Language use in the social media and national integration: current trends and challenges
TL;DR: In this paper, a study on language use in the social media is presented, where the authors explored the trend of hate speech in reaction to issues of national interest and found that most of such discourses are laced with inappropriate use of language exposing the lack of communicative competence amongst users.
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Abstract: The focus of this paper is on language use in the social media. It demonstrated the current trends in the computer mediated discourses as seen on Facebook handle. The alarming rate of ‗nationism‘ and its possible effect as seen in these discourses which are capable of causing chaos necessitated the need for this study. It explored these trends with the view to ascertaining its challenges to national integration. About forty linguistic properties of the utterances in response to three particular excerpts from events in Nigeria gotten from Facebook accounts constitute the data with which this current trend of language use is demonstrated. The paper discovered that in the midst of this social media revolution, prevalent issues such as crime, violence, conflict, elections and insurgency are discussed online. Their examination revealed that there are predominantly hate speeches especially in reaction to issues of national interest. Most of such discourses are laced with inappropriate use of language exposing the lack of communicative competence amongst users. Judging from the basic components of speech act theory, the paper foresees possible perlocutionary acts which might be in the form of war and possible disintegration. As parts of its recommendations, the paper brought to limelight the need to put in check the destructive use of language on the social media. Keywords: Social media, Language use, Speech act theory, Perlocutionary, National integration
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Citations
Speech‐Act Theory
Elizabeth Minchin
- 15 Sep 2011
TL;DR: This essay examines J.L. Austin's theory regarding speech acts, or how the authors do things with words, by studying how utterances are formed and issued, along with looking into utterance circumstances and sincerity, one can garner a clear glimpse into what constitutes a performative speech act and what does not.
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Trisha Dowerah Baruah,Krishna Kanta,Handiqui State +2 more
- 01 Jan 2012
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the advantages of the use of social media for the sharing of knowledge and information among the different groups of people and promote the increase in the communication skills among the people especially among the learners/students of educational institutions.
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Introduction to the Study of Language
TL;DR: This volume contains a fac simile edition of the 1882 English translation of Delbruck’s Einleitung in das Sprachstudium together with a Foreword and a Selected Bibliography.
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Speech‐Act Theory
Elizabeth Minchin
- 15 Sep 2011
TL;DR: This essay examines J.L. Austin's theory regarding speech acts, or how the authors do things with words, by studying how utterances are formed and issued, along with looking into utterance circumstances and sincerity, one can garner a clear glimpse into what constitutes a performative speech act and what does not.
58
Language use and the Mass Media: A Focus on Selected Nigerian Newspapers
Jane N Ifecheobi
- 11 Aug 2016
TL;DR: This paper highlighted some of these deviant constructions so that the second language learner would be cautious so as not to be misled while the print media should do all in their power to write in such a way to help the ESL learner to achieve communicative competence through the pages of the newspapers.
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