Icelandic digital practices on Facebook : Language use in informal online communication

• Main Author: Isenmann, Vanessa Monika
• Other Authors: Kristján Árnason, Íslensku- og menningardeild (HÍ), Faculty of Icelandic and Comparative Cultural Studies (UI), Hugvísindasvið (HÍ), School of Humanities (UI), Háskóli Íslands, University of Iceland
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Iceland, School of Humanities, Faculty of Icelandic and Comparative Cultural Studies 2022
• Subjects: Félagsmálvísindi; Tölvusamskipti; Tölvulæsi; Doktorsritgerðir; Íslenska; Facebook; Samfélagsmiðlar; Sociolinguistics; Computer-mediated communication; Digital literacy; Icelandic; Iceland
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/3666

The dissertation addresses informal Icelandic writing practices in online communication, often referred to as computer-mediated communication (CMC). Specifically, the dissertation studies the linguistic practices of native Icelandic speakers on Facebook and seeks to gain insight on how the broader public evaluates such practices. Accordingly, the dissertation is influenced by linguistic research on language attitudes, superdiversity, and multilingualism in the context of digital environments. It is interested in the formal characteristics of Icelandic CMC and tries to explore what linguistic and semiotic resources users draw upon, how different communicative functions and contextual factors affect those choices, and how the users’ digital practices relate to language regard and linguistic ideology in Iceland. The dissertation comprises different investigations: First, a language attitudes study examines subconscious language attitudes toward informal language use in online environments. Second, the dissertation presents a detailed quantitative and qualitative corpus analysis of informal digital writing practices of Icelandic native speakers on Facebook. The research is especially relevant against the backdrop of changing linguistic practices among (young) Icelanders, not least in digital media, that contrast with Icelandic language ideology and that have raised concerns regarding a weakened status of Icelandic in digital environments. Verkefnið kannar málnotkun Íslendinga á netinu. Nánar tiltekið er fjallað um málnotkun í óformlegum samskiptum á Facebook með tilliti til tilhvata fólks í vali á tungumáli og málsniði, en einnig er hugað að viðhorfum málnotenda til óformlegrar málnotkunar á netinu. Markmið verkefnisins er að skoða hvaða leiðir málhafar nota til tjáningar á Facebook og af hverju. Í brennidepli rannsóknarinnar er form, hlutverk og félagsmálfræðilegt gildi íslensku í óformlegum netsamskiptum. Gerð er rannsókn á fjöltungumálnotkun (multilingualism) og ofurfjölbreytni (superdiversity) í netumhverfi ...