POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

Chapter I

Introduction

The emergence of social media and fast-paced technological advancements

has served as the underlying platform of social interactions among users globally. It

has contributed a larger extent in the rise of social media which provides unique

experiences that enable users to connect in new way that were never possible

before. Social media is increasingly acting as a vital role in people’s lives. The use

of it has been so widespread and continuously transforming our everyday activities.

Through social media users can share, create, and reuse contents.

Rappler.com, a social news network, found 67 million Filipinos active internet

and social media users; 62 million uses social media on their mobile devices.

Facebook ranks number one in the most visited social media platform around the

world along with its messaging platform, Facebook Messenger. Content value in

these platforms is co-created by user’s contribution, retrieval and exploration of

content with other users via a social media application developed by an

organization. Co-created value is defined as the mutual benefits both an

organization and users derive from sharing joint activities (Di Gangi and Wasko,

2016). Users benefit from the ability to socially interact within the social media

platform to fulfill personal needs and interests.

The objective of this paper aims to analyze what are the common social media

lexicons used by the netizen and in which occasion are these jargons used. This

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study is limited only to Generation Z (1195-2015) which ranges from 4 – 24 years

old and Generation X (1965-1980) which ranges from 35 to 53 years old. According

to Kasasa Community, Generation Z also known as iGeneration, post-millennial

and Homeland Generation comprises 25% of the population in the world. They

have grown up in a hyper-connected world and the smartphone is their preferred

method of communication. Generation X, on the other hand, are known as

“latchkey” generation and MTV generation. This generation still reads newspaper,

magazines, listens to the radio, and watches television. However, they are also

digitally savvy and spend roughly seven hours a week on Facebook.

Moreover, the study seeks to identify how these jargons differ in terms of use

and meaning. Through surveys and other applicable research methods, the

researchers aim to analyze the data and evidences thoroughly and impartially. By

using statistical analysis, the group intends to arrive at a conclusion based on the

gather data.

Theoretical Framework

Since the use of social media lexicons prevalent in different social media

platforms, the research focuses on two theories in order to elevate the human

understanding on how these lexicons differ in terms of meaning and use across

generations.

First, the Generative Semantics which is introduced by James Pustejovsky

(1991). The idea behind is that word senses display variation, permeability and

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creativity and that therefore a theory of word senses must explain this variation,

permeability and creativity and not merely classify it. This compositional framework

handles word meaning and the transformation of word meaning in a context.

Lastly, Dynamic Semantics by Hillary Putnam (1975) which is a perspective on

natural language semantics that emphasizes the growth of information in time. It is

an approach to meaning representation where pieces of text and discourse are

viewed as instructions to update an existing context with new information, the result

of which is an updated text.

Conceptual Framework

The set of independent variables is the profile of the respondents in terms of

sex, age and exposure to social media. Difference of jargons in terms of use and

meaning were considered as dependent variables.

Profile of Senior Citizen Jargons

- Sex
- Age - Use
- Exposure to Social Media
- Meaning

Statement of the Problem

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This study attempts to analyze the semantic difference of common social

media lexicon across generations. Specifically, it attempts to answer the following

research questions:

1. What are the common jargons used by the netizens?

2. In which occasions are these jargons used by the netizens?

3. How do the jargons differ in terms of:

3.1 Use

3.2 Meaning

4. Is there any significant difference between the research participants from

Generation X and Generation Z?

Hypothesis

The popularity of social media is gaining effects specially on people’s

language. Multiple meanings in word/words were created through the years and

these patterns of changes or generative process is evident through social media

post, messages, comments, etc. The aim of this study is to determine the semantic

difference – the use and meaning of common social media lexicons across

generations.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

The research study is only limited to the Generation X and Generation Z

individuals that engages using social media, specifically Facebook. Target

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respondents resides within Metro Manila. A total of 60 respondents will be

surveyed, wherein half of the total respondents will be from Generation X and other

half will be from Generation Z. This research mainly focuses on social media

lexicons in English language and will not explain when was the meaning of the term

changed. Thus, this study mainly focuses on the semantic differences of common

social media lexicon across generations.

Significance of the Study

Since social media is getting a big part on people’s everyday lives, it will be

beneficial to the people to know the changes on meaning of common social media

lexicons. This study would be a big contribution to the knowledge of social media

users. The results of this study will be a great benefit to the following:

Netizens. Since they usually encounter specific terms in different social media

platforms, this research will help them to know the changes of meaning in terms

that were used in post and even in messages and how to these terms differ on

semantic level, prior from the meaning that they know.

Generation X and Generation Z. This study primarily concerns the semantic

difference of social media lexicons between these two generations. Hence, the

target respondents will be able to identify the changes that happened on the

semantic level of common social media lexicons and both of these generation will

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be aware of the multiple meanings (polysemy) that a social media lexicon could

have.

