LINGUISTIC FEATURES OF FILIPINO NETSPEAK IN ONLINE CONVERSATIONS

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the linguistic features of Filipino Netspeak, the live experiences of students using it, as well as the educational implications of Netspeak. Hybrid method which involves a combination of discourse analysis and qualitative phenomenological were used. The corpus of the study was composed of a total of 314 Facebook posts, comments, and replies from a Facebook closed group created for seven (7) participants. On the other hand, other data were collected through an in-depth interview with the participants. Results revealed that the linguistic features of Filipino Netspeak include the following: compound, blend, acronym, abbreviation, unique orthography, unconventional use of punctuation marks, and use of emoji. Moreover, themes for students’ experiences in using Filipino Netspeak were the succeeding: easy and comfortable use of shortened words, Netspeak as language of millennial, unintentional use of Netspeak in formal setting, words/emojis learned in online communication, conventional use of Netspeak in social media interaction, miscommunication in Netspeak, and the effect of Netspeak in orthography and grammar. Furthermore, results for educational implications were the following: Netspeak’s popularity in the digital era for student’s faster communication, Netspeak as a form of feedback and communication of teachers to students, Netspeak as a classroom strategy, and Netspeak’s influence in the writing skills of students. KEYWORDS: Netspeak, Filipino netspeak, discourse analysis, phenomenological research, Philippines