Cover not available
Article published In:
Emotions across Languages and Cultures
Edited by Angeliki Athanasiadou and Ad Foolen
[International Journal of Language and Culture 4:1] 2017
► pp. 47–72

Identity, emotions and cultural differences in English and Polish online comments

| State University of Applied Sciences in Konin

The focus of the present paper is to examine the extent to which the language used in Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) and online discourse emotional behavior are good predictors of individual and group cultural types and their identities. It is argued that the identity marking CMC interactants develop has to be stronger, more salient, and, possibly less ambiguous than that used in direct conversation and that the emotionality markers the users apply in their discussion, particularly those engaging negative emotions and reflecting negative judgments, are argued to be used by online discussants for the purpose of increasing the CMC commentators’ conversational visibility. The questions of cultural and linguistic divergence between English and Polish emotional communication patterns are the main points discussed. Three sets of corpus materials are used and the research methodology involves both the qualitative analysis of the emotion types as well as a quantitative (frequency) approach, particularly with respect to culture-specific corpus-generated collocation patterns.

Keywords: CMC, conversational visibility, cultural dimensions, cultural divergence, emotionality (markers), identity (parameters/markers), language corpora, loose-balloon communication, ping-pong communication, projected identity, scale of abuse, snow ball communication
Article outline
  • 1.Focus of the study
  • 2.Parameters of identity and identity marking
  • 3.Communication typology and emotion patterns
  • 4.CORPUS 2: Sports posts
    • 4.1Communication emotionality patterns in Polish CORPUS 2
    • 4.2Communication emotionality patterns in English CORPUS 2
      • Two-directional interpretation with loose-balloon elements
      • Digressive and complementary information
  • 5.CORPUS 3: Pre-election English and Polish comments
    • 5.1Characteristic discourse patterns in Eng CORPUS 3
    • 5.2Characteristic discourse patterns in Pol CORPUS 3
  • 6.Discussion: Cultural dimensions and emotionality
  • 7.Identities, emotions, and cultures
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 17 October 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ijolc.4.1.04lew
References
Balci, K., & Salah, A.
(2014) Automatic analysis and identification of verbal aggression and abusive behaviors for online social games. Computers in Human Behavior, 531, 1–10. DOI logo.Google Scholar
Bednarek, M.
(2008) Emotion talk across corpora. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Boase, J., & Ikeda, K.
(2012) Core discussion networks in Japan and America. Human Communication Research, 38(1), 95–119. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Boucher, E. M., Hancock, J. T., & Dunham, P. J.
(2008) Interpersonal sensitivity in computer-mediated and face-to-face conversations. Media Psychology, 11(2), 235–258. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
boyd, d.
(2001) FACETED ID/ENTITY: Managing representation in a digital world A.B. Computer Science. PhD, MIT.Google Scholar
Brewer, M. B., & Gardner, W.
(1996) Who is this ‘We’? Levels of collective identity and self representations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71(1), 83–93. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Communication Department of Fundación BBVA
(2013) BBVA Foundation International Study: Values and worldviews, political and economic values and the economic crisis in divergent and convergent Europe: consensus support for the welfare state model and inter-country differences in citizens’ connection with the public sphere. Retrieved from [URL].
DeAndrea, D. C., Tom Tong, S., Liang, Y. J., Levine, T. R., & Walther, J. B.
(2012) When do people misrepresent themselves to others? The effects of social desirability, ground truth, and accountability on deceptive self-presentations. Journal of Communication, 621, 400–417. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Fontaine, J. R. J., Scherer, K. R., Roesch, E. B., & Ellsworth, P. C.
(2007) The world of emotions is not two-dimensional. Psychological Science, 18(12), 1050–1057. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Godwin, M.
(January 12 1995) Godwin’s law of Nazi Analogies (and Corollaries) EFF.org. Electronic Frontier Foundation “Net Culture – Humor” archive section. Retrieved from [URL]
Graham, T., & Wright, S.
(2013) Discursive equality and everyday talk online: The impact of ‘‘Superparticipants’’. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 19(3), 1–18.Google Scholar
Herring, S. C.
(1993) Gender and democracy in computer-mediated communication. The Electronic Journal of Communication, 3(2). Retrieved from [URL]
Hofstede, G.
(1980) Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related Values. Beverly Hills: Sage.Google Scholar
(2013) Retrieved from [URL]
Jankowski, N. W., & Van Os, R.
(2004) Internet-based political discourse. In P. Shane (Ed.), Democracy Online (pp.181–194). New York: Taylor & Francis.Google Scholar
Kapidzic, S., & Herring, S. C.
