SWEARING AND SOCIAL BONDING IN MALE FRIENDSHIP PODCASTS: A SOCIOPRAGMATIC ANALYSIS

Abstract

This paper examines how swearing can be used to create social bond between the male companions in situations of friendship podcasts. Over the last ten years, podcasts became a prominent means of discussing the processes of the social world, with male friendship often being characterized by a specific use of language. In particular, a sociopragmatic perspective is utilised in the present paper to examine the ways in which swearing can be a resource used to achieve intimacy alongside establishing a group identity as well as conversational fluidity within male friendship podcasts. The study relies on a body of work of five top-rated male-hosted friendship podcasts to conclude on the frequency, nature, and social functions of swear words through the concept of discourse analysis. In the research, it is revealed that the practice of swearing is a versatile means of communication: it identifies solidarity, minimizes the social distance, and occasionally relieves the tension in conversations. NewswearingIn this paper, we contribute to knowledge on swearing in non-aggressive, ordinary social situation and to pragmatics of swearing in male-dominated discourse communities.