Covid-19 and Social Media Language Change: A Perspective of Linguistic Determinism

Authors

  • Zaira Khawar
  • Dr. Huma Batool
  • Dr. Ayyaz Qadeer

Keywords:

linguistic relativity, linguistic determinism, social networking language,, Covid-19

Abstract

The Sapir–Whorf theory portrays two standards. One is the standard of linguistic determinism, which says that the manner in which one believes is controlled by the language one talks (JW Neuliep, 2017). Taken at its extraordinary, this standard implies that, on the off chance that we don't have a word for it, at that point we can't consider it. The second is the standard of linguistic relativity, in some cases called linguistic variety, which says that the dialects of the world are altogether totally different. These standards raise some significant issues for cross‐cultural correspondence. Contemporary language specialists qualify the Sapir–Whorf speculation. This paper aims to investigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the thought processes and usage of language of social media users. The data has been collected from Facebook and analyzed according to The Analysis Model (based on Szurawitzki (2010). The exploration on the topic unveiled those online users are significantly affected by the pandemic that expresses and shares their thought processes using precise language as a medium of communication. The outcome of the study advocates that language is ominously affected when thought processes change their course. 

Author Biographies

Zaira Khawar

MPhil Scholar, Department of English, Air University, Islamabad, Pakistan

Dr. Huma Batool

Assistant Professor, Department of English, Air University, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Dr. Ayyaz Qadeer

Assistant Professor (English), Department of Management Science, COMSATS University Islamabad, Wah Campus.

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Published

2021-06-30

How to Cite

Khawar, Z. ., Batool, D. H. ., & Qadeer, D. A. . (2021). Covid-19 and Social Media Language Change: A Perspective of Linguistic Determinism. Pakistan Journal of Languages and Translation Studies, 9(1), 12–33. Retrieved from https://pjlts.uog.edu.pk/index.php/pjlts/article/view/4