ABE Community. The result of this study will be useful to the ABE community since

its focus is on Semantics, which is a branch of Linguistics. Students and professors

will be given further knowledge about the changes and multiplicity of meaning of

common social media lexicons. This study could give students better understanding

on Evolution of Language and Semantic Analysis.

Definition of Terms

For better understanding and interpretation of the study, the following terms

are conceptually and operationally defined.

Netizen – these are the people actively using the online web or social media.

Social Media – forms of electronic communication through which people create

online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, etc.

Web 2.0 - second generation of the world wide web, where it moved static HTML

pages to a more interactive and dynamic web experience.

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Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

The Evolution of Language

Language is the cognitive ability that enables us to combine ideas in our minds

and to map them into strings of sounds to be shared with others (Benitez-Buraco

2018). Language has been the most important instrument in communicating. The

emergence of language was a defining moment in the evolution of modern humans.

It has evolved according to the society in which it exists. It is clearly true that

language enables the transmission and storage of very complex cultural information

(Nowak and Krakauer 1999).

Kirby (2007) remarks that for many years, the evolution of language has been

seen as a disreputable topic, mired in fanciful "just so stories" about language

origins. Different mythical stories were brought up just to have evidence about the

origin of language (Fitch 2005). Subsequently, we consider a common claim in the

language evolution literature, which is that prior to the emergence of vocal language

our ancestors communicated using a sophisticated gestural protolanguage, the

learning of some part of which required manual imitation.

According to Antonella Tamacere and Richard Moore (2018), in the

continuation of the conversation with Fitch, Chomsky and Hauser on the evolution

of language, they examine their defense of the claim that the uniquely human,

language-specific part of the language faculty ("the narrow language faculty")

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consist only of recursion, and that this part cannot be considered an adaptation to

communication.

Ray Jackendoff (2005), Fabio Massimo Zanzotto and Marco Pennacchioti

(2012) claims that language evolution is also caused by the social impact of new

scientific and technological discoveries. New words and new word meaning are the

tools for understanding and communicate the world around us.

Understanding language change is crucial to understanding language itself.

Language change is a fundamentally social phenomenon. For a new linguistics

form to succeed, at least two things must happen: first speakers (and writers) must

come into contact with the new form; second, they must decide to use it (Sandler

2016). People use language to communicate, but centuries of philosophical and

linguistic tradition tell us that, at least when we consider the nature of linguistics

meaning, intersubjectivity and communication do not come first (Vogt and Divina

2007).

Human language is thought to have evolved from an interaction among three

adoptive system: biological evolution, individual learning and cultural evolution

(Kirby and Hurford, 2002). It is dynamics among speakers, who wants to be

understood and understand what others say, while at the same time trying to be

efficient, convincing, or poetic when communicating with others (Ford 2014). It is

said to speak a language is to be of a particular world, a specific human culture, a

form of life and way of thinking. It has been stated by numerous linguists that all

language change over time and for the variety of reason. From technological

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advancements to interactions with different cultures, they are many reasons for the

change in language over time.

Computer simulations of the evolution of language are offering provocative new

models for the emergence of linguistic components like phonology, syntax, and

vocabulary. It is believed that languages cannot be appropriately and empathizing

with the people who communicate through them. All language shared some

universal tendencies at different level of organizations: the phoneme inventories,

the syntactic and semantic categories and structures as well as the

conceptualization being expressed. At the same time there are also very deep

differences between languages, and often universal trends are implicational. It is

more precise to say that language evolution involves different types of processes

occurring at time scales, which produce involves effect of a dynamic evolving

system.

Recent research suggests that language evolution is a process of cultural

change, in which linguistic structures are shaped through repeated cycles of

learning and use by domain-general mechanisms. It is clearly stated that language

evolves together with the culture. Cultural language evolution of language, or

emergence of a language from no language, begins when motivated signals are

used in context by individuals who do not share a means of communications

(Tamariz 2016). Language has been an important tool in interacting with people

during the times that language is not yet emerging. The emergence of language

was a defining moment in the evolution of modern humans. As modern time

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approaches, language too, is becoming modern and people are producing more

languages that is timely in that certain era. Furthermore, anyone who intends to

deal with the origins of language should face what critics describes as an

inescapable truth: since language does not fossilize (Faretti, Adorretti, Chieca,

Cosetino and Nichiarelli 2018).

Lexical Semantics

Thomas J. Hughes and J. T. M. Miller (2014) defined lexicalization as a

process through which concepts are reformatted to be able to take on semantic

features and to take part in grammatical relations. It is the formation of meaning out

of a single word. A large number of studies across language in lexico-semantics,

syntax and morphosyntax have shown very robust regularities and strong

generalizations around the notion of argument structure (Saint-Dizier 2006).

