Sociolinguistics

The Power of Student Reviews: Evaluating Emotionality, Gender, and Perception

Justine Fisch, Sarah Barsamian, Joselyne Hernandez, Yarina Andrade, Lesly Cabrera

What can a single review say about a professor or, more importantly, what can it imply? Today, anonymous student reviews play an increasingly crucial role in shaping a professor’s reputation, especially on platforms like Bruinwalk. Beneath the surface of these brief comments, however, lies a deeper question: are these evaluations truly about performance, or do they highlight gendered assumptions students unconsciously carry? Our study examined how the emotional tone and perceived sentiment of Bruinwalk reviews shape students’ assumptions about a professor’s gender. We analyzed ten anonymized reviews (five for female STEM professors, five for male) and surveyed 33 participants, asking them to rate emotional language, identify review sentiment, and guess the professor’s gender. Contrary to our hypothesis, highly emotional reviews were not overwhelmingly associated with female professors. However, positive reviews were disproportionately perceived to be written about female professors, revealing a strong bias linking positivity with femininity. While participants guessed professor gender with only 60% accuracy, their assumptions consistently reflected typical social expectations. These findings suggest that even when gendered language isn’t present, the perception of gender still shapes how we interpret emotion, authority, and professional competence in academic settings.

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The Language of Parting: An Analysis of Communication Strategies During Relationship Termination

Kayla Rezazadh, Elina Ghaem Maghami, Chloe Zhao, and Lina Muller

Parting ways is rarely ever easy, but how we decide to terminate a romantic relationship can speak volumes about who we are, how we process our emotions, and the ways in which gender norms have influenced us. In times of heartbreak, some people might pick up the phone and dial their number, or even write out a lengthy text message. Others may keep it brief, or even vanish without a word. In this project, we wished to investigate how men and women initiate and navigate romantic endings both in person and in the digital world. We sent out a survey that asked participants ages 18-25 about their past experiences breaking up and being broken up with, as well as hypothetical scenarios on how they would handle the termination of short-term and long-term relationships. By analyzing the method of communication, followed by body language, tone, and level of directness, we were able to uncover differences in the extent of emotional expression between young men and women. 

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Code-Switching and Bilingualism in K-pop: Phonological Adaptation and Audience Engagement through Korean-English Lyrics

Hee Suh, Misuzu Nakazawa, Jafarri Nocentelli, Rutvi Shah, Joaquin Cruz

Introduction and Background

K-pop stands as a global phenomenon, not only for its captivating performances but also for its seamless integration of English and Korean. This study investigates how code-switching, which refers to alternating between two or more languages within a single sentence, enhances audience engagement in K-pop. By comparing older (pre-2015) and newer (post-2015) K-pop tracks, we analyze how the use of English has evolved alongside K-pop’s increasing global popularity. We focus on two listener demographics, L1 Korean monolingual listeners and global audiences, including L1 English monolinguals. The language aspects we are working with include intra-sentential code-switching and phonological adaptation. Our research aims to paint a comprehensive picture of code-switching’s role in shaping K-pop’s appeal. L1 Korean participants will be more likely to notice the adaptation, while L1 English speakers will likely notice increased English usage over time.

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Musical Multilingualism: Constraints and Creativity in Bilingual Songwriting

Cia Evangelino, Saffiya Haque, Allie Kuo, Emma Montilla, Renee Rubanowitz

In music, switching between languages isn’t just linguistic— it’s poetic. Spanglish is in the studio, and it’s topping the charts. This study explores how bilingual artistry harnesses code-switching as a creative tool as it reshapes the landscape of contemporary music.

Code-switching typically signals affiliation or belonging in a community or conveys language-specific ideas, but it evolves into a deliberate stylistic choice in music and art. However, does creative liberty coincide with linguistic constraints? Our research investigates whether song lyrics, as a form of poetry, prioritize meaning over grammatical perseverance.

