Abstract

This study investigates the impact of online chat language on second language learners and has gained significant attention in the field of language acquisition. The study examines how online chat language influences learners' proficiency, accuracy, vocabulary acquisition, and sociolinguistic competence. By analyzing relevant research studies conducted using the corpus-based methodology, the study aims to provide insights into the advantages and challenges associated with online chat language for second language acquisition. A sample of the corpus of online chat conversations via WhatsApp chat will be compiled, representing various language learners' interactions and finding out the KWIC through online software programmer Sketch Engine. The corpus analysis will be complemented questionnaire conducted with a subset of participants. The findings of this study will contribute to our understanding of the role of online chat language in second language acquisition and provide insights for language learners.

Key Words

Online Chat Language, SLL, Linguistics Features, Sociolinguistics Competence, KWIC

Introduction

The rapid advancement of digital technology and the widespread use of online communication platforms have transformed the way individuals interact and exchange information. In this digital era, online chat language has emerged as a prominent form of communication, characterized by its informal and abbreviated nature. For second language learners, exposure to online chat language presents a unique challenge, as it introduces a distinct set of linguistic features and conventions that may impact their language acquisition process. This corpus-based study aims to explore the impact of online chat language on second language learners by analyzing a diverse collection of online chat transcripts. By examining the linguistic patterns and variations within online chat language, we seek to investigate how this mode of communication influences the language learning journey of non-native speakers. To conduct this study, we will build a carefully curated corpus of online chat data, incorporating transcripts from various chat platforms, such as social media, messaging apps, and online forums. The corpus will encompass a wide range of linguistic contexts and user demographics, ensuring a comprehensive analysis of online chat language.




Online Chat Language

Now a day's people, all over the world, have different languages that they use for connectivity among themselves. Online chat language has become popular; the main reason for this is the fact that everyone uses it while chatting online in English as it saves time. Online chat language seems odd to some people, but deep down they consider it beneficial. SMS language, cyber language slang, and internet shorthand net-speak communication are used in mobile phone text messaging and online chatting. This study investigates the impact of the common use of online chat on the written composition of students (Jianling, L. 2018). Although there are several points of linguistic similarity between the two situations, the linguistic features and strategies taken up by online chat users are very different while taking their using languages in slag and short words and abbreviations. Crystal (2008) proves this assumption wrong by showing texting as a language of its own. The language of texting is simply a new branch of the English language.




Research Questions

The research questions driving this study are as follows:

i. What are the characteristic linguistic features of online chat language, including abbreviations, acronyms, emoticons, and slang? 

ii. How do second language learners adapt to and incorporate online chat language in their language production?

iii. What is the influence of online chat language on the written composition skills of second language learners?

iv. What are the most frequent words in the online chat of WhatsApp used by SLL?




Objectives of the Study

The specific objectives of the study are as follows: 

I. To explore the linguistic characteristics and KWIC of online chat language. 

II. To investigate the effects of online chat language on learners' proficiency and accuracy in written language production. 

III. To assess the impact of online chat language on vocabulary acquisition and expansion. 

IV. To analyze the development of sociolinguistic competence through online chat interactions. 

V. To discuss the pedagogical implications of the findings for second language instruction. 

VI. To identify challenges and limitations associated with the use of online chat language for second language learners.




Significance of Study:

Here are some key points highlighting the significance of your study:




Addressing a Contemporary Language Learning Context:

Online communication has become an integral part of daily life, making it crucial to understand the impact of online chat language on second language learners.

By focusing on online chat language, your study acknowledges the evolving linguistic landscape and provides insights into the language learners encounter in digital environments.




Enhancing Language Learning Opportunities:

 Online chat platforms offer language learners opportunities for authentic communication and interaction with native speakers and other learners.

By investigating the impact of online chat language on second language learners, your study can shed light on how to optimize these language learning opportunities and foster linguistic development.




Informing Technology-Mediated Language Learning:

With the increasing use of technology in language learning, understanding the impact of online chat language can inform the design and implementation of technology-mediated language learning environments.

This study can contribute to the development of more effective language learning platforms and tools that harness the benefits of online chat language while addressing its potential challenges.

Identifying Research Gaps and Future Directions:

By conducting a corpus-based study, this article can contribute to the existing body of literature on the impact of online chat language on second language learners.

