‘The Spanish of the Internet’: Is That a Thing?

doi:10.1017/9781108623469.013

13 - ‘The Spanish of the Internet’: Is That a Thing?

Discursive and Morphosyntactic Innovations in Computer Mediated Communication

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 September 2021

Carlota de Benito Moreno

Edited by

Johannes Kabatek and

Danae Perez: Affiliation:
University of Zurich
Marianne Hundt: Affiliation:
University of Zurich
Johannes Kabatek: Affiliation:
University of Zurich
Daniel Schreier: Affiliation:
University of Zurich

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Summary

This chapter first describes certain innovations found in computer mediated communication in Spanish at the levels of discourse and morphosyntax, such as the creation of new discursive traditions (clickbait headlines) and the innovative patterns displayed by a number of morphemes (-i) and lexemes (fuerte, ojalá). It then offers a qualitative analysis of these phenomena, working with data mostly taken from Twitter, and compares them to similar uses described for English (such as the Because X construction). The chapter ends with an explanation of the high frequency of these uses in computer mediated communication in terms of indexicality.

Keywords

bilingualism convergence diagnostic difference variable context probabilistic constraints subject expression English Spanish

Information

Type: Chapter
Information: English and Spanish
World Languages in Interaction
, pp. 258 - 286

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108623469.013 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2021

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