Pronouns in Digital Linguistic Exchange: A Corpus-Based CDA Analysis

Abstract

This research paper aimed to explore the usage of pronouns in online ELT YouTube communities. For this purpose, four ELT YouTube channels were followed randomly. Most engaged hundred comments from each YouTube channel were collected as a targeted corpus. Data was tagged and refined with the help of TagAnt Tagger after collection. For the investigation of data AntConc (3.5.9 window) was used as an instrument. Norman Fairclough's 3d model of discourse was also followed as a theoretical framework. The purpose of this study was to manipulate pronouns utilized by online ELT YouTube commentators. The significance of the pronoun's usage was explained through the review of the literature. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used for the data exploration. Keyword lists were generated too for in-depth understanding. Furthermore, the results of pronoun usage were presented in the form of graphs and tables. The study found that the commentators used pronouns in a very informal way and their style of writing was also very unrealistic. The commenters utilized short sentences and casual writing manners to share their ideas and thoughts in the comment sections of these ELT YouTube channels. I and WE were the most frequent pronouns used by the commentators. Moreover, the analysis showed that the first-person pronoun was used more frequently. Ellipsis, jargon and contradictions were also used by the ELT commentators which showed the irregular sentence structure and lack of cohesion and coherence. The research questions of this study were answered but this paper also welcomes further investigation. The objectives of this research paper were claimed to be justified.