Journal of Discourse Review
Open Access Humanitarian scholarship
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Open Access Humanitarian scholarship
Time to first decision
Volume: 1 Issue: 1
a Department of English, Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights Campus, Manila, Philippines.
1* Corresponding author: [email protected]
https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1071-4856
Year: 2025, Page: 65-74,
Received: Feb. 10, 2025 Accepted: March 21, 2025 Published: April 22, 2025
This paper investigates the viral “Shimenet” meme that emerged from Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte’s mispronunciation of “she may not” during the 2025 proposed budget deliberation for her office. Utilizing Andrew Moody’s framework on performative Englishes and Jamie Shinhee Lee’s framework on conflict talk, the study explores how pronunciation functions as a symbolic marker of inclusion and exclusion in online discourse. Drawing from a Reddit discussion thread about a Filipino professor’s commentary on the “Shimenet” fiasco, the research analyzes how digital narratives construct perceived insider–outsider dynamics through linguistic performance and humour, paralleling the biblical concept of the shibboleth. Although these dynamics may not fully mirror actual social divisions due to the complexities of digital interactions, they gain prominence in online spaces, influencing negotiations of identity and power. Through qualitative discourse analysis of Reddit comments, the study emphasises the significance of humour and conflict in shaping public perceptions, offering insights for more thoughtful engagement with online discourse and contributing to a broader understanding of language in social identity formation in postcolonial contexts.
Keywords: Critical Discourse Analysis, Advertisements, Gender Ideology, Media Discourse, Weight Loss, Skincare.
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© 2025 JDR Academic Trust. This is an open-access publication distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Gonzales, D. H. F. (2025). “Shimenet” as Shibboleth: Linguistic Performance in Philippine Social Media. Journal of Discourse Review, 1(1), 65-74.