This article examines how bilingual artists implement code-switching into their lyrics, analyzing their use of borrowing and blending through the lens of Code Copying Framework and Poplack’s constraints.

We focused on the bilingual lyrics of Rosalía and Kali Uchis, two Spanish-language musicians with distinct bilingual backgrounds. Our analysis revealed that Rosalía, as an L2 English speaker, predominantly uses shorter borrowings and code copies to preserve English-specific semantic nuances, often refraining from full code-switching. In contrast, Kali Uchis, a simultaneous English-Spanish bilingual, employs/favors longer, fluid borrowings at clausal boundaries, seamlessly switching between two languages line by line. We hypothesize that these differences in their approach to bilingual lyricism come from their dominant language preferences and differing linguistic proficiencies.

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From LOL to JAJA: Code Switching and Community in Spanglish TikTok Comedy

Monique Tunnell, Lori Garavartanian, Marlene Ortiz, Melina Darlas

In the world of TikTok, where creativity knows no bounds, young Latinx creators are redefining what it means to connect through language. Spanglish skits on TikTok combine Spanish and English, making a perfect mix of hilarity and relatability. But these skits do more than just make us laugh, they create a sense of belonging for bilingual audiences navigating their cultural identities in a digital space.

Our study dives into the art of Spanglish code-mixing in TikTok skits to uncover how these creators build community through humor. By analyzing videos tagged with hashtags like #Spanglish and #Humor, we explore the linguistic features behind these skits—inter-sentential alternations and intra-sentential alternations. Focusing on Mexican and Puerto Rican dialects, we explain how these tools aren’t just random word choices; they’re powerful markers of identity and in-group solidarity. We see how viewers react to these humorous takes on bilingual life by looking at comments, likes, and shares and find that these skits are sparking conversations and fostering connections that stretch across the digital Latinx diaspora.

This research sheds light on why certain Spanglish patterns hit harder, gain more traction, and resonate deeper with audiences. Whether it’s through a hilarious Chicano slang twist or a clever Puerto Rican phrase, Spanglish on TikTok proves that humor isn’t just entertainment—it’s a bridge connecting identities, cultures, and people one laugh at a time.

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Language of Liberty & Life: Persuasive Discourse in Presidential Statements About Abortion

Why is it that two presidents talking about the same issue can make it feel like we’re living in two completely different countries? This project analyses how President Trump and former President Biden rhetorically frame the issue of abortion. To one, abortion is about individual freedoms, rights and democratic choices, while to the other it is about morals, faith and American values. Focusing on six speeches, three per leader, that were presented between 2020 and 2024, we conducted a discourse analysis and focused on rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, logos), tone, emotional triggers and opposition framing. We found that President Trump tends to frame the issue as a moral crisis whereas Former President Biden tends to frame it as a constitutional one. Former President Biden tends to use double the (average) number of rhetorical appeals when compared to President Trump, however they both tend to refer to each other/the opposition almost the same amount. These patterns showed us how political speech is tailored not only be informative, but also to shape public opinion, showing how the rhetoric used can perpetuate a specific narrative and benefit the politician.

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“You’re SOO Pretty, Girl!”; Decoding the Power Behind Compliments

Makenna Grewal, Maryam Zakar, Genesis Maciel, Lauren Sadighpour, Ivelisse Castro

You’re standing in the crowded corner of Roccos, celebrating the end of this stressful quarter. A girl you just met smiles at you and says, “Wait, you are literally so pretty.” You immediately thank her, and your heart warms with appreciation…but you’re left wondering. Did she really mean it, or was she just being nice? Was it just a part of the social norm? Why do these moments feel so flattering yet strangely loaded? This exact confusion that most of us have experienced sparked our research. We set out to explore how compliments are used by undergraduate women at UCLA, comparing those involved in Panhellenic sororities and those who aren’t affiliated with Greek life. Our curiosity drove us to understand how something as simple as a compliment can carry layers of meaning, friendship, expectation, and even social power. Through surveys, we found that compliments aren’t just about being nice. They are tools that can sometimes be sincere, sometimes strategic, and sometimes expected to help women navigate identity, group belonging, and unspoken social hierarchies. (Figure 1: Regina George, played by Amy Adams, in movie Mean Girls)

