’S PHILOSOPHICAL ARGUMENTATION AND ARTISTIC CREATIVITY IN THE PLAY “TRUONG BA’S SOUL IN THE BUTCHER'S BODY”

Thanks to the positive impacts brought by the show “Hồn Trương Ba da hàng thịt” (“Truong Ba's Soul in the Butcher's body”), together with its increasing numbers of performances and showing hours on domestic and international stages, the play has attracted increasing reviews from researchers and literary critics. Upon discussing the established criticism and opinions, the author shares his own approach of understanding the play. Investigating Luu Quang Vu’s philosophical argumentation and creativity, this article focuses on problem detection capability – Truong Ba Soul’s personal tragedies - and the advantages of the drama language; the transition from folk philosophy to Luu Quang Vu’s; Luu Quang Vu’s psychoanalytic perspectives on the harmony of the “Id" - "the “Ego” - "the SuperEgo” coexisting in Truong Ba’s Soul; the concept of humans in multifaceted relationships and the reflections that helped Truong Ba's Soul resolve his tragedies.

SPEECH FUNCTIONS OF ADVERBS IN THE MEDIA DISCOURSE

The article is devoted to the description of the functioning of adverbs in the journalistic style. The main speech technique of using adverbs, according to the author, is the accentuation of the expressed meanings, which is achieved by various means: language play, parceling, antithesis, incomplete sentences.

The application of artificial intelligence technology of 6G internet of things communication combined with drama language art

The application of artificial intelligence technology of 6G internet of things communication combined with drama language art

Elicited metaphoric competence in a second language: a construct associated with vocabulary knowledge and general proficiency?

Abstract The extent to which the ability to use metaphor in a second language– metaphoric competence (MC) - relates to well-attested language proficiency components has implications both for understanding second language (L2) competence and for pedagogy. Building on previous enquiries (Azuma 2005) and extending a vocabulary size and depth research agenda (Qian 2002; Schmitt 2014) to the realm of MC, the present study sought to disentangle the relationships between six elicited MC constructs, reliably established by O’Reilly and Marsden (2021), two standardised L2 proficiency measures, and established vocabulary size and depth measures. With 108 Mandarin learners of L2 English, partial correlation analyses showed unique relationships between specific MC and proficiency measures, evidence of what these learners could do with metaphor at various proficiency levels, and how sparse references to metaphor in proficiency descriptors (e.g., CEFR) might be more precisely interpreted. Multiple regression analyses showed that Read’s (1993, 1998) Word Associates Test, a vocabulary depth measure, was closely linked to all types of MC, particularly productive control (Henriksen 1999) and Metaphor Language Play (O’Reilly and Marsden 2021). The findings point to the centrality of different (but related) types of associative thinking ability in metaphor use and language learning more generally (Carroll 1993; Littlemore 2001, 2002, and 2008; Littlemore and Low 2006a). Future research implications and pedagogical reflections are provided.

University Students’ Preferable Types of Teacher Humor in English Classes

The current study aimed to explore what types of teacher humor EFL students prefer in their classes. The study was designed as a mixed-method approach, using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to collect data in two different Vietnamese universities. One hundred fifty-eight university students responded to the survey, and eight out of them were recruited as the participants for the interviews. The study results revealed that the types of jokes (M=4.41), riddles (M=4.08), and language play (M=4.15) were most favored. Besides, the participants' demographic information, including their gender and majors, affected their preferable types of teacher humor. Specifically, males showed more positive attitudes towards teacher humor than their counterparts. In terms of students’ majors, there were differences between non-English majors and English-majored students’ perceptions of irony, teasing, language play, visual and physical humor. Regarding the students’ positive attitudes towards teacher humor, EFL teachers should learn more about valuable strategies for using teacher humor in their classes due to the fact that they do not need to have a sense of humor to use it effectively.

