An Analysis of Colloquialisms in the Animated Film Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)

Abstract

This research uses Labov’s Vernacular Theory (1972) to analyze how colloquialisms are used in the animated movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) reflect natural, informal, and spontaneous speech. The study aims to identify the various vernacular forms employed in the movie and clarify how these informal features and the authenticity of character interactions, especially among urban youth. A qualitative descriptive method, the researcher collected dialogue passages from the movie transcript and classified them into idiomatic forms, contractions, and slang terms using a qualitative descriptive method. 134 colloquial expressions were found in the film transcript after a thorough study. Of them, 40 were contractions (29.85%), 20 were slang terms (14.93%), and 74 were idiomatic expressions (55.22%). The findings indicate that the movie makes significant use of common phrases to create natural conversations, depict adolescent identity, and foster informal relationships. The film demonstrates how vernacular speech as an essential linguistic resource for conveying personality, intimacy, and social belonging by emphasizing conversational and informal speech.