A Discourse Analysis of Implicature on X (twitter) Memes

Student: Victoria Ime Japhet (Project, 2025)
Department of English
University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State

Abstract

Abstract Memes have evolved to become the language of the internet, which has become a powerful tool for self-expression, social commentary and community building in an online discourse. This research is a discourse analysis of implicature on X (Twitter) memes. Employing Grice’s cooperative principle, the study undertakes a discourse analysis of conversations between interlocutors in the ‘X’ community and how each person flouts the maxims of manner and quality to create humorous or engaging conversations. The data for this research is derived from a random selection of ten ‘X’ (Twitter) memes, collected over the past six months. The study reveals that conversations which occur in an online community known as ‘X’ frequently exemplify implicature in their meaning interpretation.. The study also finds that memes are a ubiquitous feature of X (Twitter), therefore aspects of implicature known as background knowledge and context, enable online users to communicate and interact with one another. The research contributes to the understanding of online discourse where meaning has evolved to rely on visual elements or cues, highlighting the significance of implicature and concludes that implicature make ‘X’ memes a powerful tool for online social commentary and communication.

Keywords
memes online implicature discourse community research twitter conversations evolved become
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