Surfaceliterally
Surfaceliterally is a term used in online discourse and linguistic analysis to describe a tendency to interpret statements strictly at their literal, surface level, ignoring figurative language, irony, or broader context. The expression blends 'surface' and 'literally' and is not formally defined in major dictionaries, but it appears in blogs, forums, and discourse studies as a label for this interpretive stance.
In practice, surfaceliterally is used to critique readers who fixate on the most obvious meaning and miss
Relation to other concepts: it relates to literalism and surface reading, yet differs from strict philosophical
Examples include a commenter taking 'That was a great job' at face value after a messy task,
Criticism and use: some critics argue that the label risks oversimplifying how people understand language and
See also: literal language, figurative language, irony, sarcasm, discourse analysis.