Profanity in Social Media: An Analysis of Pragmatic Functions and Politeness Maxims Violation

Gil Emanuel A.  Mejia; Cristy Grace A.  Ngo

doi:10.54012/jcell.v4i1.315

Authors

Gil Emanuel A. Mejia College of Teacher Education, The University of Mindanao, Davao del Sur, Philippines
Cristy Grace A. Ngo College of Teacher Education, The University of Mindanao, Davao del Sur, Philippines

https://doi.org/10.54012/jcell.v4i1.315

Abstract views: 261

PDF downloads: 128

Keywords:

education, linguistics, internet users, profanity, pragmatic functions, politeness maxims violation, social media

Abstract

This corpus-based study employed sociopragmatic analysis to identify the role of profrane linguistic expressions on social media, specifically Facebook and Instagram, in terms of their pragmatic functions and politeness maxims violations. The pragmatic functions identified are cathartic, abusive, and social functions; while the politeness maxims violations are tact, generosity, approbation, modesty, agreement, and sympathy maxims. This study not only illustrates the functions of profanity on social media but also reveals a pattern of profanity-violating maxims that are more focused on the other than the self-indicating offensive pragmatics behind profanity. However, it is important to note that the findings may not be generalizable to all social media platforms or cultural contexts, and further research is needed to explore these aspects.

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