Lexical innovation on the web and social media

Würschinger, Quirin (2022): Lexical innovation on the web and social media: emergence, diffusion, and social variation in the use of English neologisms. Dissertation, LMU München: Fakultät für Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaften

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the emergence and diffusion of English neologisms on the web and social media, employing a data-driven methodology to identify a substantial sample of 851 neologisms. Neologisms are examined from their coining to successful dissemination within the community, with the study revealing a wide spectrum of degrees of diffusion. The exploration extends to studying the usage and diffusion of selected neologisms on the web and on Twitter, with a particular focus on social dynamics and variation among different speaker groups. Moreover, the dissertation probes into semantic innovation, demonstrating substantial socio-semantic variation and polarized public discourse surrounding certain neologisms. The research conducts an extensive analysis of semantic innovation and socio-semantic variation, elucidating significant socio-semantic discrepancies between various communities. The dissertation sheds light on the social and semantic dynamics underpinning the life cycle of neologisms within a linguistically diverse community.

• Dokumententyp: Dissertationen (Dissertation, LMU München)
• Keywords: lexical innovation, neologisms, social media, social network analysis, word embeddings
• Themengebiete: 400 Sprache ; 400 Sprache > 420 Englisch, Altenglisch
• Fakultäten: Fakultät für Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaften
• Sprache der Hochschulschrift: Englisch
• Datum der mündlichen Prüfung: 9. November 2022
• 1. Bericht­erstatter:in: Schmid, Hans-Jörg