#tumblr linguistics

[dashboarddiaries]

Every Tumblr user knows that we Tumblrinas use language a little differently. We're not like other social media users. We're weird. We're weirdos. And this month, we have actual linguist Gretchen McCulloch (@allthingslinguistic) on to talk about it!! Plus: House of the Dragon dragon-related feelings and throwing a ball in the air as you lay on your bed like a 90s teen character.

Credits and transcript in our reblog. You can find transcripts for this, and every other episode, here.

Find the posts discussed in this episode in this tag!

[nordarknessdimsthesky]

A linguistic analysis of tumblr hyperbole in the tags

This post expands my previous analysis of hyperbolic reactions to cluster tags by themes. There were too many themes, some of them overlapping, to create a cohesive graph. Instead, I present several overarching themes from a data set of 50 tags observed and documented in various corners of tumblr.

1. Feeling Normal™️

Tags within this cluster profess Normal feelings (read: extreme excitement, enthusiasm, obsession, derangement, etc.).

#mmmmrrrghuhhhhghhh #I'm so normal about it teehee #absolutely not rending my clothing #feeling very normal and not feral at all #i will simply never recover #gif sets sent to personally destroy me #i can't cope #the eyes #i'm a puddle #i am INCONSOLABLE #i am DISTRAUGHT #IM NOT OKKAAAAAAYYYYYY #FEELING TOTALLY ONE HUNDRED PERCENT NORMAL

2. Feralness

The following data points conjure animalistic behavior. There’s a non-zero amount of biting and chewing involved.

#chomping biting barking #biting my arms off #rattling my cage #[incoherent biting noises] #chewing glass #chewing through wood #*shaking the bars of my enclosure* HELLO!!!!!!!! #climbing the walls #biting gnawing chewing #im gonna rip off my front door and eat it

3. Noisy Emotional Outbursts

These tags encompass crying, screaming, yelling, and other loud reactions.

# shaking sobbing crying #SCREAMIIIING BANGING MY HEAD ON THE WALL #*no thoughts only wailing* #i am SOBBING #IM CRYING LIKE A BITCH #*just fucking yelling* #S C R E A M #screeching into a pillow #brb sobbing for 5-7 business years

4. Throwing

All of these tags except the last one involve being thrown instead of throwing things. I, personally, am entertained by the range of places/situations people are throwing themselves into.

#i am going to THROW MYSELF into the SEA #hurl me into the sea #hurl me into the sun #trebuchet me into the sun #hurl me straight at europa #vent me out of an airlock #slam me against a wall #put me in a box and throw me down the stairs #throwing myself into traffic you know? #just defenestrate me already #defenestrate me #absolutely hurl me through plate glass #i'm going to start tossing furniture

5. Bodily Harm

There’s a good deal of overlap with the previous theme. Nearly all of the tags involving throwing would result in varying degrees of bodily harm. Here are the tags outside of the Throwing subgroup.  

#im going to throw upppppp #tearing my hair out #banging my head against the wall #SCREAMIIIING BANGING MY HEAD ON THE WALL #biting my arms off #microwaving myself #crumple me up and microwave me

6. Absurdism

My personal favorite cluster. The imagery conjured and resulting comedic hyperbole is just [chef’s kiss].

#im gonna rip off my front door and eat it #crumple me up and microwave me #put me in a box and throw me down the stairs #defenestrate me #absolutely hurl me through plate glass

7. Keysmashes

These tags center less around meaning and more around style, so they form the last group. A handful of these could fall under Noisy Emotional Outbursts because they represent reaction noises. In my linguistic judgment, keysmashing increases the hyperbole – consider augh versus aughfhghghghhh – the latter reads as prolonged and more intense emotionally.

#aghdjakgsjadhjaka * #hrhrhrhgnnnghhhhh #aughfhghghghhh #mmmmrrrghuhhhhghhh #I'm so normal about it teehee #waughfhghghh #oughhhhghghhh

*one digression in a friend discord server was how people interpret keysmashes in their minds. Some hear the first couple letters and then some sputtering, others hear static. It’s a common joke that you need a minor in linguistics to understand conversations in this friend group. Such is the nature of things when the chaos linguist energy is strong.

[raointean]

Does anyone know where that "recognized as a 2010 tumblr-user by a linguist friend" post went? I want to mention it in my linguistics journal today

[girlwarlock]

i assert based on zero evidence that the difference between a food being "crispy" vs being "crunchy" lies in the thickness of the brittle layer in the food.

There's a threshold thickness that is affected by the dimensions of the food, although not directly proportional to the size or thickness, and if the brittle layer is thinner than this threshold, the food is crispy, and if the brittle layer meets or exceeds this threshold, the food is crunchy.

potato chips ("crisps" to some english-speakers) are an interesting case--the chip is brittle throughout, but is nevertheless crispy rather than crunchy. This is because the threshold thickness is greater than the thickness of the chip, so it's impossible for the brittle layer to become thick enough to render the chip "crunchy"

meanwhile croutons are also brittle throughout, but because of their dimensions, there is enough room for the threshold to be broken and they are thus crunchy rather than crispy.

fries ("chips" to some english speakers) are typically thick enough that there can be a meaningful difference between crispy [thin layer] and crunchy [thick layer, usually denotes overcooking].