(2011) Gender, communication, and self-presentation in teen chatrooms revisited: Have patterns changed? Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 17(1), 39–59. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M.
(1980) Metaphors we live by. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Langacker, R. W.
(1987/1991) Foundations of Cognitive Grammar, vols. 1 and 21. Stanford: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Lewandowska-Tomaszczyk, B.
(1996) Depth of negation: A Cognitive Linguistic study. Lodz: Lodz University Press.Google Scholar
Lewandowska Tomaszczyk, B.
(2012) Blurring the boundaries: A model of online computer-mediated communication activities (OCA). In A. Bednarek (Ed.), Interdisciplinary perspectives in cross-cultural communication (pp. 8–35). München: Lincom Publishers.Google Scholar
Lewandowska-Tomaszczyk, B.
(2013) Online interconnectivity and negative emotion patterning. New media, audience and emotional connectivity. Special Issue of Sociedad de Información, 441, 79–109.Google Scholar
(2015) Emergent group identity construal in online discussions: A linguistic perspective. In F. Zeller, C. Ponte & B. O’Neill (Eds.), Revitalising audience research: Innovations in European audience research (pp. 80–105). London: Routledge.Google Scholar
(2016a) English and Polish self-projection in the internet comments of sports events. In B. Lewandowska-Tomaszczyk, M. Kopytowska, J. Osoborne, J. Schmied & K. Yumlu (Eds), Languages, Cultures, Media (pp. 203–228). Chambery: Université Savoie Mont Blanc. UFR Lettres, Langues, Sciences Humaines. Laboratoire Langages, Littératures, Sociétés, Études Transfrontalières et Internationales.Google Scholar
(2016b) Language, leadership and visibility in online discussions. In K. Ciepiela (Ed.), Identity in communicative contexts (pp. 57–80). Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.Google Scholar
Lewandowska-Tomaszczyk, B., & Tomaszczyk, J.
(2012) We in the Union: A Polish perspective on identity. In P. Bayley & G. Williams (Eds.), European identity: What the media say (pp. 224–257) Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Lewandowska-Tomaszczyk, B., & Wilson, P.
(2011) Culture-based conceptions of emotion in Polish and English. In St. Goźdź-Roszkowski (Ed.), Explorations across languages and corpora [PALC 2009] (pp. 229–239). Peter Lang: Frankfurt am Main.Google Scholar
(2013) English fear and Polish strach in contrast: GRID approach and cognitive corpus linguistic methodology. In J. Fontaine, K. R. Scherer & C. Soriano (Eds.), Components of emotional meaning: A sourcebook (pp. 425–436). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
(2014) Self-conscious emotions in collectivistic and individualistic cultures: A contrastive linguistic perspective. In J. Romero-Trillo (Ed.), Yearbook of Corpus Linguistics and Pragmatics 2014: New Empirical and Theoretical Paradigms. [Yearbook of Corpus Linguistics and Pragmatics 2] (pp. 123–149). Basel: Springer.Google Scholar
Pęzik, P.
(2014) Graph-based analysis of collocational profiles. In V. Jesenšek & P. Grzybek (Eds.), Phraseologie im Wörterbuch und Korpus (Phraseology in dictionaries and corpora), ZORA 97 (pp. 227–243) Maribor, Bielsko Biała, Budapest, Kansas, Praha: Filozofska fakulteta.Google Scholar
Pułaczewska, H.
(2012) Directives in young peers groups. A contrastive study of reality TV. [Lincom Studies in Pragmatics 23]. Munich: Lincom Europa.Google Scholar
Tajfel, H., & Turner, J.
(1979) An Integrative Theory of Intergroup Conflict. In S. Worchel & W. Austin (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 33–47). Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.Google Scholar
Theunis, M., Küster, D., & Kappas, A.
(2010) CYBEREMOTIONS poster CERE 2010 Retrieved from ([URL])
Trompenaars, F., & Hampden-Turner, Ch.
(1997) Riding the waves of culture: Understanding cultural diversity in business, Second Edition. London & Santa Rosa: Nicholas Brealey Publishing Limited.Google Scholar
Turner, J. C.
(1978) Social categorization and social discrimination in the minimal group paradigm. In H. Tajfel (Ed.), Differentiation between social groups: Studies in the social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 235–250) London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Walther, J. B.
(2011) Theories of Computer-Mediated Communication and Interpersonal Relations. In M. L. Knapp & J. A. Daly (Eds.), The handbook of interpersonal communication (pp. 443–479). Thousand Oaks, Cal.: Sage.Google Scholar
Wilson, P., Lewandowska-Tomaszczyk, B., & Njiya, Y.
(2013) Happiness and contentment in English and Polish. In J. Fontaine, K. R. Scherer & C. Soriano (Eds.), Components of emotional meaning: A sourcebook (pp. 477–481). Oxford: Oxford University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cited by

Cited by 2 other publications

Lewandowska-Tomaszczyk, Barbara
2020. Culture-driven emotional profiles and online discourse extremism. Pragmatics and Society 11:2 ► pp. 262 ff. DOI logo
Lewandowska-Tomaszczyk, Barbara & Paul A. Wilson
2019. Wellbeing and Collective Identity in Polish and English Contexts. In Contacts and Contrasts in Cultures and Languages [Second Language Learning and Teaching, ], ► pp. 193 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 31 march 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.