The Socio-Pragmatics of Code-Switching In WhatsApp Group Chats among Ghanaians
Loading...
Date
2017-07
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Ghana
Abstract
Though English is widely considered as the language of the internet, the internet is currently multilingual since the practice of code-switching has found its way into online communication especially, WhatsApp. In this study, the socio-pragmatics of code-switching in WhatsApp chat groups among Ghanaians is examined by (a) scrutinizing the motivations for Ghanaians’ choice of language on WhatsApp (b) investigating the nature of code-switching (c) investigating the relationship between a social variable like gender and particular switching used on WhatsApp. The study focuses its analysis on five homogenous chat groups and one heterogeneous chat group.
It also adopts a variationist methodology which includes participant observation and interview surveys in order to identify chatters’ motivations for switching codes during WhatsApp group conversations. Also, extracted data from WhatsApp chat conversations are used as part of the data collected for the analysis. Using the Community of Practice theory, the Markedness Model and Variationist Sociolinguistics Approach as the theoretical backdrop, the study reveals that Ghanaians adopt novel ways of writing in order to switch codes on WhatsApp. They employ code-switching as a mechanism for improving their communication. Further, code-switching used in WhatsApp conversations bear semblance to spoken code-switching. Besides, this study establishes that the use of code-switching in WhatsApp group chats depends on the particular community of practice that chatters may find themselves in. Also, the study proves that the gender of chatters causes disparity in terms of language choice and language use in WhatsApp group chats. The findings of this research set the beginning of the investigation of language contact in WhatsApp conversations in Ghana since there has not been any known study on code-switching in WhatsApp interactions in the Ghanaian community.
Description
Keywords
internet, online communication, socio-pragmatics, code-switching, investigating, variationist methodology, switching codes, Practice theory, Variationist Sociolinguistics Approach, theoretical backdrop, WhatsApp conversations, Ghanaian community