Journal of Language and Pop Culture - Volume 1, Issue 1, 2025

Abstract

Previous work has shown that American-influenced singing is common in British pop music (BPM). While the existing largely literature focuses on phonetic analysis, this study investigates grammatical variables. The data are drawn from two 1.5-million-word corpora that contain songs performed by either American or British singers during the years 1953–2009. Four grammatical items that tend to appear more frequently in American English than in British English are extracted (ain’t, third-person don’t, multiple negation, and the intensifier so). The frequency of these items is examined, as are genre and diachronic effects, and the patterns in the two corpora are then contrasted. A multivariate analysis through GoldVarb X reveals a high level of similarity in terms of the relative strength of these predictor variables and the quantitative tendency of each factor. The results are interpreted within an audience/reference design framework as evidence of the influence of American music on BPM.

Abstract

Scouse and Scousers are highly recognisable within the UK, with research revealing longstanding associations with white, urban, working-class male speakers. However, Scouse identity is increasingly associated with a feminine persona: the Scouse bird. Research thus far focuses on recognisable gendered practices of this Scouse feminine identity but has not yet explored the link of such practices with dialect and class. This paper seeks to extend current research by analysing the enregisterment of the Scouse bird on Twitter and in interviews with participants from the Wirral. We take an intersectional approach that factors on gender as a crucial component to understanding the representation of enregistered dialect and class. We propose that the Scouse bird persona may achieve popularity online precisely because of her gender incongruence, which can be viewed as defiance against gender expectations and class hierarchies. We conclude that there are multiple enregistered and intersecting repertoires embedded into the online and offline representation of the Scouse bird, that encompass dialect, (white, working-)class and counterhegemonic femininity.

Abstract

This study explores the intersection of digital creativity and ecolinguistics through an analysis of ecological framings in the acclaimed video game Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade (FF7R_inter). Given the rise of ecocentric games during the COVID-19 pandemic, this research examines how FF7R_inter incorporates environmental themes and the potential impact of these themes on players’ ecological awareness. Utilizing an ecolinguistic discourse analysis approach, the study investigates the linguistic and multimodal resources used in the game to frame environmental issues such as fossil fuel dependency and eco-terrorism from a multiversal inter-reality perspective. The findings reveal that FF7R_inter employs specific rhetorical strategies, including differences in ecological framings and semantic choices, to convey ecological messages, thereby contributing to the broader discourse on environmental sustainability in pop culture. This research highlights the significant role that digital games can play in shaping public perceptions of environmental issues and underscores the importance of integrating ecolinguistic perspectives into the analysis of digital media.

Abstract

The storyworld presented in the 2023 fantasy-comedy film Barbie is predicated upon a simple ontological binary: there is the Real World, in which humans reside, and Barbie Land, populated by plastic dolls, and it is roundly accepted that “never the twain shall cross”. However, throughout the film this divide is problematised, as the two domains impinge upon one another so consistently that Barbie herself recognises that “[t]he twain is crossing”. In this article, we explore the complex ontological structure underlying the Barbie film. A multimodal stylistic approach is adopted, and combined with insights from possible worlds theory, in order to investigate the linguistic, structural and visual features which present permeable and liminal spaces and occasion incidences of ontolepsis. Ultimately, the analysis serves to illuminate Barbie’s playful approach to multiple, interwoven, and overlapping ontological levels — be they in Barbie Land, the Real World, or even our own real world.

This article reviews Interactional approach to cinematic discourse: How do Woody Allen’s characters talk?€ 129

This article reviews Language and gender in children’s animated films: Exploring Disney and Pixar$ 30$ 89.99