Young Icelanders and popular culture: An empirical study of Anglicisms in conversation

Abstract

The aim of the study is to investigate how young Icelanders use Anglicisms in conversation that is shaped by popular culture. The data comprises 4 hours and 30 minutes of recordings: spoken interaction between two fifteen-year-old boys that are playing a computer game, and a conversation between two young women hosting a podcast on fashion, lifestyle, and entertainment. The methodological approach applied in the study is interactional linguistics. The research questions are as follows: 1) What kind of Anglicisms occur in the data in respect to parts-of-speech? 2) What interactional functions do these items have in their context? The study begins by addressing the frequency and distribution of Anglicisms in the data, but the main emphasis is on the qualitative analysis of segments of talk. The study shows that speakers use Anglicisms in a systematic and meaningful way. In the analysis, the functions were categorised as follows: Anglicisms that appear on the screen, Anglicisms that index an international identity, Anglicisms as assessments and comments, and Anglicisms in rituals such as greetings and farewells.