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Title A Lexical Pragmetic Study of Neologised Hashtags on Twitter

Author(s) Ms.Munazza Ara

Abstract English language is in the course of morphological variation due to the ongoing and newly emerging internet features. The change is dynamic as it affects the meanings of English lexicons. This study takes into consideration one of the trending features of communication and/or language called hashtag along with their lexical and pragmatic implications. Generally, people use hashtags as hyperlink to connect with other similar conversations on Twitter via qualitative approach, the study at hand examines the processes of new word formation in the form of hashtags in light of Lexical Pragmatics. It is particularly focused on Pakistani Twitter users who use these hashtags in their tweets. Pakistani Tweeters adapt these hashtags by relating it to their discussions in Pakistani context. As a result, these hashtag expressions undergo modifications in their encoded or lexically specified meanings resulting into becoming neologized hashtags. The research also identifies and explores the types of hashtags that promote such kind of lexical and pragmatic change. Moreover, the study analyzes the effectiveness of these neologized hashtags in propagating a sociological change. For this purpose, a sample of 30 hashtags and 150 tweets is selected in which each hashtag carries 5 tweets. All of the tweets are collected between January 2020 and December 2021. For Theoretical Framework, the theory of ‘Relevance and Lexical Pragmatics’ by (Wilson, 2003) is selected. Additionally, (Crystal, 2001) famous model, ‘Distinctive Features of Netspeak’ is also used as theoretical basis to deal with hashtags as a feature of internet language. The Research method used for this study is Content Analysis in which five diversified codes are created: Pandemic, Politics, Social, Entertainment and Climate. As per the results, three major types of changes in the encoded meanings of the selected hashtags are observed. These are: Lexical Narrowing, Lexical Broadening and Category extension. It is also revealed that certain hashtags sustained their original meaning despite a change in their contextual information

Type Thesis/Dissertation

Faculty Languages

Department English

Language English

Publication Date 2023-01-09

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