When contemplating the uniquely human aspects of language, researches

typically focus on grammar, an important feature of language, without doubt, far

less effort, however, is expanded in theorizing about meaning, especially those

aspects of meaning enclosed in the lexicon (Kaminski 2004). It has been observed

that lexical words do not always contribute with the same conceptual to proposition

construction. In some cases, this is because the word is overtly context sensitive.

Lexical semantic studies have uncovered interesting phenomenon concerning

the meaning of words. Vyvyan Evans (2006) argues that they have been lacking a

proper format framework equipped with the necessary tools to account for the

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model the different meaning of words in context. Which lexical concepts constitute

the semantic units conventionally associated with linguistics forms, and form an

integral part of a language users’ individual mental grammar, meaning is a property

situated usage-events, rather than words (Geeraets 2009). Its dominant

characteristics is the historical orientation of lexical semantic research: its main

concern lies with changes of word meaning- the identification, classification, and

explanation of semantic changes.

Semantic Differences

It is widely accepted that the semantic content of a lexical entry determines to a

large extent its syntactic subcategorization or other contexts of occurrence (Davis

2006). According to Ray Jackendoff (2003), the meaning of a word differs according

to context that it has. The word may have different meaning from previous

generations and have big difference in the present. Rules of grammar are directly

involved in processing. Finally, it leads to a natural account of the incremental

evolution of the language capacity.

The changes in meanings can also be attributed through grammar. It is

commonly arguing that the rules of language, as distinct from its semantic features,

are the characteristics which most clearly distinguish language from the

communication system of other species (Schoenemann 1999). The rules that

humans have in communication is very different than animals and other species

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has. And our communication system has the capability to interpret a single word

into various meanings.

Ruth Garrett Millikan (1979) argues that looking for functions that explain the

survival value of various language forms taken with their characteristics cooperative

hearer responses, while looking also for functions thy explain the survival value of

the mental or neural equipment’s that learn to produce and to react to these

language forms, is a reasonable and promising approach to the study of language

and the philosophy of mind.

The idea that language is conventional is clearly stated in these statements.

The fact that language is studied in correlation with philosophy makes it more

interesting. Linguistic intuitions about language change can be captured by a

dynamical systems model derived from the dynamics of language acquisition. The

acquisition of semantic differences depends on how the language was perceived

(Niyogi and Berwick 1997). According to the socio-cognitive revolution hypothesis,

humans but no other great apes acquire language because only we possess the

socio-cognitive abilities (Moore 2017)

Human languages vary in many ways but also show striking cross-linguistic

universals. Language are different because it has several types that has its own

distinct characteristics. Considering the close relation between language and theory

of mind in development and their right connection in social behavior (Malle 2002).

Differences in meaning also has something to do with the society. Younger

generations of a society may have modern semantics derived from a word that has

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very different meaning from the older generations, making them hard to coped up

with the youth. To study the shades of semantic similarity, we need to evaluate it.

Evaluation must be done according to generation to measure difference in semantic

(Hauser 2014).

What is crucial to the design of language, is not some distinction, however

drawn, between properly semantic information, on the one hand, and empirical or

collateral information, on the other, but rather the distinction between information

that has systemic grammatical effects and information that does not (Johnson

2007). It says that semantic differences are drawn not because of a certain

distinction but through a person's perception on a certain word. Word sense: a

discrete representation of an aspect of the meaning of a word (Sose 2017). As said

from former statements, word meanings depend on the social setting in which it

exists. Linguistic semantics is obviously not restricted to lexical semantics for a

broader view of meaning in language, including the crucial areas of grammatical

and discursive semantics (Geeraerts 2015).

Linguistic differences are not exclusive for vocabulary words but in wider

perspective. All recognized properties of slurs are derivable from this simple

semantic base; no additional linguistics entities need to be posited to account for

the special features of alluring vocabulary. Meaning does not exist unless in

language and because of language. And from the point of view of the individual

speaking subject, meaning is the expressive intentional purposes to say something.

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Language Change in Social Media

Since social media became publicly available, language in spelling,

pronunciation vocabularies and grammar have changed resulting in conflict views. It

introduces new medium in the language.

As language is a crucial constituent of personal and group identity,

examination of the competing social factors that drive language change can shed

new light on the hidden structures that shape society (Al-Kadi and Ahmed 2018).

While all languages change over time, the internet has introduced a new medium

for these changes to take place. A whole host of words originating from social

media and the wider Internet have become so commonplace that they're now

slipped into popular usage and we don't realize it. Social Media is considered as a

determining factor in language change, contact, maintenance and shift, etc. (Attila

2017).

This world has established a unique language system that applies various

writing and spelling modes, a distinct set of vocabulary and several syntactic,

morphological and paralinguistic features. People are living in a world and every

day they are adopting new technologies, information, lifestyle, language and so on.

