How do interlocutors in instant messaging influence each other's writing style? Three case studies on accommodation in teenagers' chat conversations

We bring together three complementary case studies on the linguistic phenomenon of accommodation (i.e. people adapting their language use to that of their interlocutor) in Flemish teenagers' instant messages on Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. Each case study focuses on a different aspect of the interlocutors' socio-demographic profile which may lead to distinct adaptation patterns: their gender, education, and age. Analyses with generalized linear mixed models reveal how teenagers' usage frequency for two sets of prototypical chatspeak features depends on the profile of the conversation partner. Significant adaptation patterns emerge with respect to all three socio-demographic variables. However, the linguistic features that are subject to adaptation and the accuracy of this so-called 'mirroring' differ depending on the interlocutors' profiles, which points to different accommodative behavior by distinct groups of teenagers.

Jaar van publicatie:2021

Trefwoorden:P3 Proceeding

Toegankelijkheid:Closed