Type of Document Master's Thesis Author Lefler, Jordan Author's Email Address jlefle1@lsu.edu URN etd-11112011-100404 Title I Can Has Thesis? A Linguistic Analysis of Lolspeak Degree Master of Arts (M.A.) Department Linguistics (Interdepartmental Program) Advisory Committee
Advisor Name Title Brody, Mary J. Committee Chair Hegarty, Michael Committee Member Oliver, Lisi Committee Member Keywords
- linguistics
- internet
- internet dialect
- lolspeak
- lolcat
Date of Defense 2011-11-04 Availability unrestricted Abstract Lolspeak, which I characterize as an internet dialect of English that is used in conjunction with images of cats, exhibits distinctive variations and patterns which differ from those of standard English. Lolspeak has influenced other language use and may have a significant impact on the English language, due in part to the internet’s role in the evolution of English (Crystal “Language and the Internet,”2006:26-27).
To approach this data, I created a multi-modal discourse transcription technique for analyzing
Lolspeak utterances within the context of their images based on Grounded Theory (Glaser and Strauss “The Discovery of Grounded Theory” 2007:9). I implemented this technique with randomly collected Lolspeak data that I collected from the website www.icanhascheezburger.com. My work has dual future implications in that it could be used to further studies of Lolspeak or other internet dialects/ languages, and the transcription method I have invented could be beneficial to those looking at other forms of
multi-modal discourse.
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