Disaster linguistics, climate change semantics and public discourse studies: a semantically-enhanced discourse study of 2011 Queensland Floods

Natural disasters, such as what are known in English as ‘floods’ and ‘wildfires’, are increasingly a topic of concern due to the climate emergency, and their vocabulary and public discourses hold much to be explored through linguistics. This article inaugurates the examination of public discourse about extreme weather events through semantically-enhanced discourse studies, an approach which is based on Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) and developed herein. Taking the example of floods in the particular geographic, cultural and historical environment of the Australian state of Queensland in 2011, this transtextual study draws on a public inquiry into the event and English as spoken in Australia, more broadly, along with media reports, and literature from humanities and social sciences. Five case studies of vocabulary and discourse patterns are presented to cast cultural and semantic spotlights on the public discourses. It is demonstrated that this approach can provide high resolution analysis of discourse and bring out cultural and historical factors at play in extreme weather language thereby contributing to disaster linguistics, climate change semantics and public discourse studies.

Language mechanisms of building the ironic texts and ways of their linguistic research (linguistic pragmatic aspect)

The article is devoted to the study of means and ways of modeling the comic effect in contemporary ironic media texts as well as to characterizing the method of their linguistic description in the linguistic pragmatic aspect. Special attention is paid to the ways of linguistic analysis of the conflict in ironic media text, which is the object of a court case. Within the complex linguistic analysis, including the semantic analysis to reveal the “semantic aspects,” and on the material of the editions Kommersant and Moskovsky Komsomolets, the authors described the signals of irony as language play and as a socially marked way of communication, defining their stylistic variety. On the example of ironic media text which is the object of a court case, it is established that the basic way to model the comic (ironic) subtext in contemporary media texts is the contrast used both at textual and subtextual levels. The article draws the conclusion that the comic form of presentation of the ironic text content cannot be the object of a court case because it is connected with the evaluation and expression of the author’s own opinion.

Onyms in Internet communication and electronic environment: new phenomena and functions

The development of electronic communication brings to rapid language and speech-communicative changes. These changes make the scientific task of their timely conceptualization urgent. The purpose of this study is to generalize and analyze the research results on the onyms functioning in the electronic environment and Internet communication. The analysis highlights two the main areas of the research that have developed in science to date. The functioning of the proper name in the Internet discourse is the study object of the first group. The Internet environment is mainly a source of language material according to this group research, which is analyzed considering the electronic communications features (its polycode, informality, interactivity). The feature of this group research is that its’ the main object is represented either by specific linguistic phenomena or special types of discourse, while electronic communication is a secondary feature for its highlight. The second research direction involves the study of new onomastic phenomena that owe their existence to the context of the electronic environment and its communicative, pragmatic, and technical features. This research direction implies both the detection of new types of onyms that were generated by Internet communications, and the description of their characteristic semantic, pragmatic, stylistic, and formal grammatical features. A special status among the objects studied in the second direction is given to such a phenomenon as a nickname, which implements a whole set of features that allow us to talk about its principal novelty and uniqueness. A nickname is the result of autonomy in terms of pragmatic and communication. This contributes to its use as a means of self-presentation and expression; also, a nickname has noticeable formal features that represent the ways of its construction (free choice of motivational bases, language play, active use of non-alphabetic characters). There is also noted an impact of new phenomena in Internet onomastics on the onomastic system and emphasized the need for closer attention to this influence.

Language: The “Ultimate Artifact” to Build, Develop, and Update Worldviews

What role does language play in the process of building worldviews? To address this question, in the first section of this paper we will clarify what we mean by worldviews and how they differ, in our perspective, from cosmovisions. In a nutshell, we define worldviews as the biological interpretations agents create of the world around them and cosmovision the more general cultural-based reflections on it (which, of course, include also agents’ worldviews). After presenting our definition for worldview, we will also present the multi-shaped viewpoint that frames our analysis, adopting three concepts that can help us explain how agents construct and develop their worldviews: saliences, pregnances, and abduction. While the notions of saliences and pregnances will explain how agents recognize anomalies in their worldview, the concept of abduction will help us discuss how they can learn to approach, explain, and use these anomalies to get new skills and abilities. This other point will lead us to discuss the role of language in this process, which will be describe as an artifact that permits the agent to use abduction to “normalize” and exploit anomalies, being now the ultimate artifact (for human agents) to build, develop, and update their worldviews.