Through a thorough review of the current research, your study can identify research gaps and open avenues for future investigations in this area, guiding researchers to explore underexplored aspects and expand the knowledge base.




Limitations of the Present Study

? The present study is limited to the SLL. 

? Only online chat language has been analyzed.

? The Second language learners have been selected for the study.




Research Gap:

Online chat language often differs significantly from formal written and spoken language, posing challenges for second language learners. This study can help bridge the gap between informal and formal language use by examining how learners navigate between these registers and suggesting strategies to develop proficiency in both.

Through this study, a comprehensive understanding of the effects of online chat language on second language learners will be gained, providing valuable insights for language educators and researchers. The findings will contribute to informing second language pedagogy and the design of effective instructional strategies that incorporate online chat language in a balanced manner, considering both its benefits and potential drawbacks. To address these questions, we will employ a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods. The quantitative analysis will involve statistical measures to identify prevalent linguistic features and patterns within the corpus. Additionally, qualitative analysis will provide in-depth insights into the ways second language learners interact with and assimilate online chat language into their language production. Several studies have highlighted the potential impact of online chat language on second language learners. Smith (2018) found that exposure to online chat language can enhance learners' understanding of informal language use and cultural references. Similarly, Johnson (2020) observed that online chat language facilitates vocabulary expansion and promotes language creativity among second-language learners. However, conflicting views exist regarding the potential negative effects of online chat language. Lee (2017) argued that excessive exposure to online chat language may lead to poor grammatical proficiency and hinder formal language acquisition. By examining the linguistic features and variations within online chat language and assessing their influence on language acquisition, we hope to provide valuable insights that will inform language educators, curriculum developers, and learners themselves. In conclusion, this corpus-based study seeks to shed light on the impact of online chat language on second language learners. Through the analysis of a curated corpus, we aim to uncover the linguistic characteristics of online chat language, explore its variations across platforms and user groups, and evaluate its influence on the language acquisition process. Ultimately, this study will contribute to the development of effective language-learning strategies in the digital age.

Literature Review

Linguistic Feature

The salient linguistic characteristics of computer-mediated communication (CMC) are widely recognised, particularly with respect to the use of abbreviations and acronyms. Conversely, other linguistic features of CMC are less familiar due to their limited practical utility. Scholars have identified typographic innovations in CMC that encompass orthographic and lexical, grammatical, and paralinguistic features.




Orthographic and Lexical Features 

The identification of chat language is primarily characterised by its orthographic and lexical features. According to Paolillo and Zelenkauskaite's (2009) findings, a variety of orthographic and lexical features have been identified in different languages and categorised as "deletions or reductions, additions, and substitutions."




Clipping

Clipping is a widely used linguistic technique in computer and telephone-mediated communication that involves the reduction or truncation of words without altering their intended meaning. This practice serves as an additional means of word formation.




Compounding 

It is frequently employed to generate a substantial quantity of lexical units. The process of compounding enables the identification of numerous words that are commonly utilised in everyday communication, particularly those that pertain to Internet slang. Examples of such words include but are not limited to "line," "top," "down," "up," "spot," "net," "spam," "book," and "web." These words are frequently employed in the context of online and offline activities, such as webcam usage, website browsing, downloading, upgrading, and hotspot connectivity, as well as in reference




Types of Chat

The utilisation of internet chat short form does not give rise to a uniform language variety. The extent of variability is contingent upon the user and the nature of the internet scenario. Following the casual utilisation of SMS language, this approach involves substituting complete words or fragments of words with phonetically analogous words represented by singular letters or numerals. Frequently employed Internet abbreviations and symbols encompass the utilisation of the "@" symbol in lieu of the word "at" and the substitution of the numeral "2" for the words "to" or "too". For instance, one may write "I am at the store" as "I'm @ the store" or "I am going to school" as "I'm going 2 school". 

While a definitive definition of Internet chat may prove elusive, our research materials have enabled us to identify various types of chat that occur in telephone and Internet-mediated conversations. These include SMS, chat on Facebook and Twitter, and social network interactions. This enumeration is not exhaustive.




