Sociolinguistic Continuity and Change: A Study of Indexical Bleaching

Abstract

With the invention of various social media platforms, new forms of language have evolved. The present study explores the process of indexical bleaching that often leads to various changes in meaning due to re-contextualization, circulation and adoption. For this purpose, the data has been collected from X in the form of Hashtags by using a purposive sampling technique, which is then analyzed by the researchers using indexical bleaching as a framework by Lauren Squires. The findings show that media plays an important role in adoption and circulation of meaning due to recontextualization, where words like moye moye, absolutely not, Islamic touch, and software updated were adopted, recontexulaized and recirculated. This helped in meaning variations. This research is useful in studying language change that will assist sociolinguists in exploring the role of media and other important similar contexts in investing language.