English As A Meaning-Making Resource Among Young Danes

This presentation introduces the PhD project, English as a Meaning-Making Resource Among Young Danes.

The project is part of the larger research project English and Globalisation in Denmark and investigates how English is used and what symbolic value it holds among young Danes today. Through a linguistic ethnographic case study among a group of young Danish high school students (ages 15 to 17), the project tries to uncover the role of English in the everyday lives of young Danes.

A special focus of the project is given to the role that social media platforms like TikTok play in this.

In this presentation, you'll be introduced to the study's methodological approach, theoretical foundation, and preliminary findings. You'll hear about the ideological tensions in the language surrounding English that come with the many different roles English plays for young Danes today. You'll also hear about how English (or, more specifically, different styles of English) travels as part and parcel of online genres like vlogging on TikTok and YouTube, becomes part of young Danes' communicative repertoires, and can be used as a local meaning-making resource in offline interactions.

Date

Friday 17 May 2024

Time

4 to 5 pm

Location

Online via Zoom

Speaker

Marianne Haugaard Skov
The University of Copenhagen