In this paper, different word formation processes used by Twitter users, specifically Taylor Swift fans, will be analyzed. Unsurprisingly, as there are millions of tweets regarding this discourse, the chosen tweets are only a small selection but they should be able to give an overview. Since a lot of the fans are very passionate about Swift-related content, it is expected to find various forms of newly shaped word formations. In addition, it is probable that especially the replies to impressive milestones and successes of the singer, as well as tweets talking about the new songs will be filled with a lot of emotional utterances in which one can find different practices of word formation processes.
Twitter is a social media platform where a lot of fans come together to talk about their favorite artist. Especially singer and songwriter Taylor Swift accumulates many fans, who frequently tweet about her and her music on the platform. They share their opinions, thoughts and excitement through the short postings. Moreover, the announcement and release of Swift’s tenth studio album Midnights are catalysts for many new tweets and therefore new word formations.
Naturally, one can find a lot of different word formation processes in these tweets as Twitter is a mostly text-based social media platform. It isn’t the pictures or videos that are the main corpus of Twitter but rather short texts that often have a humorous aspect to them. Due to the characteristics of the platform, like the 280-character tweet limit or the ability to post many different tweets within a short period of time, many shortening word formation processes like blending, acronyms and clippings can be found. But also the consistent interactions between the fans talking about different songs or theories tend to cause new word formations by creating new compounds, conversions or derivations.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Theoretical Background
- Basic terms of Morphology
- Types of word formation processes
- Derivational Affixation
- Compounding
- Conversion
- Blends, Acronyms and Abbreviations
- Clipping
- Analysis
- Method and Corpus
- Analysis of Word Formation Processes
- Discussion
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to analyze different word formation processes used by Twitter users, specifically Taylor Swift fans, focusing on tweets related to her album "Midnights." It explores how the platform's characteristics and the passionate fan community contribute to the development of new words.
- Word formation processes on Twitter
- The influence of Taylor Swift's "Midnights" album on Twitter discourse
- The role of fans in creating new words
- The impact of Twitter's platform characteristics on word formation
- Specific examples of word formation processes in tweets
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter introduces the topic of word formation processes on Twitter, focusing on the discourse surrounding Taylor Swift's "Midnights" album. It highlights the platform's characteristics and the passionate fan community that drive the creation of new words.
- Theoretical Background: This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of basic morphological terms and the most common word formation processes. It defines concepts like morphemes, lexemes, inflection, and derivation, laying the groundwork for analyzing word formation.
- Analysis: This chapter details the methodology and corpus used in the analysis of word formation processes in tweets related to "Midnights." It outlines the specific processes observed and their prevalence within the chosen corpus.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The primary focus of this work revolves around the analysis of various word formation processes occurring on Twitter, particularly within the discourse surrounding Taylor Swift's "Midnights" album. Key concepts include morphology, derivational affixation, compounding, conversion, blending, acronyms, abbreviations, clipping, and the influence of social media platforms on language.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Twitter influence word formation?
Twitter's 280-character limit encourages shortening processes like blending, acronyms, and clippings. Its fast-paced nature and humorous culture also drive the creation of new compounds and conversions.
What role do Taylor Swift fans play in language evolution on Twitter?
Passionate fan communities, such as "Swifties," frequently create new word formations to express excitement, share theories, and react to album releases like "Midnights."
What are the most common word formation processes found in the study?
The analysis focuses on derivational affixation, compounding, conversion, blends, acronyms, and clipping within tweets related to Taylor Swift's music.
Why was the "Midnights" album chosen for this analysis?
The announcement and release of "Midnights" served as a major catalyst for discourse, generating millions of tweets filled with emotional utterances and creative language.
Is Twitter a visual or text-based platform for linguistic study?
While Twitter supports images and videos, it remains primarily a text-based platform where short, often humorous texts form the main corpus for morphological analysis.
- Quote paper
- Emily Burmeister (Author), 2022, Different word formation processes occurring on Twitter regarding the discourse of Taylor Swift’s "Midnights" album, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1375186
