Playful language alternation in an online discussion forum: the example of digital code plays

Jaworska, S. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7465-2245 (2014) Playful language alternation in an online discussion forum: the example of digital code plays. Journal of Pragmatics, 71. pp. 56-68. ISSN 0378-2166 doi: 10.1016/j.pragma.2014.07.009

Abstract/Summary

This paper explores the linguistic practice of digital code plays in an online discussion forum, used by the community of English-speaking Germans living in Britain. By adopting a qualitative approach of Computer-Mediated Discourse Analysis, the article examines the ways in which these bilinguals deploy linguistic and other semiotic resources on the forum to co-construct humorous code plays. These performances occur in the context of negotiating language norms and are based on conscious manipulations of both codes, English and German. They involve play with codes at three levels: play with forms, meanings, and frames. Although, at first sight, such alternations appear to be used mainly for a comic effect, there is more to this than just humour. By mixing both codes at all levels, the participants deliberately produce aberrant German ‘polluted’ with English and, in so doing, dismantle the ideology of language purity upheld by the purist movement. The deliberate character of this type of code alternation demonstrates heightened metalinguistic awareness as well as creativity and criticality. By exploring the practice of digital code plays, the current study contributes to the growing body of research on networked multilingualism as well as to practices associated with translanguaging, poly- and metrolingualism.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/37169
Identification Number/DOI	10.1016/j.pragma.2014.07.009
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Arts, Humanities and Social Science > School of Literature and Languages > English Language and Applied Linguistics Arts, Humanities and Social Science > International Study and Language Institute (ISLI) Arts, Humanities and Social Science > Language Text and Power Arts, Humanities and Social Science > Identities
Publisher	Elsevier
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