Date Approved
11-7-2016
Degree Type
Open Access Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department or School
English Language and Literature
Committee Member
T. Daniel Seely, Ph.D., Chair
Committee Member
Eric Acton, Ph.D.
Abstract
This thesis explores the new language fad, Because, X, which originated on the Internet and was named the American Dialect Society’s Word of the Year in 2013. Since the construction is relatively recent, there has been little formal research conducted on it beyond Internet articles and discussions. The research presented in this thesis aims to understand this new construction through detailed syntactic, semantic, and quantitative analyses. This includes investigating instances of the Because, X construction from its origins in 2011 to recent occurrences as well as gathering participant judgments on the construction from two different studies conducted for this work.
Recommended Citation
Walla, Stephanie, "Because, x: A new construction of because in popular culture" (2016). Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. 678.
https://commons.emich.edu/theses/678