Letter homophones

This particular classification encompasses shortened forms of words and phrases, including both abbreviations and acronyms. An abbreviation refers to the process of shortening a word or phrase, such as the use of "CYA" for "CU" see you or "TBVH" to be very honest. TYSM Expressing gratitude and acknowledging courteous behaviour is a common social norm. The exchange between the two individuals involved the expression of gratitude and acknowledgement of courteous behaviour. In contrast, an acronym is a type of abbreviation that is formed by taking the initial letters of a word or phrase. Examples of prevalent acronyms include LOL, which stands for "laugh out loud" or "lots of love," and BTW, which stands for "by the way." There exist amalgamations of both types of language, such as the instance of "CUL8R" being utilised to signify "see you later".




Punctuation, capitalization, and other symbols

These features are typically utilised by individuals to place emphasis or stress on certain aspects. Repetitive use of punctuation marks, such as periods or exclamation marks, can be employed for the purpose of reinforcement, as exemplified by the utilisation of "........" or "!!!!!!!! The rules of grammatical punctuation are also observable in online contexts. The term "email" is an acceptable alternative to "e-mail", and the omission of apostrophes can result in the transformation of "John's book" to "johns book". Instances of capitalization can be observed in phrases such as "STOP IT", which can effectively convey heightened emotions of anger as opposed to the uncapitalized version "stop it". The utilisation of bold, underline, and italics styles is a common practice to convey emphasis on certain words or phrases.




Acronyms \ Abbreviations 

There exists a plethora of chat abbreviations. A considerable cluster of lexical units has been devised with the aim of expediting online communication through the use of complete phrases and sentences. Additionally, there exist shortened forms of specific terminologies utilised on the internet. 

As per the definition provided by Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2013), an acronym is a term that is created by taking the initial letters of each of the parts or major components of a compound term. The utilisation of abbreviations in English and other languages was previously restricted, however, it has become increasingly prevalent during the 20th and 21st centuries. Acronyms are a form of lexical creation, and they are considered a variant of blending.

The acronyms and abbreviated terms that have been frequently utilised were identified through a comprehensive analysis of diverse platforms such as Twitter, WhatsApp, and chat transcripts. As per the website www.smart-words.org. ASAP stands for "As Soon as Possible". The term "BF" refers to a romantic partner who is male, commonly known as a boyfriend. BBL/BBS is an acronym commonly used in informal communication to indicate that the sender will return at a later time. "BBL" stands for "Be Back Later The acronyms "BTW" and "B4N" are commonly used in informal communication to mean "By The Way" and "Bye for Now," respectively. The user expressed gratitude by using the abbreviation "KTHX" which stands for "Okay, Thanks". Additionally, the user used the acronym "BFF" to refer to their best friend, indicating a close and enduring relationship. The acronym "LOL" stands for "Laughing Out Loud." The acronym "BFFL" stands for "Best Friends for Life." The abbreviation "L8R" is commonly used to mean "later." The acronym "BRB" is commonly used to indicate a temporary absence or interruption, with the intention of returning shortly thereafter. The phrase "NM" can be interpreted as an indication to disregard or dismiss the previous statement. The acronyms "CYA" and "NP" are commonly used in informal communication to respectively mean "See You" and "No Problem". The acronym DBEYH stands for "Don't Believe Everything You Hear," while OIC is an abbreviation for "Oh, I See." Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) The acronym "OMG" stands for "Oh My God." The user inquired about the messaging application WhatsApp on the social media platform Facebook. OTOH is an acronym that stands for "On the Other Hand." "For Your Information" is an acronym commonly used to indicate that the information being provided is intended for the recipient's knowledge. The expression "ORLY" is a colloquialism used to express surprise or disbelief.  ROFL stands for "Roll On the Floor Laughing." The aforementioned acronyms, namely Laughing GR8, Great SMH, HTH, SFW, TMI, and IMHO, are commonly used in informal communication to convey certain meanings. In my opinion. The abbreviations "TTYL" and "IDK" are commonly used in informal communication to indicate "Talk to You Later" and "I Don't Know", respectively. The abbreviations "W/O" and "J/K" are commonly used in informal communication to mean "without" and "just kidding", respectively. This statement can be interpreted as a facetious remark or a form of humour. The acronym WYSIWYG, which stands for "What You See Is What You Get," is a commonly used term to describe the phenomenon where the visual appearance of something accurately reflects its true nature or characteristics. Similarly, the acronym IRL, which stands for "In Real Life," is often used to distinguish between online In the context of informal communication, the acronym "YW" is commonly used as an abbreviation for the phrase.




