GD Usernames and Euphemism: A Morphosemantic Analysis

Abstract

Gamedesire (GD), a free online gaming website, is a rich resource for language research on Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC). GD raises a number of linguistic inquiries on written English. This paper analyzes the morphosemantic mechanisms of forming euphemistic GD usernames. A dataset of two hundred usernames has randomly been selected and tested against Warren’s (1992) model. The study demonstrates that a plethora of GD usernames carry dysphemistic connotations that are denotatively euphemized with linguistic and paralinguistic mechanisms, including word formation, orthographic modification, borrowing and semantic innovation. Some of the dataset usernames could not be subsumed under the selected model, necessitating the addition of new devices and the development of a new rendition of the model. The study reveals that GD users employ several processes for creating their usernames, which are characterized by grammatical, lexical, phonological, graphological, and semantic deviations from language norms.