(._.)/ dont 4get 2 txt me plz! Linguistic and Discoursal Features of Short Message Service by Female Texters

Authors

  • Yunisrina Qismullah Yusuf Study Program of English Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, University of Syiah Kuala
  • Yuliana Natsir Study Program of English Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, University of Syiah Kuala
  • Siti Rahimah Yusra Study Program of English Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, University of Syiah Kuala

Abstract

The practicality and limited space of SMS have become features encouraging the emergence of various forms of SMS language. An analysis of SMS from 20 Acehnese female students in the University of Syiah Kuala was therefore carried out to inspect the elements of language employed within the text messages. The data of 110 SMS gathered through a mobile device were thoroughly analyzed and later categorized into linguistics and discoursal features. The result showed that female students tend to write about their psychological conditions in SMS by employing logogram and pictogram. A number of findings on omitted letters and nonstandard spelling were also indicated in their SMS. They rarely used initialism and shortening in writing the text messages because it is believed that these features can diminish intelligibility. These females also wrote complex messages and employed various languages into their text messages, including the national language (Indonesian), the language of their religion (Arabic), the language from media influence (Japanese), and their mother tongue (Acehnese). Their circumstance of being multilingual has expanded their linguistic performance in employing, typing, and inventing lively SMS. It is also interesting to discover that these texters created new symbols that are not generally found in SMS to identify their reciprocal relationship of the same culture and belief. Keywords:  linguistic features; discoursal features; short message service; females; multilingualDOI: http://doi.org/10.17576/3L-2016-2201-07

Author Biographies

Yunisrina Qismullah Yusuf, Study Program of English Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, University of Syiah Kuala

I am a lecturer in the Study Program of English Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education at the University of Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia. I completed my Master's degree and PhD from University of Malaya, Malaysia. My research interests are in education and linguistic studies. In addition to teaching, I am also the chief editor of the journal Studies in English Language and Education. I have published in some reputable journals, such as Language and Communication, Language and Linguistics, International Journal of Instruction, Kemanusiaan: The Asian Journal of Humanities, Language Sciences (upcoming), among others. My ORCID is http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7187-5117. I am also one of the reviewers for International Journal of Instruction, Malaysian Journal of ELT Research, SAGE Open and Jurnal Ta'lim.

Yuliana Natsir, Study Program of English Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, University of Syiah Kuala

Yuliana Natsir is a lecturer in the Study Program of English Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education at the University of Syiah Kuala. She completed her Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics in 2008 from Birmingham University, United Kingdom. Her research interests are in discourse analysis and cultural studies. She is one of the editors for the journal Studies in English Language and Education, a journal in education, language and linguistics that is managed by her study program.

Siti Rahimah Yusra, Study Program of English Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, University of Syiah Kuala

Siti Rahimah Yusra completed her Bachelor degree in Education in 2015 from the Study Program of English Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education at the University of Syiah Kuala. She tutors English in some well-known English courses in Banda Aceh, such as LDC and Smart Start, to students from various educational backgrounds and levels. Her research interests are on studies in linguistics, education, teaching methodology and second language acquisition.

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Published

2016-03-07

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Vol. 22 No. 1 (2016)

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