Data Sample #2

In looking at how people perceive what language is, I need to step back and find out whose perceptions I am examining. Posters to this forum create their public identity in several ways. One very simple way is through their profile snippet that appears with every post – it looks like this:

(if the picture is not showing up, you can find it here: http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=29608&PN=1)

There is a place for

·         a picture,

·         your name,

·          the number of languages you speak and study,

·         what sort of member you are, where you are from,

·          how long you have been a member, and

·         where you are from.

Interestingly, most people in this forum do not post a picture, as was the subject of a thread started by the individual in the above screenshot. They are uncomfortable posting pictures for many stated reasons, including privacy, dislike of their looks, and laziness. One particular reason grabbed my attention, however, as particular indicative of the individual being particularly digitally literate:

In my case it's easy: People who not only want to read me (they can read my posts!) or listen to me (they can talk with me on Skype!) can watch my You Tube videos and SEE me full in action. Therefore I don't need an avatar here showing my picture.

The individual who posted that does in fact have a picture up – just not of herself. Just as in the real world, you don’t necessarily place equal importance on every facet of your personality, she decided to play up different parts of herself in different digital arenas.

Another way to create identity in this forum is, of course, to create and respond to threads. There are many different subforums in which to post, including General Discussion, Specific Languages, Advice Center, and many more. So far, I have been focusing on the General Discussion forum, which has threads on anything from pictures in your profile to untranslatable words to whether there is even a point to learning another language – in other words, there is something for everyone. What each poster writes about reflects their interests and intentions in being a part of this site, leading everyone else to either support or shut down the poster as they see fit. One, more dramatic example of this was found in a thread titled, “Are endangered languages less expressive?” The individual initiating this post, C, was reporting on what she considered a “curious phenomen[on]”:

I'm from Barcelona, and a curious phenomena is happening with Catalan. When many Catalan artists, musicians or writers are asked why do they publish their works in Spanish or English instead of Catalan, most of them reply it's because Catalan is an unexpressive language and a song, film or book written in Catalan looks too artificial to be attractive, funny and enjoyable for the consumer. Most Catalans think this way, but it's because Catalan is unexpressive per se, or because it's an endangered language? Do speakers of endangered languages noticed this too, or it's just me?

(The full thread can be found here: http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=25763&PN=2&TPN=5)

The first two responses treated this as a serious question from a serious poster, but the next few posts were used to shred C’s credibility by commenting on her seemingly anti-Catalan stance in her other posts. This devolved to outright insults directed at C for two posts but then, just as quickly the thread righted itself again. People seemed to be ignoring issues of C’s credibility and simply answering her question – until she inserts herself again, attacking all of the answers that were given and spouting angry statements about how terrible the Catalan situation is. The next few pages are made up of other posters systematically pulling her statements apart, and her lashing back out at them. The original topic – expressiveness of endangered languages – actually stays rather strong throughout, but it is approached by responding to someone else’s (not C’s) comments or by working to prove C wrong. Her identity seems to be cemented negatively by her past post history and her unwillingness to provide requested statistics or to, really, say anything positive about her own language.