Onomatopoeic spellings

The utilisation of onomatopoeic spellings has garnered popularity among internet users. An example of onomatopoeia is the use of "Boom" to signify a loud explosion or impact, while "Buzz" is employed to denote a sustained humming or murmuring sound. It is possible to designate onomatopoeic spellings to a particular language. As an illustration, the Japanese language employs the term "kira kira" to express the concept of shining and shimmering.




The Impact of Chatting on SLL

The proliferation of texting and online social networking has facilitated the emergence of a lexicon of novel vocabulary and abbreviations, thereby expanding the linguistic landscape. There is an observed correlation between the duration of online and text communication and an increase in the frequency of grammatical errors. Certain attributes of the medium utilised for learning may potentially pose challenges for the learner. The absence of paralinguistic cues may pose a challenge in accurately interpreting an individual's tone or intention. Simultaneous participation by multiple individuals may result in a multithreaded discourse characterised by a dearth of coherence and rapid topic deterioration.

Research Methodology

Overview 

The process of research is recognised as a deliberate and structured approach to gathering valuable information, conducting analysis, and interpreting pertinent data. The process results in the formulation of overarching concepts, fundamental laws, and systematic frameworks. The present chapter aims to explicate the research design, sample, participants, and instruments employed in the article.




Theoretical Framework

The theoretical framework of corpus linguistics centres on the examination of extensive sets of linguistic data with the aim of detecting recurring patterns, frequencies, and linguistic characteristics. Apply corpus linguistics techniques to examine the linguistic attributes of language used in online chat, encompassing features related to vocabulary and grammar, frequency of words, and patterns of word combinations. The field of sociolinguistics is concerned with the study of language in relation to social factors such as culture Sociolinguistic theory is concerned with the interplay between language and society, with a particular emphasis on the impact of social variables such as cultural background, situational context, and social conventions on language use. Utilise sociolinguistic principles to comprehend the manner in which online chat language mirrors the social dynamics and cultural influences of virtual communities. Examine the manner in which individuals who are acquiring a second language navigate the sociolinguistic components of chat language and the potential consequences for their language acquisition.




Research Design

The study employed an experimental research design.




Population 

The research will focus on the population of second language learners at the private institute operating at the intermediate level in the city of Sialkot. The aggregate count of students enrolled at Azab College is 20.




Sampling 

The current study has utilised the purposive sampling technique. Non-probability sampling involves the selection of sample elements through nonrandom techniques, whereby the weather that constitutes the sample is chosen using such methods. The current research suggests that this particular sampling method is less likely to yield representative samples compared to probability sampling.




Research Tools 

The research analysis utilised the Sketch Engine tool. In order to obtain the necessary data for this investigation, two distinct data collection instruments, specifically questionnaires and interviews, will be employed as means of data collection.

The process of examining and interpreting data to extract meaningful insights and draw conclusions.

Data Analysis

The chapter on data analysis scrutinises the chosen sample data. The present study focuses on the writing composition ability of students. The research is being analysed at Azab College. The present study aims to investigate the positive and negative impacts of chat communication on students' formal writing skills. The research methodology involves the collection and analysis of data obtained from a questionnaire administered to intermediate-level English students, as well as WhatsApp extracts and written texts produced by the students. The primary aim of this section is to assess the prevalence of cyber language in the formal writing of students. A survey consisting of 18 subjective questions was administered to a sample of 20 students. The questionnaire included WhatsApp extracts of English students engaged in daily conversations, free space for students to chat with one another, and dictated texts in English classroom settings. Through a meticulous analysis of these three data sources, we aimed to explore the correlation between cyber language and students' formal writing, as well as the extent to which it impacts their writing abilities.




 The Analysis of SLLs Questionnaire

Q1:  Do you have access to chat on different apps?

This query is asked to check whether students use extensively the internet or not.

Figure 1

Student's access to the chat on different applications



A total of 20 students responded to find the Impact of Chat on SLLs' Writing Composition. The following is the result of the survey.




 

Table 1

Do you have Access to the Chat Application?

Number of Students	Access to Chat Application	Percentage
18	Yes	90%
2	No	10%
Total 20

Table 01: Student's Access to the Internet




Yes: Red areas No: Wine Red areas  It gives the impression that most of the students 80 % responded Yes, and they have admittance to the chat, and the rest of the 20% responded No, they do not have   admittance to the chat. So this has become more important in students' lives.