Young people now most of the rime connected with the people through digital

social, so intentionally or unintentionally they are following that trend of language

acquisition. The consequences of the fast development in science, technology and

media are reflected in the key verb for foreign language learning nowadays. The

communication and use of language in this kind is informal and social situation

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without doubt deviates from more formal and purpose-oriented communication,

simply due to the fact that the language is employed to facilitate dialogical

communication and thereby interactional needs such as performing actions and

showing and describing emotional aspects of a conversation and relationship.

Jargons

Jargon is frequently considered 'bad' in the realm of professional writing

because of the way it can obscure meaning (Brown 2017). However, the use of

jargons is important in prose and verse writing and in verbal communications of a

certain profession. It is specifically created to serve different group of people.

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Chapter 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter describes the research methodology used in the study

specifically, it focuses on the techniques and procedures of gathering data, the

population and sampling design, instruments to be used and the statistical tools and

techniques necessary for analysis of data.

Method of Research

This study used a Descriptive type of research. These were chosen due to the

objective of the paper to determine difference of social media lexicons in terms of

use and meaning. Descriptive research was utilized to assess the changes or

multiplicity of meaning in commonly used social media lexicons.

Descriptive research obtains facts about existing conditions in a phenomenon

and describes and interprets revealing conditions or relationships that exist or do

not exist, practices that prevail or do not, beliefs or points of view or attitudes that

are held or not, processing that are going on or otherwise effects are being felt r

trends that are developing (Calderon, 2012).

Population, Sampling Size and Sampling Technique

The population if the study includes the individuals as part of Generation X and

Generation Z in Metro Manila. Simple Random Sampling was used to determine the

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sample size because the total population was not clearly obtained. This is due to

the fact that many of the respondents were on vacation and migrating to different

places so they can’t keep track of the total population. The researchers assumed

that 60 respondents were enough to cover the population of Generation Z and

Generation X who uses social media in Metro Manila.

Description of Respondents

The respondents for the research were the individuals born between 1965 to

1979 as a part of Generation X and 1995 to 2015 representing respondents for

Generation Z. The respondents of the research were from different parts of Metro

Manila.

Research Instrument

In order to obtain the desired data from the respondents, the researchers of

the study also used survey questionnaires as the major instrument, composed of

two parts – profile of the respondents and checklist.

The first part of survey contains the demographic information such as age,

social media platform used by the participants and frequency of exposure to social

media. This was provided to elicit relevant information concerning to the specific

target respondents, Generation X and Z.

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The second part of the questionnaire was a checklist composed of several

social media lexicons. Respondents were asked to answer each question by

checking the corresponding box in the columns and in giving a brief definition of

social media lexicons and in which occasions do the respondents used it.

Data Gathering Procedure

The researcher gathered data through personally handed questionnaires and

interview through simple random sampling. The procedure ensured that information

gathered is from aimed respondents of the study, individuals aged 60 years old and

above that resides in Metro Manila.

The researchers asked permission to the respondents with the used of waiver

to conduct the survey about the semantic difference of common social media

lexicons across generations in terms use and meaning. After the researchers

obtained the approval of respondents, the researchers administered the survey to

the respondent on their vacant and most convenient time, assuring the respondents

that the data gathered would be treated with utmost confidentiality.

The results were tallied and tabulated accordingly for the interpretation using

statistical tools.

Statistical Treatment of Data

Frequency and Percentage

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The frequency and distributions were used to categorize the respondents

according to their personal background variables such as sex, exposure to social

media, highest educational attainment and occupation before retirement. The

researchers used the formula below to determine the proportion of respondents

who answered the interview and survey:

Corpus

The collection of meaning of the social media lexicons were derive from the

Merriam-Webster dictionary. The study will identify if there is semantic change on

the list of words if they were use in different social media platform.

Shook - past tense and chiefly dialectal past participle of shake

a: a set of staves and headings for one hogshead, cask, or barrel

b: a bundle of parts (as of boxes) ready to be put together

C: shock

Receipt - a piece of paper on which the things that you buy or the services that you

pay for are listed with the total amount paid and the prices for each

: the act of receiving something

: money that a business, bank, or government receives

: to give a receipt for or acknowledge the receipt of

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: to mark as paid

:to give a receipt for or acknowledge the receipt of

: to mark as paid

Dead: no longer alive or living: no longer having life

: not able to feel or move

: very tired

: people who have died

: the state of being dead

: the time in the middle of the night or winter

: completely or totally

: in a sudden and complete way

: directly or exactly

Shady: giving or providing shade

: sheltered from the sun's light: having shade

: seeming to be dishonest

Slay - to kill (someone or something) especially in a battle or war

: to kill (someone)

: to delight or amuse (someone) very much

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Extra - more than is usual or necessary

: costing more: requiring additional payment

something that is added especially to make a product, service, etc., more appealing

