Excessive Language on Twitter: Arguing about Political Correctness

Political correctness, seen as a form of linguistic intervention-ism, and its derivate, political incorrectness, are frequently invoked to take a stand on language. These two formulas are considered as notions whose use is increasing in the media and whose semantic content remains vague. This study focuses on French and German metalan-guage polemics on Twitter: these are positions on language in the name of political (in)correctness taken by a speaker who uses metalanguage and/or metalinguistic markers. Political correctness is considered here as a formula in order to show how its use in online exchanges makes it possible to organize the relationships between participants and to shape linguistic norms. The analysis distinguishes, in a polemical and argumentative context, between the use of the formula to disqualify the other and as a decommitment marker that uses humor to defuse the aggressive character of utterances.