Exploring euphemistic initialisms in teenage computer-mediated communication

Abstract

This study is intended to explore the morphosemantic and pragmatic features of euphemistic initialisms in teenage computer-mediated communication (CMC), particularly in chat rooms and forums (Reddit r/teenagers and Teen line online). The initialisms were extracted from the Teenage Chat Rooms Corpus (TCRC), and they were examined quantitatively and qualitatively to see if there was a recurring morphological pattern in the use of euphemisms. Findings show that, contrary to popular belief, initialed constructions are not frequent in teenage chat rooms, and that the vast majority of euphemistic forms are pragmatic markers. On the morphological plane, multiple initialisms (gtfo < get the fuck out) are more common than single (f < fuck) or hybrid (a off < ass off) ones. Close attention has also been paid to the case of compound hybrids (CHs), e.g. a-hole, n-word, whose morphosemantic variability is dependent on etymons and sociological constraints.