: a person hired to act in a group scene in a movie

beyond the usual size or amount

: very or unusually

Totes -: to carry by hand : bear on the person : lug, pack

2 : haul, convey

1 : tote bag

2 : burden, load

add, total

: pari-mutuel

Lurker -: to be in a hidden place : to wait in a secret or hidden place especially in

order to do something wrong or harmful

computers : to read messages written by other people on the Internet in a

newsgroup, chat room, etc., without writing any messages yourself

Straight - not having curves, bends, or angles

: vertical or level

: following one after the other in order : following each other without interruption

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in a straight or direct way

: in or into a vertical position

: without any delay : directly or immediately

straighten

: a straight part of a racecourse

: a hand of playing cards in poker that contains five cards in sequence (such as a

five, a six, a seven, an eight, and a nine)

Rant -: to talk loudly and in a way that shows anger : to complain in a way that is

unreasonable

a : a bombastic extravagant speech

b : bombastic extravagant language

2 dialectal British : a rousing good time

Savage -a : not domesticated or under human control : untamed savage beasts

b : lacking the restraints normal to civilized human beings : fierce, ferocious a

savage criminal

2 : wild, uncultivated seldom have I seen such savage scenery — Douglas

Carruthers

3 a : boorish, rude the savage bad manners of most motorists — M. P. O'Connor

b : malicious

4 : lacking complex or advanced culture : uncivilized a savage country

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: a person belonging to a primitive society

2 : a brutal person

3 : a rude or unmannerly person

: to attack or treat (someone or something) in a very cruel, violent, or harsh way

Tea - a drink that is made by soaking the dried leaves of an Asian plant in hot

water

: a similar drink that is made by using the dried leaves of another kind of plant

: the dried leaves that are used in making tea

Woke - past tense and past participle of wake

Thick - having a large distance between the top and bottom or front and back

surfaces : not thin

: having a specified distance from one surface to the opposite surface : having a

specified thickness

: having parts that are close together

in a way that makes thick pieces, layers, etc.

: in great numbers

1 : the most crowded or active part in the thick of the battle

2 : the part of greatest thickness the thick of the thumb

Viral - : caused by a virus

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: spreading very quickly to many people especially through the Internet

Gucci -

Lag - : one that lags or is last

2 a : the act or the condition of lagging

b : comparative slowness or retardation

c (1) : an amount of lagging or the time during which lagging continues (2) : a space

of time especially between related events or phenomena : interval

3 : the action of lagging for opening shot (as in marbles or billiards)

4 golf : a usually long putt struck with the aim of having the ball stop near the hole

a : to stay or fall behind : linger, loiter

b : to move, function, or develop with comparative slowness

c : to become retarded in attaining maximum value

2 : to slacken or weaken gradually : flag

3 : to toss or roll a marble toward a line or a cue ball toward the head cushion to

determine order of play

4 golf : to hit a lag putt (see 1lag)

transitive verb

1 : to lag behind current that lags the voltage

2 : to pitch or shoot (a coin, a marble, etc.) at a mark

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3 golf : to hit (a golf ball or putt) with the aim of having the ball stop near the hole

Woods lagged his first putt to within four feet and then sank his second one to win.

— Tim Crothers

: last, hindmost

1 : a barrel stave

2 : a stave, slat, or strip (as of wood or asbestos) forming part of a covering for a

cylindrical object

to cover or provide with lags

1 slang chiefly British : to transport or jail for crime

2 slang chiefly British : arrest

noun

1 slang chiefly British

a : a person transported for crime

b : convict

c : an ex-convict

2 slang chiefly British : a jail sentence : stretch

Snatched - : to take (something) quickly or eagerly

: to take (something or someone) suddenly from a person or place often by using

force

: a small part of something

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Fuck - usually obscene : copulate

2 usually vulgar : mess — used with with

transitive verb

1 usually obscene : to engage in coitus with — sometimes used interjectionally with

an object (such as a personal or reflexive pronoun) to express anger, contempt, or

disgust

2 usually vulgar : to deal with unfairly or harshly : cheat, screw

usually obscene : an act of copulation

2 usually obscene : a sexual partner

3 a usually vulgar : damn

b usually vulgar —used especially with the as a meaningless intensive what the

fuck do they want from me

4 usually vulgar : fucker

Ship -: a large boat used for traveling long distances over the sea

: a large airplane or spacecraft

to send (something) to a customer

: to send (a new product) to stores so that it can be bought by customers

: to send (someone) to a place that is usually far away

Dope -an illegal drug (such as marijuana or heroin)

: a stupid or annoying person

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: information about someone or something that is not commonly or immediately

known

to give a drug to (a person or animal) especially to cause unconsciousness

: to put a drug in (something, such as food or a drink) to make a person or animal

unconscious

great or excellent

Drawing -a picture, image, etc., that is made by making lines on a surface with a

pencil, pen, marker, chalk, etc., but usually not with paint

: the act or art of making a picture, image, etc., with a pencil, pen, marker, chalk,

etc., but usually not with paint

: an act of choosing something (such as a winning ticket) from a group without

knowing which one you are choosing

Ghosting - : a faint double image on a television screen; also : the formation of such

images

Bitter - having a strong and often unpleasant flavor that is the opposite of sweet

: causing painful emotions : felt or experienced in a strong and unpleasant way

: angry and unhappy because of unfair treatment

: a bitter alcoholic liquid that is used especially in mixed drinks

: a type of beer that has a slightly bitter flavor

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to make bitter (see 1bitter) bittered ale

to an intense or severe degree : to a bitter (see 1bitter) degree It's bitter cold.

