This study compares the uses of the acronym wtf (‘what the fuck’) in digitally mediated text-based interactions in three typologically distinct languages: American English (source language), and Finnish and Chilean Spanish (recipient languages). The data consist of tweets extracted from the social media platform X. Interactional Linguistics and Digital Conversation Analysis are employed to examine the functions performed by wtf in different positions in a tweet and interaction. Instances of wtf were annotated to describe its uses in the source language and to compare them with those observed in the recipient languages. The study shows that in all three languages, wtf is used in various tweet-internal and sequential positions. These uses expressed the writer’s disbelief, astonishment, and a problem in acceptance towards prior content. The analysis concludes that the pragmatic functions of wtf in American English undergo a narrowing when it is used in Finnish and Chilean Spanish.

The aim of the study is to compare the use of two different particles that are used in Icelandic conversation: the native form ha and the English borrowing what. The research questions are as follows: (1) What are the similarities and differences between the two forms in terms of turn-position, sequential placement, prosody, and functions?, and (2) What can the comparison tell us about the borrowing of discourse particles from one language to another? The data consisted of 28 hours and 36 minutes of conversation. The methodology employed in the study is that of interactional linguistics. The study shows that although ha and what have some similarities in certain environments, there are certain differences between the two forms. What is more limited in use than ha, both in terms of functions and position within a turn.