TY - JOUR

T1 - Adjective Intensification as a Means of Characterization

T2 - Portraying In-Group Membership and Britishness in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

AU - Reichelt, Susan

AU - Durham, Mercedes

N1 - The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Journal of English Linguistics, 45 (1), 2017, © SAGE Publications Ltd, 2017 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Journal of English Linguistics page: http://journals.sagepub.com/home/eng on SAGE Journals Online: http://journals.sagepub.com/

PY - 2017/3/1

Y1 - 2017/3/1

N2 - This paper examines the use of intensifiers on the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer in order to establish the ways in which they can be used for characterization. We found that the male and female characters used intensifiers differently (similarly to what is found in natural speech), but also that intensifier choice was related to changes in social networks for several of the female characters on the show (so and totally). Furthermore, intensifiers were also used to distinguish the British characters on the show from the American ones (extremely, terribly, and bloody). By comparing our results to findings for other television shows (Friends) and for natural speech, we were able to establish the extent to which the show makes use of (then) innovative linguistic features for characterization. These findings underline the extent to which scriptwriters and/or actors were able to use linguistic features to index specific types of character.

AB - This paper examines the use of intensifiers on the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer in order to establish the ways in which they can be used for characterization. We found that the male and female characters used intensifiers differently (similarly to what is found in natural speech), but also that intensifier choice was related to changes in social networks for several of the female characters on the show (so and totally). Furthermore, intensifiers were also used to distinguish the British characters on the show from the American ones (extremely, terribly, and bloody). By comparing our results to findings for other television shows (Friends) and for natural speech, we were able to establish the extent to which the show makes use of (then) innovative linguistic features for characterization. These findings underline the extent to which scriptwriters and/or actors were able to use linguistic features to index specific types of character.

KW - American English

KW - British English

KW - gender

KW - intensifiers

KW - sociolinguistics

KW - television

U2 - 10.1177/0075424216669747

DO - 10.1177/0075424216669747

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85013483839

VL - 45

SP - 60

EP - 87

JO - Journal of English Linguistics

JF - Journal of English Linguistics

SN - 0075-4242

IS - 1

ER -