Idiolect
Natasha Dusaj
Ms. Gormley
AP English 11 Period 3
10 November 2014
Tumblr Talk Urban Dictionary defines Tumblr as the epitome of culture and the total antithesis of the modern day pop culture that is so ingrained in today’s children. With the growth of the use of social media, the need to escape the clichés of “normal teens” has driven many to the discrete website of Tumblr where they view themselves as separate from the rest of their generation. While each generation has created their own sociolect throughout their lives, and modern teenagers are no exception to this, teens on Tumblr have created their own sociolect to differentiate themselves from those around them.
The most defining trait of the sociolect of Tumblr is the overuse of sarcasm. Sarcasm is what separates Tumblr users from the rest of the population. More often than not, people on Tumblr find normal conversation boring and dull, so sarcasm is used as a way to liven up the situation. The two faced quality of sarcasm allows for Tumblr users to be both funny and mean at the same time. In this way, they can express what they are truly feeling in ways that truly get their message across. While normal teens only use sarcasm in an attempt to be rude or sassy, a Tumblr user uses sarcasm all the time, and this mode of conversation would dominate their life. This overuse of sarcasm builds up the persona of a Tumblr user as a nonchalant person who lacks sincerity and earnestness.
Apart from the sarcasm, another defining feature of the language used by people on Tumblr is their use of capitalization which is used in many different ways than in normal English. While normal capitalization would be placed at the beginning of a sentence, phrase or proper noun, Tumblr users place capitalization in entire words and statements. This use of capitalization is to show excitement as it represents a person screaming. For example, if a person on Tumblr was excited about anything, they might exclaim “I CANT EVEN THIS IS SO
Ms. Gormley
AP English 11 Period 3
10 November 2014
Tumblr Talk Urban Dictionary defines Tumblr as the epitome of culture and the total antithesis of the modern day pop culture that is so ingrained in today’s children. With the growth of the use of social media, the need to escape the clichés of “normal teens” has driven many to the discrete website of Tumblr where they view themselves as separate from the rest of their generation. While each generation has created their own sociolect throughout their lives, and modern teenagers are no exception to this, teens on Tumblr have created their own sociolect to differentiate themselves from those around them.
The most defining trait of the sociolect of Tumblr is the overuse of sarcasm. Sarcasm is what separates Tumblr users from the rest of the population. More often than not, people on Tumblr find normal conversation boring and dull, so sarcasm is used as a way to liven up the situation. The two faced quality of sarcasm allows for Tumblr users to be both funny and mean at the same time. In this way, they can express what they are truly feeling in ways that truly get their message across. While normal teens only use sarcasm in an attempt to be rude or sassy, a Tumblr user uses sarcasm all the time, and this mode of conversation would dominate their life. This overuse of sarcasm builds up the persona of a Tumblr user as a nonchalant person who lacks sincerity and earnestness.
Apart from the sarcasm, another defining feature of the language used by people on Tumblr is their use of capitalization which is used in many different ways than in normal English. While normal capitalization would be placed at the beginning of a sentence, phrase or proper noun, Tumblr users place capitalization in entire words and statements. This use of capitalization is to show excitement as it represents a person screaming. For example, if a person on Tumblr was excited about anything, they might exclaim “I CANT EVEN THIS IS SO