#3919. “Is your font racist?” Metapragmatic online discourses on the use of typographic mimicry and its appropriateness

September 2026publication date
Proposal available till 15-05-2025
4 total number of authors per manuscript0 $

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Journal’s subject area:
Cultural Studies;
Language and Linguistics;
Linguistics and Language;
Communication;
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Abstract:
Typographic mimicry is the wrapping of writing in a “foreign dress,” i.e. the use of typefaces in which one’s script (e.g. Latin) is made to visually resemble a different script (e.g. Chinese) with the goal of evoking associations with a “foreign” culture. First, this paper addresses the formal aspects of this practice, specifically the choice of visual features to be mimicked. The central question being investigated is how typographic mimicry is discursively negotiated. An exemplary metapragmatic discourse analysis of online reactions to a food ad and comments to two articles covering the topic catered at readers with different knowledge backgrounds highlights that typographic mimicry is not a “neutral” practice. It shows that central aspects being debated are the (re)appropriation of cultural stereotypes by users both outside and within the respective cultures.
Keywords:
cultural (re)appropriation; cultural stereotypes; indexicality; metapragmatic discourse; typographic ideologies; Typographic mimicry

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