Linguistics of TikTok - Interview with Adam Aleksic aka EtymologyNerd
A new episode of Lingthusiasm!
Click here to listen to ‘Linguistics of TikTok - Interview with Adam Aleksic aka EtymologyNerd’
TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts are an evolving genre of media: short-form, vertical videos that take up your whole screen and are served to you from an algorithm rather than who you follow. This changes how people talk in them compared to earlier forms of video, and linguists are on it!
In this episode, your host Gretchen McCulloch gets enthusiastic about the linguistics of tiktok with Adam Aleksic, better known on social media as etymologynerd. We talk about how Adam got his start into linguistics via etymology, the process that he goes through to make his current videos get the attention of people and algorithms, and how different forms of media (like podcasts vs shortform video) relate differently to their audiences. We also talk about the challenges of writing a book about language on the internet when it changes so fast, comparing the writing process for Adam's upcoming book Algospeak with Gretchen's book Because Internet.
Click here for a link to this episode in your podcast player of choice or read the transcript here.
Announcements:
In celebration of our 100th bonus episode we've decided to go back into the vault and revisit our very first bonus episode - with updated sweary commentary! We've made this extra bonus bonus version available to all patrons, free and paid, so feel free to send it to your friends!
In this month’s bonus episode we get enthusiastic about your linguistics questions! In honour of our 100th bonus episode of Lingthusiasm, and because our first advice episode was so popular, here's another episode answering your advice questions, from the serious to the silly!
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Here are the links mentioned in the episode:
'Where Do Memes Come From? The Top Platforms From 2010-2022' by Aidan Walker for Know Your Meme
Lingthusiasm episode 'Emoji are Gesture Because Internet'
'It’s Complicated - The Social Lives of Networked Teens' by Danah Boyd (pdf)
Lingthusiasm bonus episode 'Words from your family: Familects!'
Lingthusiasm episode 'Helping computers decode sentences - Interview with Emily M. Bender'
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Gretchen is on Bluesky as @GretchenMcC and blogs at All Things Linguistic.
Lauren is on Bluesky as @superlinguo and blogs at Superlinguo.
Lingthusiasm is created by Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne. Our senior producer is Claire Gawne, our production editor is Sarah Dopierala, our production assistant is Martha Tsutsui Billins, our editorial assistant is Jon Kruk, and our technical editor is Leah Velleman. Our music is ‘Ancient City’ by The Triangles.
Here’s the link again to ‘Linguistics of TikTok - Interview with Adam Aleksic aka EtymologyNerd’
Thanks for listening, and stay Lingthusiastic!
Lauren & Gretchen
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