Slang is a nonstandard informal vocabulary peculiar to a group. In this digital age, the reproduction and evolution of slang words has become faster due to the digital platforms that they are often...Show moreSlang is a nonstandard informal vocabulary peculiar to a group. In this digital age, the reproduction and evolution of slang words has become faster due to the digital platforms that they are often used in. Research has been done on the lexical aspects of slang and slang in general (Sornig (1981); Metcalf (2002)), and on forms of digital slang (McCulloch (2019)), but none view slang as a mode of translation and applied it to to other types of text besides messages on social media. This thesis will address where digital slang terms come from, and if their origins can help explain how likely they are to be understood by someone who speaks regular English. To do so I will annotate a slang translation of Harry Potter, and research the etymological origins of the slang to try to discover - using Metcalf’s (2002) FUDGE theory - which slang terms are more likely to be understood. I expect to find that the slang terms that more closely resemble regular English words are more likely to be understood.Show less
This thesis will focus on the popularisation of the feminist movement. It will look into how several influential mainstream Instagram trends, such as the VSCO Girls and the Insta-Baddies,...Show moreThis thesis will focus on the popularisation of the feminist movement. It will look into how several influential mainstream Instagram trends, such as the VSCO Girls and the Insta-Baddies, incorporate feminist ideals in their aesthetic. Nowadays, stereotypical gender imagery is not only visible in advertisements, films and pop culture anymore, but also on social media. Platforms like Instagram and Snapchat, where imagery is the main component, have a humongous influence on its users’ way of thinking, and with that their self-image and self-esteem. Through the past decade, there has been risen more attention for these so-called toxic social media habits. New online social media trends try to reprogram the well-known stereotypes and toxic aspects. The focus of this thesis is, therefore, on the influence feminism has on visual media, specifically female performativity in Instagram posts. Do women challenge or perform the Male Gaze? Could there be said that current Instagram aesthetics execute feminist ideals? The trends will be analysed (loosely) based on the Roman stylistics of translatio, imitatio and aemulatio. This will show where we are currently finding ourselves in the progress of challenging the Male Gaze and executing feminist ideals online. It will show that there has been made quite some progress, especially in mainstream culture, but that there is still a long way to go as well.Show less