[funky-little-vulcan]

tumblr dialect is writing in long sentences that merge into each other without punctuation* or any sort of pause marker except for word order on the one hand it’s hard to read but on the other hand it communicates a very specific vibe,,,,

*all punctuation to be deposited at end of post

[haley-harrison]

replacing "my brother in Christ" with "my sister in satan".

it's got alliteration, and is more accurate for us on the hellsite 😎

[hylianengineer]

I'm pretty sure Tumblr is changing my out-loud IRL speech patterns and I think that's actually a good thing. This is the website of unbounded enthusiasm and my non-internet-literate sibling keeps commenting on how neat my weird phrases are.

Examples:

"I love that for them"

"I am winning at [thing that cannot be won]"

"Paying the [disability] tax" by buying preprepared food

"I am getting a good grade at [thing], something which is both normal to want and possible to achieve."

[bearsbeetstextposts]

i think you can reclaim the -pilled and -maxxing suffixes if you want to. I know they have their roots in whatever toxic masculinity sigma male incel communities but i do think everyone should be able to use them without the implication that they’re somehow aligned with that aesthetic.

[tree-of-blue-squirrel]

the horrors (nouns) - anything highly unpleasant that must be faced/done in a day

My favorite piece of tumblr linguistics to ever come out of this site is “the horrors”. It’s delightfully evocative and also gives absolutely no information about what I’m talking about. “Sorry I can’t go out today I’m facing the horrors” am I talking about the encroaching dread and existential despair of our dystopian world? am I talking about the fact that I have to wash dishes? No one knows. It’s all horrors.

[nordarknessdimsthesky]

the linguistics of hyperbolic tumblr tags

a graph of hyperbolic reactions in the tags across the axes of Totally Normal to Feral and level of violence. the red italics indicate horny reactions. this isn’t particularly scientific im just going off of vibes. consultation for Horny™️ vibes from @playing-for-keeps

[victusinveritas]

The sea is filled with jerks.

[nevershootamockingbird]

[ Begin ID: A screenshot of a compilation of tumblr tags. The tags read: "#The linguist at the devil's sacrament #devil's sacrament and all that #devils sacrament #what were you doing at the devil's sacrament #very "what were you doing at the devil's sacrament" vibes #something something at the Devil's Sacrament #something something what were you doing at the devil's sacrament #yeah getting devil's sacrament vibes from these linguists #'what were you doing at the witches' sabbatical??' moment #this post has strong "why were you at the Devil's Sacrement" energy #why where YOU at the devils sacrament #Like what we're THEY doing at the devils sacrament #girl what were you doing ~at the devil's sacrament~ in 2010 #what were YOU doing at the devils sacrament #devil's sacrament #what were you doing at the devils sacrament #what were you doing at the devils sacrament #and my question to those linguists: what were you doing at the devil's sacrament? #this gives major "what we're YOU doing at the devil's sacrament? vibes #what were you doing at the devils sacrament etc etc #what were you doing at the devils sacrament?? #what were you doing at the devil's sacrament #what were all those linguists doing at the devils sacrament [eyes emoji] #prev is right. what were THEY doing at the devils sacrament #what were you doing at the devils sacrament" End ID ]

the most disorienting thing thats ever happened to me was when a linguistics major stopped in the middle of our conversation, looked me in the eye, and said, "you have a very interesting vernacular. were you on tumblr in 2014?" and i had to just stand there and process that one for a good ten seconds

[yeehawpim]

when your grammar accidentally transfers

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Words to describe blood without saying crimson or blood?

Blood—the fluid that circulates in the heart, arteries, capillaries, and veins of a vertebrate animal carrying nourishment and oxygen to and bringing away waste products from all parts of the body

Arterial - relating to or being the bright red blood present in most arteries that has been oxygenated in lungs or gills

Body fluid - a fluid or fluid secretion (such as blood, lymph, saliva, semen, or urine) of the body

Carmine - a vivid red

Cerise - a moderate red

Claret - a dark purplish red

Clot - a coagulated mass produced by clotting of blood

Cruor - obsolete: the clotted portion of coagulated blood

Ensanguine - to make bloody; crimson

Geranium - a vivid or strong red

Gore - blood, especially: clotted blood

Hematic - of, relating to, or containing blood

Hematoid - resembling blood

Hemoglobin - an iron-containing respiratory pigment of vertebrate red blood cells that consists of a globin composed of four subunits each of which is linked to a heme molecule, that functions in oxygen transport to the tissues after conversion to oxygenated form in the gills or lungs, and that assists in carbon dioxide transport back to the gills or lungs after surrender of its oxygen

Hemoid - resembling blood

Ichor - a thin watery or blood-tinged discharge

Incarnadine - bloodred

Juices - the natural fluids of an animal body

Maroon - a dark red

Plasma - the fluid part of blood, lymph, or milk as distinguished from suspended material

Puce - a dark red

Ruddle - red ocher (i.e., a red earthy hematite used as a pigment)

Russet - a reddish brown

Sanguine - bloodred; consisting of or relating to blood

Scarlet - any of various bright reds

Vermilion - any of various red pigments

More: Word Lists ⚜ Blood ⚜ Exsanguination ⚜ On Blood

[prokopetz]

Tumblr word of the day:

lasslorn (adjective; not comparable)

From lass +‎ lorn.

(obsolete) Forsaken by one's lass or mistress.