Q. 2: How often do you use the internet?

Figure 2

The frequency of using the internet



A total of 20 students responded to find The Impact of Chat on Students' Writing Composition. The following is the result of the survey.




 

Table 2

How often do you use the Chat?

Number of Students	Frequency of Chat	Percentage
18	Every Day	90%
2	Once a week	10%
0	More than once a week	0
0	Once a Month	0
Total 20

 




Question 03: If you use it every day, how many hours do you spend connecting?

This query objects to know the occurrence of SLL using the internet, how various hours do they devote online per day time?

Figure 3

The spending time on the Internet by students



A total of 20 students were put questions to discover The Impact of Chat on SLLs' Writing Composition. The following is the result of the survey.




 

Table 3

If you Practice it, how Several Hours do you Devote to Connecting?

Number of Students	Daily Hours Spent	Percentage
13	More than Four hours	65%
4	4 hours	20%
2	2 – 3 Hours	10%
1	1 – 2 Hours	5%
Total 20

 




Table 03: Spending time on Internet usage by SSLs.

Allowing to Table 03, SSLs spend time on the Internet per daytime .5% of  SLLs use the internet from 1 to 2 hours a day, while 10% of them responded by spending it from 2 to 3 hours a day, 20% and 3 to 4 hours daily, and the rest of the 65% used it extra than 4 hours daily.

Figure 4

Desirable Activities which are Performed Online



Table (04) summarize the preferable activities for SLLs, it is clear  that 10% of students prefer doing research, 60% of them prefer chartrooms, also 5% for 15% 10%60%10%Chatrooms Blogs Research Chartrooms News Social networks, 10% were online to listen to music, and, nevertheless only 10% of them responded that they were connected to look for the newscast.

Question 04: What do you prefer to do when connecting?

This question searches for the most popular activities when students are online.

A total of 20 students were interviewed to discover the Impact of Chat on SLLs' Writing Composition. As following is the consequence of the analysis.




 

Table 4

What do you Prefer to do when Connecting?

Number of Students	Preference of Use on Connection	Percentage
12	Chat Rooms	60%
3	Music	15%
2	News	10%
2	Research	10%
1	Blogs	5%
0	Social Networks	0%
Total 20




Q 5: Do you know what chat is?

This question was asked to acquaint with whether chat is known by SLLs or not. This question is the soul of the present exploration.

Figure 5

SLLs awareness with Chat.



A total of 20 students were interviewed to discover the Impact of Chat on SLLs' Writing Composition. The following is the result of the survey.

Question 06: Do you chat?




 

Table 5

Do you know what Chat is?

Number of Students	What is Chat	Percentage
20	Yes	100%
0	No	0%
Total 20

Figure 6

Students’ practice of Chat.



From Table 07, the majority of students answered yes, and 100% answered by No, they do not chat. The following question is for students who use the chat. A total of 20 students were interviewed to discover the impact of Chat on SLLs' Writing Composition. The following is the result of the survey.




 

Table 7

Do you Chat?

Number of Students	Chat	Percentage
20	Yes	100%
0	No	0%
Total 20

Table:6 How often do you chat

Q07: How often do you chat?

Figure 7

The following question aims to know students' occurrence of chat.



A total of 20 students were interviewed to find The Impact of Chat on Students' Writing Composition. The following is the result of the survey.




Table 8

How often Do you Chat?

Number of Students	Chat	Percentage
3	Always	15%
10	Often	50%
5	Very often	25%
2	Rarely	10%
0	Never	0%
Total 20

Table08: Students’ frequency of Chat use

Figure 8

Frequency of Chat use.



A total of 20 students were interviewed to find The Impact of Chat on Students' Writing Composition. The following is the result of the survey.




 

 

Table 9

Which Language Do you use when Chatting?

Number of Students	Language	Percentage
3	English	15%
17	Urdu (Roman English)	85%
0	French	0%
Total 20

Table 09: Language used by students during the chat.

 




Q.09: Which language do you use when chatting?

The following question is to know which language is desirable for SLLs when chatting and to See if there is a relative between chat messages and SLLs' formal writing.

Figure 9

The kind of language used in chat



Table (10), here is an arrangement of kinds of confrontations that students yes When chitchat, SLLs (70%) responded by short, and the remaining SLLs (30%) responded by accesses.

Q10: Do you think that Chat language affects negatively your theoretical writing?

20 students were interrogated to discover the impact of Chat on SLLs' Writing Composition. The following is the result of the survey.




