Use of English Neologisms in Social Media: a Case of Twitter Language in Kenya
Abstract
This project investigated the use of English neologisms in social media using twitter in the
Kenyan context. Driven by inadequacy of literature with regards to English neologisms in
Kenyan social media: English neologisms that are used in Kenya and also internationally. The
study looked into the word forming processes and gave examples of processes that social media
neologisms undergo. The study guided by the objectives, aimed at determining how social media
neologisms deviate from the use of Standard English using linguistic levels of analysis giving
various examples. The study focused on the factors that lead to the production and usage of the
social media neologisms. Finally the study focused on the effectiveness of social media
neologisms in communication. Lexical pragmatics was used as the theoretical framework for this
study due to its ability to explain how a hearer is able to understand the encoded concept of a
word from the concept communicated; this was explained under the processes: lexical
narrowing, lexical broadening and categorical extension. The study after the investigations found
that: social media neologisms deviate from the standard use of Standard English at different
levels explained through linguistic description, the deviation was found to be a way to easen
communication amongst the online users. Factors such as age, gender, quickness in
communication, meaning impact and avoidance of grammar and spelling conventions were
identified as having contributed to the production of social media neologisms. Finally speed of communication, brevity time-sensitivity, ease of interpretation and exposure were amongst the elements used to affirm that social media neologisms are effective in communication.
Publisher
University of Nairobi