“I’d say it’s a smart English accent”: A case study of language attitudes on Reddit

Research output: Contribution to book/Conference proceedings/Anthology/ReportChapter in book/Anthology/ReportContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

In this chapter, I explore the potential of the social media platform Reddit for World Englishes research with a case study of attitudes towards Englishes expressed by members of the subreddits r/indianews and r/IndiaSpeaks. The study employs qualitative and quantitative as well as corpus-based and corpus-driven methods to investigate how users on the two subreddits discuss Indian English and other varieties of English. The findings from emotion analysis, topic modelling, and adjective-noun bigram inspection reveal a complex picture, with some users expressing negative/overtly prescriptive attitudes towards English(es) while others’ attitudes are positive. This mixed picture has potential implications for how English in India may develop further in the future. Methodologically, the chapter illustrates that Reddit is a powerful yet complex resource for the study of World Englishes: while the platform provides access to relatively naturalistic written language and is a space of constant language contact, there are also methodological limitations and caveats when using Reddit data for World Englishes.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationEnglish Language Contacts and Change in the Digital Age
EditorsHeli Paulasto, Lea Meriläinen, Samuli Kaislaniemi, Mikko Laitinen
Place of PublicationLeiden
PublisherBrill, Leiden
Chapter3
Pages84-113
ISBN (electronic)978-90-04-75783-7
ISBN (print)978-90-04-75732-5
Publication statusPublished - 2026
Peer-reviewedYes

Publication series

SeriesLanguage and Computers
Volume87
ISSN0921-5034