Il "brutto" che fa (sor)ridere

Dinamiche linguistiche e mediatiche del trash in Italia

Abstract

This article examines the phenomenon of trash from a linguistic perspective, approaching it not as an intrinsic quality of a specific content, but as an evaluative category grounded in the gap between expectation and realization. After outlining the theoretical framework that defines the mechanisms through which trash is constructed, the study addresses the question of whether a distinct “language of trash” can be said to exist, focusing on three main generative devices: deviation from an expected register, overt or covert vulgarity, and the violation of communicative expectations. The analysis is based on a corpus of digital materials (memes, GIFs, reels, and video excerpts) drawn from social media pages and profiles dedicated to trash culture. The data show how these devices operate concretely in the production and media circulation of trash-related content. The findings suggest that it is not possible to speak of an autonomous linguistic variety associated with trash. Rather, so-called “trash language” emerges from the interaction between linguistic usage, social evaluation, and media amplification. Through processes of recontextualization and circulation, linguistic deviation, vulgarity, and pragmatic incongruity are transformed into objects of shared ironic consumption. In this sense, trash provides a privileged vantage point from which to observe how language is continuously evaluated, exposed, and renegotiated within contemporary mediatized public space.