Mobile language choices — The use of English and isiXhosa in text messages (SMS)

Abstract

This paper looks at language choice and use in South African SMS communication (texting) among bilingual (isiXhosa / English-speaking) users. Although English is the preferred language for most of the 22 participants (aged between 18 and 27), SMSes also create a forum for isiXhosa literacy (either in isiXhosa messages or in mixed English-isiXhosa messages). The English-language SMSes produced by these bilingual speakers share many of the features which have been reported for English SMS communication internationally (abbreviations, paralinguistic restitutions, non-standard spellings), and provide evidence for what one might call a global English SMS standard. At the same time, however, their SMSes also contain local linguistic features and, in particular, local, cultural content. The isiXhosa messages differ markedly from the writers’ English-language messages in that they contain no abbreviated material, non-standard spellings or paralinguistic restitutions and thus violate the sociolinguistic maxims of SMS / texting as postulated by Thurlow (2003). These bilingual writers thus communicate in the electronic medium using two different languages as well as two, non-overlapping sets of sociolinguistic norms.

“Where Are You?” The Communicative Functions of Saudi Students’ Text Messaging

“…This finding supports the findings of Battestini et al (2010), Bosco (2007), Deumart andMasinyana (2008), andThurlow (2003). Most of the text messages were sent by the students to strengthen their alliances and cement their relationships with their text-circle, which includes close and intimate friends.…”

“…They include: informational-practical orientation (14%), informational-relational orientation (8%), practical-arrangement orientation (15%), social arrangement orientation (9%), salutory orientation (17%), friendship maintenance orientation (23%), romantic orientation (9%), sexual orientation (3%), and chain messages (2%). Deumart and Masinyana (2008) verified that the communicative functions found in their corpus were quite similar to those of Thurlow's. They pointed out, however, that the number of messages included under the category of practical/social arrangements are fewer than the ones mentioned by Thurlow (2.45%), and having more love-related messages and chain messages (19% and 7% compared to 12% and 2% respectively).…”

Key identifiers and spelling conventions in MXit-lingo as found in conversations with Dr Math

“…It is with reference to 'counter-cultural' symbolism that has been cultivated by popular African-American artists and entertainers that scholars like Deumert and Masinyana (2008) suggest that the imitation of the AAVE accent exists, and influences the spelling of CMC texts produced by South African youths. This may certainly be true, from an anthropological perspective.…”

Post-modern ‘languagers’: the effects of texting by university students on three South African languages

“…A study by Deumert and Masinyana (2008: 117) on the patterns of language use in mobile messaging among young isiXhosa speakers, found that English is the preferred code for most of them, and that the majority of their messages conformed largely to they describe as 'a globalised SMS English norm'. Nevertheless, the messages also displayed local features both in terms of form and content (Deumert and Masinyana 2008). They further suggest that choosing isiXhosa and not abbreviating it comes at a direct cost (around 80 cents per message) to the bilingual user, and generally isiXhosa speakers reacted with puzzlement to the very idea of abbreviated SMS in isiXhosa (Deumert and Masinyana 2008).…”

“…Nevertheless, the messages also displayed local features both in terms of form and content (Deumert and Masinyana 2008). They further suggest that choosing isiXhosa and not abbreviating it comes at a direct cost (around 80 cents per message) to the bilingual user, and generally isiXhosa speakers reacted with puzzlement to the very idea of abbreviated SMS in isiXhosa (Deumert and Masinyana 2008). Their findings show that young isiXhosa home language speakers prefer using https://repository.uwc.ac.za/ English in SMS communication since it is not easy to abbreviate isiXhosa, which occurs most commonly in code-mixed messages.…”