Facepalm - variants: or less commonly facepalm

: to cover one's face with the hand as an expression of embarrassment, dismay, or

exasperation

Noob -

Salt/Salty - containing salt or too much salt

: somewhat rude or shocking

Filter - a device that is used to remove something unwanted from a liquid or gas

that passes through it

: a device that prevents some kinds of light, sound, electronic noises, etc., from

passing through

computers : software that prevents someone from looking at or receiving particular

kinds of material through the Internet

: to pass (something, such as a gas or liquid) through a filter to remove something

unwanted

: to remove (something unwanted) by using a filter

: to move through or into something in small amounts or in a gradual way

Fleek -

Lit -past tense and past participle of light

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: literature a course in English lit

affected by alcohol : drunk

abbreviation

1 liter

2 literal; literally

Hype beast -

Flex - to bend (a body part)

: to move or tighten (a muscle)

chiefly British

: an electric cord

: an act or instance of flexing

Bitch - the female of the dog or some other carnivorous mammals

2 a often offensive : a lewd or immoral woman

b often offensive : a malicious, spiteful, or overbearing woman — sometimes used

as a generalized term of abuse

3 : something that is extremely difficult, objectionable, or unpleasant

4 : complaint

: to complain about something in a repeated and annoying way

Epic - : telling a story about a hero or about exciting events or adventures

: very great or large and usually difficult or impressive

: a long poem that tells the story of a hero's adventures

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: a long book, movie, etc., that usually tells a story about exciting events or

adventures

Troll - to fish with a hook and line that you pull through the water

: to search for or try to get (something)

: to search through (something)

transitive verb

1 a : to fish for by trolling

b : to fish by trolling in troll lakes

c : to pull through the water in trolling troll a lure

d : to search in or at trolls flea markets for bargains; also : prowl troll nightclubs

2 a : to antagonize (others) online by deliberately posting inflammatory, irrelevant,

or offensive comments or other disruptive content … trolls engage in the most

outrageous and offensive behaviors possible—all the better to troll you with. —

Whitney Phillips

b : to act as a troll (see 3troll) on (a forum, site, etc.) … is also notorious, for trolling

message boards on the Internet, posting offensive material he himself has written

and then suing anyone who responds in agreement. — Mark Hemingway

3 : to cause to move round and round : roll

4 a : to sing the parts of (something, such as a round or catch) in succession

b : to sing loudly

c : to celebrate in song

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intransitive verb

1 a : to fish by trailing a lure or baited hook from a moving boat

b : search, look trolling for sponsors; also : prowl

2 : to move around : ramble

3 : to sing or play in a jovial manner

4 : to speak rapidly

: a lure or a line with its lure and hook used in trolling

2 : a person who intentionally antagonizes others online by posting inflammatory,

irrelevant, or offensive comments or other disruptive content Internet trolls

Trending - a : a prevailing tendency or inclination : drift current trends in education

b : a general movement : swing the trend toward suburban living

c : a current style or preference : vogue new fashion trends

d : a line of development : approach new trends in cancer research

2 : the general movement over time of a statistically detectable change; also : a

statistical curve reflecting such a change

3 : a line of general direction or movement the trend of the coast turned toward the

west

a general direction of change : a way of behaving, proceeding, etc., that is

developing and becoming more common

: something that is currently popular or fashionable

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Beat - to hit (something) repeatedly

: to hit (someone) repeatedly in order to cause pain or injury

: to hit (a drum) repeatedly in order to produce music or a signal

a : a single stroke or blow especially in a series a single beat on a drum; also :

pulsation, tick

b : a sound produced by or as if by beating (see 1beat) dance to the beat of the

drums listening to the beat of his heart

c : a driving impact or force … the full force of the surf beat … — Joyce Allan … the

fierce beat of the eastern sun. — T. B. Costain

2 : one swing of the pendulum or balance (see 1balance) of a timepiece

3 a : a regularly traversed round (see 3round) a cop patrolling her beat

b journalism : a group of news sources that a reporter covers regularly a reporter on

the beat

4 a : a metrical or rhythmic stress in poetry or music or the rhythmic effect of these

stresses four beats per bar keeping a steady beat

b music : the tempo indicated (as by a conductor) to a musical performer

c music : the pronounced rhythm (see rhythm) that is the characteristic driving force

in some types of music (such as jazz or rock) music with a Latin beat; also : 2rock

