Age-based variation and patterns of recent language change: A case-study of morphological and lexical intensifiers in Spanish

Roels, Linde; Enghels, Renata

doi:10.1016/j.pragma.2020.08.017

Cited by 10 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…We find this intensifier to be a compelling form for quantitative analysis of language variation and change due to its (i) development and variable use and (ii) frequency of use. Furthermore, it provides evidence for arguments that have been made in the study of intensifiers in English, such as the notion that intensifiers are considered to be (1) constantly changing (Ito and Tagliamonte 2003;Méndez-Naya 2003), (2) age-related (Roels and Enghels 2020), and, as we contend, (3) prone to being borrowed to/from other languages. Examples (1), (2), and (3) were taken from Corpus do Português:Web/Dialects (Davies and Ferreira 2006) in the Angolan subcorpus.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 61%

Text Mining Approaches to Language Use in Social Media: The Case of Portuguese Bué

Lívio,

Howe

2024

Languages

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This study describes processes of language change in Angolan Portuguese focusing on the use of intensifiers. Previous studies have shown that intensifiers are a relevant category for the study of language change due to their rapid change and variable meaning. It has been noted that intensifiers are particularly prone to renewal, suggesting speakers’ desire to innovate. Informed by a Digital Humanities approach, we collect and analyze data from Twitter (now X), focusing on the multi-functional intensifier bué, ‘very’, in Angolan Portuguese (AP). In this paper, we (1) provide an overview of the word’s distribution in AP, (2) consider the processes of change involved in bué’s variation, and (3) discuss the role of linguistic borrowing in language change and grammaticalization, shedding light on some of the cultural aspects that play a role in this word’s development, such as the influence of the media and the contact situation between Angolan and European Portuguese.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 61%

Text Mining Approaches to Language Use in Social Media: The Case of Portuguese Bué

Lívio,

Howe

2024

Languages

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“…On the other hand, the word class is ‘potentially infinitely extendable’ (Norrick, 2009: 866). This predilection for growth is connected to the importance of innovation for expressive language, whereby the forms’ effectiveness are ‘only as good as their novelty’ (Roels and Enghels, 2020: 126). The emotive force of a form like zounds , for instance, is culturally and ideologically specific, and its impact will change as its community of users evolves.…”

Section: Interjectionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interjections and individual style: A study of restoration dramatic language

Evans

2023

Language and Literature: International Journal of Stylistics

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This paper examines the manifestation of individual style through the lens of a specific language category: the interjection. The analysis considers how interjections are used as a resource in the dramatic dialogue of three Restoration playwrights: Aphra Behn, John Dryden and Thomas D’Urfey, and how their preferences and practices of use compare to previously identified trends in the history of English. Using the concept of the repertoire as a frame for situated language use, the paper examines how genre, time, and characterisation shape the selection and frequency of interjections in the plays of each author. Corpus linguistic methods are used to provide a quantitative and qualitative overview of each author’s interjection repertoire. The results suggest that whilst genre, time, and characterisation are influential in shaping the selection and implementation of interjection forms, the choice of expressive language in dramatic contexts is also distinctive and coherent at an authorial level.

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“…Given these general tendencies, let us now take a look at the most frequently used intensifier type mazo, which can be considered a clear marker of young identity (Roels and Enghels 2020). The data from both corpora indicate that, even over a period of more than 15 years, this intensifier remains widespread, although its use decreased considerably in relative terms.…”

Section: Stability and Shifts Within The Paradigmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring 21st-Century Real-Time Language Change in Spanish Youth Speech

2021

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In recent decades, youth language has become one of the preferred research areas in sociolinguistics, not only because of its non-normative nature but mostly because it is recognized as a catalyst for language change. Since adolescents aspire to create and safeguard an in-group identity, they constantly generate innovative linguistic forms. However, few studies have empirically monitored the speed at which linguistic innovations are introduced into youth language. This study explores the speed and nature of recent language change within Spanish youth language by conducting a corpus analysis in real time. Data of the contemporary CORMA corpus (Corpus Oral de Madrid, compiled between 2016 and 2019) are contrasted with the highly comparable data of the COLAm corpus (Corpus Oral de Lenguaje Adolescente de Madrid, compiled between 2003 and 2007). The study scrutinizes two typical phenomena of youth language, namely the use of intensifiers (e.g., super-, mazo) and vocatives (e.g., tío/tía, chaval/chavala). It is shown that changes occur at a more moderate speed than previously assumed and that the speed of change depends on the linguistic phenomenon under study. Additionally, the data suggest that more neutral forms remain quite stable over time, while the use of more expressive items shrinks or increases faster.

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Age-based variation and patterns of recent language change: A case-study of morphological and lexical intensifiers in Spanish

Cited by 10 publications

References 24 publications

Text Mining Approaches to Language Use in Social Media: The Case of Portuguese Bué

Text Mining Approaches to Language Use in Social Media: The Case of Portuguese Bué

Interjections and individual style: A study of restoration dramatic language

Monitoring 21st-Century Real-Time Language Change in Spanish Youth Speech

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