Search

Drawing on ethnographic interview analysis of Aboriginal participants in Australia, this study seeks to expand the critical discussions in Applied Linguistics by understanding the concept of translanguaging in relation to its "mundanity" (or ordinariness). Our data shows that rather than perceiving translanguaging as extraordinary, for Aboriginal speakers it is more likely to be considered normal, unremarkable, mundane, and as a long-existing phenomenon. The concept of the mundanity of translanguaging is thereby expanded through three main discussions in this article: 1) negotiating identity and resisting racism, where the Aboriginal speakers choose to translanguage using their full linguistic repertoires, but with appropriate communicative adjustments made for their interlocutor; 2) a display of respect towards their land, heritage and language; and 3) as an inherent and mundane everyday practice where they constantly negotiate between heritage languages, English, Kriol, and Aboriginal English varieties. The significance of this study lies in the normalisation of translanguaging as a mundane disinvention strategy, as this urges us to perceive linguistic separateness as a colonial ideological construct that is used to exhibit control over diverse peoples and to maintain uniformity and stability of nation-states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of English as a Lingua Franca is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of social media on the English language. Technology is a medium of communication, it affects the language we use, and the context it enables. Today its primary use is for sharing information and managing interpersonal interaction. Formulaic expressions and variety of language we use in social media (Twitter and Facebook), have affected the standardized language, so some of the vernacular vocabulary used today is slowly entering dictionaries. A written word, which is thought to be greatly affected, consequently started affecting the spoken word - verbal text speak. Internet slang is language used in social media and it encompasses different abbreviations, language changes, and paralanguage. This study examines the origins of Internet slang, its development, and reasons for its use. It also tries to tell whether the existence of Internet slang enriches, or impoverishes the language. Moreover, it touches upon the notion of proper grammar in social media communication with regard to social media's facilitating or hindering proper writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]