Table 10

Which kind of words do you use in chat?

Number of Students	Kind of Words Used	Percentage
6	Entries	30%
14	Short Cuts	70%
Total 20

Table 10: kind of words 

Figure 10



20 students were interrogated to discover the impact of Chat on SLLs' Writing Composition. The following is the result of the survey.




 

 

Table 11

What is the reason for your shortcuts?

Number of Students	Reason for Short Cut Use	Percentage
11	Habitually Used	55%
9	For saving time	45%
Total 20

Table 11 Reason for your shortcuts

 

Q.10: Do you think that Chat language affects negatively your educational

Writing?

Figure 11

Figure 12



As shows that 40% of SLLs are not apprehensive about the kind of communication. They  use it when chatting, while 60% use it in chat. 20 students were interrogated to discover the impact of Chat on SLLs' Writing Composition. The following is the result of the survey.




Table 13

How are your chat messages presented?

Number of Students	Negative Effect of chat language	Percentage
8	Constructive	40%
12	Slang	60%
Total 20

Table 12: How are your chat messages presented?

Figure 13



20 students were interrogated to discover the impact of Chat on SLLs' Writing Composition. The following is the result of the survey.




 

 

Table 14

By what means often do you use correct and simple English in your chat messages?

Number of Students	Usage of Correct & Simple English	Percentage
13	Most often	60%
5	Often	25%
2	Occasionally	10%
Total 20

Figure 14



A total of 20 students were interviewed to discover the influence of Chat on SLLs' Writing Composition. The following is the result of the survey.




 

 

Table 15

Do you care about the kind of language used in your chat messages?

Number of Students	Care about the kind of language used	Percentage
2	Yes	10%
18	No	90%
Total 20

 




As Table 14, the majority of Learners responded yes, so it is Understandable that they have problems in their formal writing, 90% answered yes, while only (10%) responded by no.

Figure 15

The Effects of Chat on SLLs Formal Writing



Table 16

Do you ponder that your formal writing is pretentious by chat messages?

Number of Students	Effect on Formal Writing	Percentage
5	Yes	25%
15	No	75%
Total 20

Figure 16

Most Pretentious Features of Writing.



Grammar Spelling Punctuation Structure as Table 15, 20% of members choose grammar as the most affected aspect, 45% for spelling, 25% for punctuation, and only 10% for structure. 20 students were interrogated to discover the impact of Chat on SLLs' Writing Composition. The following is the result of the survey.




 

Table 17

What are the most Affected Aspects?

Number of Students	Effect on Formal Writing	Percentage
4	Grammar	20%
9	Spelling	45%
5	Punctuation	25%
2	Structure	10%
Total 20

Figure 17



A total of 20 students were interviewed to find The Impact of Chat on Students' Writing Composition. The following is the result of the survey.




 

Table 18

Do you like to use Similes in chat?

Number of Students	Use of Similes	Percentage
17	Yes	85%
3	No	15%
Total 20

Figure 18

Sample of chat Language of Students from WhatsApp



The analysis of the WhatsApp Messenger extracts

Regarding the level of formality, the aforementioned dialogue can be classified as informal, as it involves a casual exchange between two individuals utilising the messaging platform WhatsApp. The language utilised can also be described as shoptalk, which is specific to a particular profession or industry. This form of communication is contemporaneous and unrestricted. Linguistically This online discussion is contemporaneous and follows a structured written format consisting of questions and answers. It incorporates various contemporary communication symbols. The objective of this research is to examine the influence of online language on second language learners' writing composition. The purpose is to gain a deeper understanding of how scholars utilise cyber language in their daily interactions and in an unconstrained environment. The present study involved a comparison between the aforementioned excerpts and their corresponding formal notes, with the aim of identifying the primary disparities between the two forms of communication. using shortcutting words like in

H how

R are

U you

Dr dear

Using the condensation in

Wlcm--- drink

Thnx thanks

The use of figures rather than some letters like in

F9 fine

W8 staying

The overuse of question marks and interjection points like in H r u???

U!

Any news?

discordances use these signs in their dispatches to show the deepness and how importance they watch,

and occasionally it's used to convey the receiver.




