“Yeahhhh.” “Okayyy.” “Hellooo.” These are just some of the ways people type on the internet. However, nobody really knows why people tend to use such words online or when texting. With this, researchers studied over 100 billion tweets to find out why we tend to ‘stretch’ our words.
(ALSO READ:Â Study Shows That People Prefer Breaking Up Via Text or Social Media)
According to the study published in the journal PLOS online, “While stretched words are rarely found in formal written language and dictionaries, they are prevalent within social media.”
After studying 100 billion tweets, the researchers concluded that there are different reasons why people ‘stretch’ their words. The study said, “There are many reasons why in spoken language people stretch a word, often done to increase the expressiveness of the word.”
The researchers also said that over time, this usage eventually became more common in formal settings. This reflects spoken language, and eventually, stretched words have taken a life of its own.
(ALSO READ:Â Studies show that some people love their pets more than fellow humans)
The study also said that ‘stretchable’ words also became a visual cue. “Stretched words tend to stand out more. Some tweets are comprised of a single stretched word.”
What d you think about this? Let us know in the comments!
Do you have a story for the WhenInManila.com Team? Email us at story.wheninmanila@gmail.com or send us a direct message at WhenInManila.com Facebook Page. Interact with the team and join the WhenInManila.com Community at WIM Squad! Join our Viber group to be updated with the latest news!
