The Eurovision Song Contest on YouTube: A Corpus-based Analysis of Language Attitudes
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Abstract
This article examines language attitudes expressed in the comments sections of YouTube web pages. A corpus-based analysis of language attitudes was carried out on data taken from a range of YouTube pages featuring video uploads of songs performed in the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) between 2003 and 2010. Comments of YouTube users were analyzed using the WordSmith concordancer to reveal patterns of overtly-expressed language attitudes. The analysis shows that language is a statistically frequent topic in ESC YouTube discussion boards. Generally, singing in a non-native language elicits mostly negative comments, but compared to the comments in English, the French language comments tend to be more about the status of French relative to that of English and less about overall linguistic diversity in the ESC. Finally, the performance of the German 2010 winning song elicits mixed positive/negative responses, appearing controversial to commenters because it was delivered in what appears to be a mélange of standard British English, a “Cockney-like” accent, and a German accent. The study sheds light on multilingualism and language choice in the ESC and offers an input parameter for language policy and language planning related to the Contest.
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