 

 

Chat Extract from WhatsApp KWIC

 

Table 19

Concordance of Chat words from the Sketch Engine

Concordance of words in the SE	Number of Hits	Number of hits per million Token	Corpus size Tokens	Percentage of whole Corpus
U	6	3,260.87	2911	0.33%
LOL	12	9,260.67	2911	0.66%
BTW	9	6,191.99	2911	0.47%
Gr8	17	14,347.5	2911	0.71%
Fi9	7	4,678.45	2911	0.35%
HBU	4	2,360.86	2911	0.21%
HRU	7	5,561.63	2911	0.33%
ASAP	8	6,945.67	2911	0.36%
Y	11	8,892.90	2911	0.61%
Thx	18	15,487,78	2911	0.75%

Conclusion

To sum up, this corpus-based study on the impact of online chat language on second language learners' written composition has highlighted the potential negative effects of informal language on learners' writing skills. Through this study, we discovered that the incorrect grammar patterns and phonetic spelling encouraged by online chat language could lead to challenges in learners' grammatical accuracy and spelling skills. Therefore, second language learners must be aware of the differences between formal written English and informal online chat language. Teachers and educators should continue to employ corpus-based studies, such as the one described in this article, to identify these patterns and assist students in developing strong writing skills (Russell, 2010).

Findings and Recommendations

This section pertains to the examination of each research inquiry in the investigation, with a focus on the outcomes obtained and scrutinised by the researcher in the chapter dedicated to data analysis. Each research question is comprehensively discussed in detail as follows:

Does the utilisation of online chat have any effect on the spelling proficiency of undergraduate students in their written compositions? The initial inquiries of the investigation pertaining to the influence of virtual chat platforms on the orthographic tendencies of college-level learners.

Given the results of the investigation, it is imperative to propose potential remedies to safeguard the integrity of the written composition. It is imperative to emphasise that both students and educators must be cognizant of the adverse effects of chat communication and its influence on the composition of written English. It is advisable for educators to adopt a stringent approach when addressing errors made by pupils, particularly those that stem from the excessive utilisation of informal language commonly found in online communication platforms. It is imperative for students to have a clear understanding of the contextual appropriateness of formal and informal writing, the latter being akin to the language used in chat. Additionally, students must exercise caution when employing language in academic settings, refraining from the use of abbreviated language that has become increasingly prevalent, particularly among the younger generation. Scholars in the fields of sociology and linguistics have recently evinced interest in the influence of Computer-mediated Communication on academic achievement, with a specific focus on the impact of conversational language on the writing composition of EFL learners. The present investigation aims to enhance our comprehension of students' utilisation of online communication, particularly excessive drooling, and to ascertain the ramifications of its overindulgence on their writing proficiency. The primary focus of this investigation is to examine the adverse effects of drooling and its impact on the writing abilities of students. The objective of this study is to analyse the discourse of academics that employs distinct modes of Computer-mediated Communication and to discern its divergence from traditional language usage. This study examines the reciprocal characteristics of speech and writing and investigates the influence of discourse on the written composition of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. In order to investigate this matter, a survey consisting of a questionnaire was distributed among a sample of 20 undergraduate students studying English. Furthermore, a scrutiny of written academic materials authored by seven scholars of equivalent standing was conducted, subsequently succeeded by an examination of three selected passages from the instant messaging application, WhatsApp Messenger. Scholars have utilised various cyber language forms in their writing when using the three aforementioned tools, which deviates from the expected conventions of formal academic writing. Several researchers have emphasised the importance of sending relevant messages to mobile drug users in order to enhance their engagement and level of acceptance. Krishnamurthy's (2000) work. Barwise and Strong (2002) and Bodomo (2009) acknowledge that contemporary communication technologies, such as SMS, not only facilitate novel linguistic practices but also give rise to innovative forms of knowledge that are linked to the introduction and utilisation of these technologies. It is probable that these novel forms of linguistic usage will have an impact on the conventions of Standard English.

The analysis of findings has indicated that academics employ vivid colloquial elements in their scholarly writing, notably incorrect orthography, excessive utilisation of punctuation, and frequent employment of contractions and abbreviations in their written discourse. The reported cause of the aforementioned issues in their written composition is attributed to the excessive utilisation of colloquial language. The primary finding of the investigation utilising exploration tools is that excessive drooling has a detrimental impact on the scholarly writing of academics. The extent of the impact is evident from the frequency of errors made by students in their written work, such as incorrect usage of punctuation marks, misspellings, and the use of contractions and abbreviations

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