Article published in:
Corpus approaches to telecinematic languageEdited by Monika Bednarek, Valentin Werner and Marcia Veirano Pinto
[International Journal of Corpus Linguistics 26:1] 2021
► pp. 95–126
Innovation on screen
Marked affixation as characterization cue in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Susan Reichelt | Universität Greifswald
This study explores marked affixation as a possible cue for characterization in scripted television dialogue. The data used here is the newly compiled TV Corpus, which encompasses over 265 million words in its North American English context. An initial corpus-based analysis quantifies the innovative use of affixes in word-formation processes across the corpus to allow for comparison with a following character analysis, which investigates how derivational word-formation supports characterization patterns within a specific series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For this, a list of productive prefixes (e.g. de-, un-) and suffixes (e.g. -y, -ish) is used to elicit relevant contexts. The study thus combines two approaches to word-formation processes in scripted contexts. On a large scale, it shows how derivational neologisms are spread across TV dialogue and on a much smaller scale, it highlights particular instances where these neologisms are used to aid character construction.
Keywords: characterization, non-codified language, affixation, suffixation, social networks
Published online: 08 December 2020
https://doi.org/10.1075/ijcl.00038.rei
https://doi.org/10.1075/ijcl.00038.rei
References
References
Androutsopoulos, J.
Anthony, L.
(2019) AntConc (Version 3.5.8) [Computer software]. Tokyo: Waseda University. Available from http://www.antlab.sci.waseda.ac.jp/
Beers Fägersten, K.
Bubel, C. M.
Bucholtz, M.
Cheshire, J.
Dion, N., & Poplack, S.
(2007, October 11–14 2007) Linguistic mythbusting: The role of the media in diffusing change [Paper presentation]. New Ways of Analyzing Variation 36 (NWAV36), Philadelphia, USA. http://www.sociolinguistics.uottawa.ca/abstracts/Poplack.Dion.2007.NWAV.ab.pdf
Dixon, R. M. W.
Dovchin, S., Pennycook, A., & Sultana, S.
Eckert, P.
Eckert, P., & McConnell-Ginet, S.
Goldberg, L.
(2018, July 20). ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Inclusive reboot in the works with Joss Whedon. The Hollywood Reporter. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/buffy-vampire-slayer-reboot-inclusive-take-joss-whedon-works-1128888
Kirchner, J. S.
Labov, W.
Lieber, R.
Lieber, R., & Štekauer, P.
Mandala, S.
Masson, C.
Mendlesohn, F.
Milroy, L.
Mittell, J.
Percillier, M.
Piazza, R., Bednarek, M., & Rossi, F.
Quaglio, P.
R Core Team
(2019) R: A language and environment for statistical computing (Version 3.6.2). [Computer software]. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. https://www.R-project.org/
Reichelt, S., & Durham, M.
Reichelt, S.
Richardson, K.
Ruddell, C.
Sams, J.
Sayers, D.
Štekauer, P., Valera, S., & Kőrtvélyessy, L.
Stuart-Smith, J., Pryce, G., Timmins, C., & Gunter, B.
Tagliamonte, S. A., & Roberts, C.
Tagliamonte, S. A.
Trudgill, P.
VanDerWerff, E. T., & Framke, C.
(2017, March 10). How Buffy the Vampire Slayer transformed TV as we know it. Vox. https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/3/10/14857542/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-explained-tv-influence
Wilcox, R., & Lavery, D.