Nonhuman language agents in online collaborative communities: Comparing Hebrew Wikipedia and Facebook translations

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Online mass collaborations act as unregulated superdiverse language spaces, however, grassroots policing may impose uniformity and reproduce hegemony. This study compared language policies in Hebrew Wikipedia and the Hebrew Facebook translation app. Hebrew Wikipedia designed a strict linguistic guide that promotes a neutral Hebrew register, rejecting both colloquial and high registers, enforced by an algorithm post factum. The Hebrew Facebook translators' community maintained a decentralized approach, lacking the affordances for hierarchies of expertise, focusing on the practicality of the language and the speed of project completion. The comparative design within the same speech community stressed the role of affordances as nonhuman language agents in the social process of language policy.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)10-17
Number of pages8
JournalDiscourse, Context and Media
Volume21
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Mar 2018
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Facebook translations discourse
  • Hebrew Wikipedia discourse
  • Hebrew discourse online
  • Nonhuman language agents
  • Online language policing

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cultural Studies
  • Communication

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Nonhuman language agents in online collaborative communities: Comparing Hebrew Wikipedia and Facebook translations'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this