5 a : one that excels I've never seen the beat of it

b journalism : the reporting of a news story ahead of competitors

6 : deadbeat

7 nautical

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a : an act of sailing toward the side or direction from which the wind is blowing by a

series of zigzag movements : an act of beating (see 1beat intransitive) to windward

b : one of the reaches (see 2reach) in the zigzag course so traversed : tack

8 physics : each of the pulsations of amplitude (see amplitude) produced by the

union of sound or radio waves or electric currents having different frequencies

9 dance : an accented stroke (as of one leg or foot against the other)

10 : moment waited a beat before responding

Very tired

Thread - : a long, thin piece of cotton, silk, etc., used for sewing

: a long, thin line of something

: the raised line that winds around a screw

: to put a thread, string, rope, etc., through a hole in something

: to put (film or tape) into a movie camera, tape recorder, etc., so that it is ready to

be used

: to move forward by turning and going through narrow spaces

Benching -: a long and usually hard seat for two or more people

law : the place where a judge sits in a court of law

: the position or rank of a judge

sports : to not allow (a player) to play in a game : to put (a player) on the bench

Fam - familiar

family

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Cancelled - : to stop doing or planning to do (something) : to decide that something

(such as a game, performance, etc.) will not happen

: to cause (something) to end or no longer produce a certain effect : to stop

(something) from being effective or valid

: to put a mark with a set of ink lines on something (such as a stamp) so that it

cannot be used again

: cancellation an order quickly followed by a cancel

2 a : a deleted part or passage

b (1) : a leaf containing matter to be deleted (2) : a new leaf or slip substituted for

matter already printed

Thirsty - : having an uncomfortable feeling because you need something to drink :

feeling thirst

: needing water

: feeling a strong desire or need forsomething

Nailed -: a long, thin piece of metal that is sharp at one end and flat at the other end

and that is used chiefly to attach things to wood

: the hard covering at the end of a finger or toe : a fingernail or toenail

to attach (something) with a nail

: to catch (someone) doing something illegal or wrong

: to arrest or punish (someone) for doing something that is illegal or wrong

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Tag - : a loose hanging piece of cloth : tatter

2 : a metal or plastic binding on an end of a shoelace

3 : a piece of hanging or attached material; specifically : a loop, knot, or tassel on a

garment

4 a : a brief quotation used for rhetorical emphasis or sententious effect

b : a recurrent or characteristic verbal expression

c : tagline

5 a : a cardboard, plastic, or metal marker used for identification or classification

license tags

b : a descriptive or identifying epithet

c : something used for identification or location : flag

d : label

e : price tag

f : an element of code in a computer document used especially to control format

and layout or to establish a hyperlink

6 : a detached fragmentary piece : bit

7 : a graffito in the form of an identifying name or symbol

: to provide or mark with or as if with a tag: such as

a : to supply with an identifying marker or price was tagged at $4.95

b : to provide with a name or epithet : label, brand tagged him a has-been

c : to put a ticket on (a motor vehicle) for a traffic violation

d : to deface with a graffito usually in the form of the defacer's nickname

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2 : to attach as an addition : append

3 : to follow closely and persistently

4 : to hold to account; especially : to charge with violating the law was tagged for …

assault — Burt Woolis

5 : label

: a game in which the player who is it chases others and tries to touch one of them

who then becomes it

2 : an act or instance of tagging a runner in baseball

a : to touch in or as if in a game of tag

b : to put out (a runner) in baseball by a touch with the ball or the gloved hand

containing the ball

2 : to hit solidly

3 : to choose usually for a special purpose : select

4 : to make a hit or run off (a pitcher) in baseball the batter tagged him for a home

run

Meme -an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from one person to another

in a culture

: an amusing or interesting picture, video, etc., that is spread widely through the

Internet

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Bae -

Mention - a short statement about something or someone : an act of mentioning

something or someone

to talk about, write about, or refer to (something or someone) especially in a brief

way

: to refer to or suggest (someone) ashaving a possible role or status

Tilted -: to cause to have an inclination

2 a : to point or thrust in or as if in a tilt tilt a lance

b : to charge against tilt an adversary

intransitive verb

1 a : to move or shift so as to lean or incline : slant

b : to incline, tend, or become drawn toward an opinion, course of action, or one

side of a controversy

2 a : to engage in a combat with lances : joust

b : to make an impetuous attack tilt at social evils

a : the act of tilting : the state or position of being tilted

b : a sloping surface

c : slant, bias a tilt toward military involvement

2 a : speed — used in the phrase full tilt

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b : dispute, contention

3 : any of various contests resembling or suggesting tilting with lances

4 a : a contest on horseback in which two combatants charging with lances or

similar weapons try to unhorse each other : joust

b : a tournament of tilts

: a canopy for a wagon, boat, or stall

: to cover or provide with a tilt

Smooth - having a flat, even surface : not rough : not having any bumps, ridges, or

uneven parts

of a liquid mixture : not having any lumps : mixed together so there are no lumps

