¿Cuáles son sus recomendaciones?: A Comparative Analysis of Discourse Practices Implemented in the Giving and Seeking of Advice on a Mexican Subreddit in Both Spanish and English

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Margaret Glide

Abstract

Advice has been largely studied in many genres, from newspaper columns to online forums to bathroom stalls (Locher & Hoffman, 2006; Locher, 2006; Placencia, 2012; Bardovi-Harlig & Hartford, 1989; Hendley, 1977; DeCapua & Dunham, 1993; DeCapua & Huber, 1995; Kaul de Marlangeon, 2006). However, there is a current lack of Web 2.0 studies that incorporate the community’s voting system as a live perception tool. The present study seeks to address how advice-seeking and advice-giving is realized in the r/Mexico community on Reddit and how these discourse moves are perceived. It incorporates methodologies from Locher (2006), Placencia (2012), Spencer Oatey (2000), and Computer Mediated Discourse Analysis (Herring, 2004). In particular, this study analyzed the meaning level of advice-giving and advice-seeking (eg. The supporting and head acts involved in realizing these moves) and the interactional level of advice-giving (eg. How the voting system quantifies the community’s perception of good advice). It finds that, overall, direct strategies containing unmitigated imperatives are preferred in the giving and seeking of advice in this community. According to the voting system, English-initiated advice threads positively evaluate direct strategies with supporting acts, such as general information or personal experience. On the other hand, Spanish prefers direct strategies for giving advice with no supporting moves necessary.

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