Semester of Graduation

Spring 2026

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

The Department of World Languages, Literatures & Cultures

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

This study examines the sociopragmatic patterns of Spanish evaluative constructions involving qué/vaya in contemporary digital discourse. Drawing upon politeness and impoliteness frameworks by Penelope Brown and Stephen C. Levinson (1978, 1987) and Jonathan Culpeper (1996), this research observes how speakers deploy use these constructions within public discourse to negotiate stance. The data consists of posts from X (formerly Twitter) and comments from YouTube videos, selected to showcase naturally occurring instances of (im)politeness across social media. These constructions are key to determining how society navigates expression and form within public discourse. In addition to the modern findings, a focused analysis of Miguel de Cervantes’s entremeses was included to demonstrate how similar evaluative strategies operated within the dialogic discourse of the Golden Age Spanish.

Overall, the study highlights the importance of analyzing brief, evaluative expressions in online communication as a means to shape interpersonal dynamics. It further demonstrates that social media provides a unique lens for examining relationships and linguistic behavior among speakers. By analyzing qué/vaya constructions, the research observes how they are embedded structures that amplify sociopragmatic techniques. This study contributes to the ongoing discussion in linguistics surrounding (im)politeness and its role in social media discourse, offering new insight on interpersonal interactions with Spanish digital discourse.

Date

3-27-2026

Committee Chair

King, Jeremy

LSU Acknowledgement

1

LSU Accessibility Acknowledgment

1

Download

Share

COinS