The Conversational Throne: Analyzing the Impact of Casual Language on Power Dynamics in The Late Late Show With James Corden's Carpool Karaoke.

Abstract

This study aims to investigate how the use of casual language affects power dynamics in conversations and how this relates to politeness strategies within a discourse analysis framework. The topic was chosen because informal communication practices are increasingly common in the era of digital media and contemporary entertainment, yet their impact on power structures in social interactions remains under-researched. Specifically, this study focuses on how participants use informal language to maintain, enhance, or negotiate dominant social positions in various public conversation contexts. A qualitative approach using Teun A. van Dijk's Discourse Analysis (DA) framework will be employed, with data collected from conversation transcripts of social media interactions. Specifically, two YouTube videos from The Late Late Show with James Corden's Carpool Karaoke will be examined: "Justin Bieber Carpool Karaoke" and "Justin Bieber Carpool Karaoke Vol. 2." Forms of politeness strategies, such as positive politeness, will be identified, and the power relations formed through the choice of casual language used by the two characters will be mapped. This study is based on the main question of how forms of casual language are used in verbal interactions involving comforting interlocutors and maintaining power. The results show that casual language does not necessarily reflect equality; rather, it can serve as a strategic tool to establish intimacy or maintain dominance depending on the user and context. Individuals with authority who use positive politeness tend to reinforce participative leadership, while casual language from subordinates can be a veiled rejection of hierarchical structures. These findings confirm that politeness strategies and casual language play an important role in shaping and shifting power relations in everyday communication, especially in entertainment and popular media.