Item Details

Linguistic Politeness in Online Discussion Boards: Animé Fandom as Virtual Speech Communities

Issue: Vol 14 No. 1-2 (2018)

Journal: Linguistics and the Human Sciences

Subject Areas: Writing and Composition Linguistics

Abstract:

The move away from relying on location and physical interaction to define community has brought about a recognition of non-geographic communities particularly those that meet only through the Internet. This paper explores one such online community, a group of animé lovers which have grown in recent years due to the global spread of Japanese pop culture. The data mined from this fan forum are used to determine how its members behave linguistically to reinforce this community. It also aims to investigate the politeness strategies used by the members of the community paying attention to the context of how linguistic politeness is deployed in online environments devoted to fandom. As politeness is more often a facet of face to face interaction, the paper is interested in knowing if politeness can be employed as a strategy of accommodation in an online context. The findings reveal that positive politeness strategies dominate the comments of the members of the discussion forum. The creative use of language also helps maintain this virtual environment where they establish relationships. For fans who meet online, this relationship is not a given but rather is a communicative accomplishment where each member works toward the construction and maintenance of the online community.

Author: Rhodora S. Ranalan

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