Building ACLA-PH: A Multiplatform Corpus of Philippine Gayspeak

Abstract

The rapid expansion of digitally mediated communication has transformed the nature of linguistic data and challenged traditional approaches to corpus construction. These challenges are particularly evident in documenting Philippine Gayspeak, a dynamic and multilingual linguistic repertoire characterized by continual lexical innovation, multimodal communication, and platform-dependent interaction. This study introduces ACLA-PH (A Corpus Linguistic Approach to Philippine Gayspeak), a multiplatform corpus designed to document contemporary Philippine Gayspeak across publicly accessible digital environments. Employing a methodological research design, the study examines the processes involved in corpus design, data selection, sampling, annotation, metadata architecture, multimodal representation, and ethical data collection. The findings demonstrate that constructing corpora for rapidly evolving digital discourse requires methodological principles that extend beyond traditional corpus linguistic practices. Building on these findings, the study proposes the Rolling Corpus Model, which conceptualizes corpus development as a process of planned and continual expansion, and the Adaptive Digital Corpus Framework (ADCF), which integrates authenticity, platform sensitivity, multimodal integration, layered annotation, ethical reflexivity, and adaptive sustainability. Although developed through Philippine Gayspeak, these methodological innovations offer a framework that may be adapted for documenting multilingual, multimodal, and rapidly evolving forms of digital discourse, thereby contributing to ongoing discussions on the future of corpus construction in the digital age.