Putting local dialect in the mix: Indexicality and stylization in a TikTok challenge

TY - JOUR

T1 - Putting local dialect in the mix

T2 - Indexicality and stylization in a TikTok challenge

AU - Doreleijers, Kristel

AU - Swanenberg, Jos

PY - 2023/9

Y1 - 2023/9

N2 - This paper investigates the role of local dialect forms and other semiotic signs in languagecultural practices on social media in the southern Dutch province North Brabant. Although dialect use is severely decreasing in this area, we find abundant dialect features in present-day media productions, but these are not simply some last remains. By conducting a qualitative discourse analysis of a carnivalesque music video (2020), we argue that non-linguistic resources and co-occurring dialect features are enregistered as recognizably ‘Brabantish’ for the purpose of indexing place-based identities. Moreover, we show that reproduction on TikTok (2021) takes place through recontextualization and indexical stance-taking.

AB - This paper investigates the role of local dialect forms and other semiotic signs in languagecultural practices on social media in the southern Dutch province North Brabant. Although dialect use is severely decreasing in this area, we find abundant dialect features in present-day media productions, but these are not simply some last remains. By conducting a qualitative discourse analysis of a carnivalesque music video (2020), we argue that non-linguistic resources and co-occurring dialect features are enregistered as recognizably ‘Brabantish’ for the purpose of indexing place-based identities. Moreover, we show that reproduction on TikTok (2021) takes place through recontextualization and indexical stance-taking.

KW - sociolinguistics

KW - dialect

KW - indexicality

KW - stylization

KW - enregisterment

U2 - 10.1016/j.langcom.2023.06.002

DO - 10.1016/j.langcom.2023.06.002

M3 - Article

VL - 92

SP - 1

EP - 14

JO - Language and Communication

JF - Language and Communication

ER -