Exploring Linguistic “Creativity” On Social Media: A Case Of Selected Posts By Namibians On Facebook, Twitter And Whatsapp

ABSTRACT

The main purpose of this study was to explore linguistic innovation, a case of selected posts by Namibian as expressed on social media platforms: Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter. In addition, the study sought to identify the strategies of linguistic innovation and to examine the motivation behind this innovation. By assessing the extent that the innovated language deviates from standard English, the study was able to evaluate the distinction of the innovated language from “incorrect” forms of English as a World English. The qualitative research approach was appropriate for the study because it allowed an in-depth exploration of the various forms and strategies of linguistic innovation among Namibian social media users. The non-probability sampling technique was used to select the 50 conversations as screenshots, which were then analysed using Discourse Analysis. The study revealed that interaction among the youth is made up of informal structures that deviate from standard English, which is a reflection of netspeak among the digital natives. The study found that the youth uses the following strategies of linguistic innovation: emojis and emoticons, code-switching/mixing, colloquialisms and slang, and other forms such as vulgar and acronyms. The study concluded that linguistic innovation and creativity depend on the social media platform, based on features such as text limits and visibility of the conversations or posts. The study was centred on the Sociolinguistics Theory, based on the notion that the youth is part of society with its cultural norms, and who apply language within a context; hence, there is a correlation between social structure and their linguistic structure. Finally, the study concluded that the linguistic innovation is distinct from “incorrect” forms of English, recommending that it should be distinguished by classifying it among World Englishes instead of a World English.