Olha Zaluzhna
(Vasyl’ Stus Donetsk National University)
YOUTUBE DISCOURSE AS A NEW DIMENSION
OF THE LINGUISTIC RESEARCH
- Introductory notes. Over the past decade YouTube has become an international means of communication (both oral and written) which, though being multifaceted and rather intricate to categorise linguistically [3], is undoubtedly characterised by specific rules and regulations of the language use, employing a range of communication strategies peculiar only to it. The variety of the topics covered, instant reflection of the latest trends in spoken and written forms of the language, possibility to observe the language in its close immediate correlation with paralinguistic means of communication (body language, facial expression, tone and pitch, graphic means in written forms of YouTube communication, etc.) [4] make it a valuable source for the topical present-day linguistic research.
- Discussion. Being presently viewed as the video sharing platform which makes instant worldwide interchange of miscellaneous information in the form of the video content easily available (however, heavily limited by legal regulations), YouTube is primarily viewed as a source of entertainment, though it must be admitted that it gradually and steadily gains more and more substantial value and weight as a source of historical, cultural, political, educational, etc. information as well.
Nevertheless, notwithstanding its global scale and utmost importance for the worldwide daily exchange of information, acute status and current position of YouTube discourse in modern linguistic paradigm still remains rather obscure and unidentified [2]. On the one hand, no other additional proof is required as for admitting the existence of YouTube discourse as a discrete significant element of the present-day discourse hierarchy [1]. On the other hand, there is a wide range of controversial questions, a subject to ongoing scholarly discussions and arguments, which have not yet been agreed upon, among which for instance is the position YouTube discourse occupies in the linguistic discourse structure, structural elements it comprises, sub-fields it embraces and adjacent fields it overlaps with, the character and degree of its correlation with other discourse types, etc.
- Results. First and foremost, YouTube discourse embraces two major types, i.e., oral and written which are represented in various miscellaneous combinations. Oral communication (represented primarily by video content), which is at first sight is to act as a focal point of YouTube discourse, proves to be not the major element. Surprisingly enough, written element of YouTube communication turns out to be a dominant one as it includes comments under the video in the comment section below the video, written description of the video provided by the creators themselves, possibility of using subtitles for better understanding of the foreign language content, etc.
Alongside two major types of discourse dwelt upon above, YouTube discourse is also characterised by various semiotic systems employed, e.g., an image of a video player with numerous buttons, numbers, still images, hyperlinks, other buttons and icons which are aimed at providing a variety of functions.
All five types of rhetorical modes (narrative, descriptive, persuasive, argumentative, expository) can also be traced depending on the type of the video content or / and written element of communication. Moreover, clearly representing a subtype of the social media discourse, YouTube discourse readily overlaps with a number of adjacent areas such as media discourse, political discourse, gastronomic discourse, literature discourse, etc.
Thus, the discourse of a single YouTube page represents a multimodal unity [5] of the variety of texts produced by multiple authors and is constituted by the video content, oral and multiple written elements, numerous semiotic devices.
- Conclusion. All the above said allows to arrive at the following conclusion. YouTube discourse represents a complex language phenomenon which is gradually becoming the centre of numerous topical investigations in the sphere of linguistic research. A discrete character of this discourse type is undoubtful, however a range of issues is related to it. YouTube discourse overlaps with a number of adjacent areas and (comprising oral, written, and semiotic systems of communication) forms an intricately interwoven and interrelated multimodal unity.
REFERENCES
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- BouvierWhat is a Discourse Approach to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Other Social Media: Connecting with Other Academic fields? Journal of Multicultural Discourses. 2015. 10:2. P. 149–162. doi: 10.1080/17447143.2015.
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