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Profanity on Play: Analyzing Cursing Patterns of Male and Female Streamers

Izze Castillo, Sophia Le, Simon Oh, Kenneth Tran, Bryan Nguyen

Just died in a game? What’s the first word that comes out of your mouth? This study examines gender-based differences in profanity use among popular gaming streamers to explore how digital platforms reflect and reinforce societal norms related to language and gender.

Existing literature indicates that men generally use profanity more frequently and with greater intensity than women, and that such behavior is often socially accepted or even valorized in men while criticized in women (Bailey & Timm, 1976). Drawing on prior sociolinguistic and gender communication research, this study analyzes the speech patterns of eight prominent male and female streamers, focusing on the frequency, direction, intensity, tone, function, and contextual usage of expletives during gameplay. We hypothesize that men will use direct profanity at a higher frequency, intensity, and variety, using it to express anger and dominance during gameplay, whereas women will use milder swear words at a lower frequency to be more emotionally expressive and maintain relationships. By identifying patterns in swearing behavior across genders in streaming contexts, we can understand how gendered language norms exist and change in online environments.

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Bro Talk: How Frat Slang Builds Brotherhood at UCLA

Ella Bogen, Celine Cabrera, Emily Henschel, Alexis Robles, Holly Weston

Ever walked past a group of frat guys and heard them say things like “ferda” or “that’s fire”? You might think it’s all just casual talk, but our research shows there’s something deeper going on. We studied how fraternity men use slang and nonverbal cues to build bonds, shape identity, and signal group belonging at UCLA. Language in Greek life is important, not just to sound cool, but to distinguish yourself as an “in-group” member, rather than an “out-group” member. Basically: you’re one of them.

Our project combined interviews, surveys, and real-world observations of frat interactions across several UCLA chapters. We wanted to know: does using more slang actually make you feel closer to your brothers? Our findings show that slang works like social glue, marking who’s “in” and who’s not, reinforcing group norms, and helping brothers navigate power dynamics within the house. Frat guys might not seem like linguists, but they’re constantly doing sophisticated things with language, whether they realize it or not. In fraternities, words like “bet,” “dub,” or even made-up phrases circulate through the house quickly. But this isn’t just meaningless banter. These words carry social weight. We see slang everywhere, but fraternities offer a unique take. They’re structured, male-dominated social groups where “brotherhood” is taken seriously, and shared language reinforces that sense of closeness. So we asked: Does using more slang actually make frat guys feel closer to one another?

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“Yearn for the Urn”: How Gen Z and Millennials Use Dark Humor on TikTok to Cope, Connect, and Perform Identity:

Fiona DeFrance, Monique Love, China Porter, Shriya Shekatkar, Lu Zhang

If you’ve ever laughed at a meme about depression and then paused to wonder if you were supposed to, you’re not alone. For Gen Z and Millennials, dark humor isn’t just a way to be funny, it is a form of emotional expression, identity work, and social bonding. On TikTok, this type of humor has taken on a life of its own, acting as both a coping mechanism and cultural signal. This blog will explore how these two generations use dark humor differently. Millennials, shaped by MySpace sarcasm and Adult Swim absurdity, tend to use humor to distance themselves from discomfort. Gen Z, on the other hand, often lean into it, using irony, vulnerability, and meme culture to face trauma head on. By analyzing patterns in TikTok videos, including the language people use, their emotional tone, and how viewers respond, we uncover how dark humor works as a powerful tool for navigating life’s messiness. Drawing on sociolinguistic theory (Bucholtz & Hall, 2005) and humor research (Samson & Gross, 2014), we show how generational identity, emotion, and community are shaped by digital jokes, and why they’re more meaningful than they might seem at first.

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