: happening or done without any problems

to make (something) smooth

: to remove problems or difficulties from a situation

: to spread (something) over a surface (such as your skin) : to apply (something) by

rubbing it on a surface

: a smooth part

2 : the act of smoothing

3 : a smoothing implement

Handle -: a part of something that is designed to be held by your hand

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: to touch, feel, hold, or move (something) with your hand

: to manage or control (something) with your hands

: to do the work required for (something)

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 POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

Chapter 4

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Introduction

This chapter discusses the data analysis and findings from 60 questionnaires

completed by research participants that equally divided from Generation X and

Generation Z. The purpose of this was to identify the semantic difference of

common social media lexicon across generation.

The objectives of the study were to identify if there is a significant difference

in common social media jargons used by the respondents and how does it differ in

terms of meaning and use.

Questionnaires were given to research participants consider as part of

Generation X and Generation Z. After signing the consent form indicating their

willingness to participate in the study, the said participants completed the

questionnaires. The signed consent form was kept in a separate box from the

anonymously completed questionnaires to ensure anonymity. Through this no

signed consent form could be linked to any specific completed questionnaire.

A total of sixty participants, thirty coming from Generation Z and the other

half from Generation X completed the questionnaires around Metro Manila

between August and October 2019. The data from the questionnaires were

statically analyzed by a statistician. The two sections of the questionnaire were:

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• Section A: Age, Social Media Platform and Frequency of Usage

• Section B: Definition and Occasion of Use

A. Social Media Platform and Frequency of Usage

Table 1

Respondents preference of Social Media Platform

Facebook Twitter

Generation X 100% 0%

Generation Z 100% 59.26%

Table 1 presented the social media platforms that are being used by the

generation X, which comprises age 35-50, and generation Z, age 14-24. Both

generations have Facebook accounts while on the other hand, the Generation Z

is the only one that use Twitter.

Table 2 Frequency of Usage

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Daily 5-6 4-3 Twice a Once a Less

days a days a week week often

week week

Generation 80% 6.67% 6.67% 6.67%

Generation 85.19% 14.81%

In the study, 80% of the Generation X access their social media accounts on

a daily basis while the remaining percentage are distributed in 4-3 times a week,

twice a week and once a week basis. On the contrary, 85.19% of the Generation

Z access their social media accounts on a daily basis while for the remaining

14.81% includes in the 4-3 days a week basis.

Table 3

Common Social Media Lexicons

Words Generation X Generation Z

Shookt 33.33% 81.48%

Receipt 86.66% 40.74%

Dead 73.33% 44.44%

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Shady 13.33% 37.03%

Slay 33.33% 55.55%

Extra 60% 37.03%

Totes 6% 14.81%

Lurker 11.11%

Straight 66.66% 37.03%

Rant 20% 18.14%

Savage 20% 44.44%

Tea 53.33% 44.44%

Woke 40% 51.85%

Thick 26.66% 48.14%

Viral 66.66% 66.66%

Gucci 46.66% 37.03%

Lag 43.33% 44.44%

Snatched 40% 11.11%

Fuck 33.33% 51.85%

Ship 26.66% 29.62%

Dope 13.33% 40.74%

Drawing 66.66% 57.85%

Ghosting 26.66% 57.85%

Bitter 13.33% 14.81%

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Facepalm 13.33% 40.74%

Noob 33.33% 48.14%

Salty 20% 40.74%

Filter 80% 40.74%

Fleek 6% 33.33%

Lit 37.03%

Hype beast 46.66% 44.44%

Flex 33.33% 55.55%

Bitch 40% 37.03%

Epic 46.66% 37.03%

Troll 26.66% 40.74%

Trending 66.66% 55.55%

Beat 26.66% 33.33%

Thread 6% 40.24%

Benching 18.51%

Fam 33.33% 33.33%

Cancelled 33.33% 48.40%

Thirsty 40% 40..74%

Nailed 13.33% 14.81%

Tag 33.33% 29.62%

Meme 46.66% 62.96%

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Bae 66.66% 48.40%

Mention 40% 44.44%

Tilted 11.11%

Smooth 13.33% 25.92%

Handle 20% 14.81%

The first column represents the breakdown of different social media lexicons

that were commonly used in social media and it were presented to random

respondents. The second column reveals how Generation X which comprises of

ages between 35-50, assessed their familiarity on those lexicons. Forty-six words

were identified by the respondents while the remaining four words were not

familiar to them.

On the other hand, the third column presents the breakdown of familiarity of

Generation Z in different social media lexicons. It shows how ages 14-24 evaluate

the meaning of the listed particular terms. All of fifty terms were recognized by the

respondents.

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Chapter 5

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

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