Linguistic Dimensions of Initialisms used in Electronic Communication

Author: AbuSa'aleek, Atef Odeh ProQuest document link Abstract: The language of electronic communication is a new variety of language. lectronic communication leads to remarkable variations in written form of nglish language because it has its own le!icons, grammar, gra"hology, and usage conditions. #ence, the $nternet users use acronyms, abbreviations and moticons, which e!"ress and covey their thoughts and ideas. The use of the $nternet and com"uter technology have led to the develo"ment of an nglish language Acronyms that emerged in instant messages, emails, social networks, chat grou"s. The "resent study aims to e!"lore and investigates the language of electronic communication %e& mail, chats, and web&based discussions and S'S messages(. $t also aims to identify the linguistic features %$nitialisms( that used in written nglish in the communication done via the electronic devices. #ence, $nitialisms considered "art of online discourse. This study also focuses on how the language of the $nternet has uni)ue linguistic dimension and its im"lication on the learning of nglish. *P+,-$.AT$O/ A,ST0A.T1

Full text: Headnote Abstract The language of electronic communication is a new variety of language. lectronic communication leads to remarkable variations in written form of nglish language because it has its own le!icons, grammar, gra"hology, and usage conditions. #ence, the $nternet users use acronyms, abbreviations and moticons, which e!"ress and covey their thoughts and ideas. The use of the $nternet and com"uter technology have led to the develo"ment of an nglish language Acronyms that emerged in instant messages, emails, social networks, chat grou"s. The "resent study aims to e!"lore and investigates the language of electronic communication %e&mail, chats, and web&based discussions and S'S messages(. $t also aims to identify the linguistic features %$nitialisms( that used in written nglish in the communication done via the electronic devices. #ence, $nitialisms considered "art of online discourse. This study also focuses on how the language of the $nternet has uni)ue linguistic dimension and its im"lication on the learning of nglish. 2ey words3 lectronic communication4 $nitialisms $/T0O5+.T$O/ .om"uter technology has become an im"ortant tool in the teaching 6learning "rocess and in students learning and their achievement in schools today. The $nternet seems to have very im"ortant im"lications on nglish -anguage -earning. The ra"id develo"ment of com"uter technology together with the use of com"uters by linguists and literary researchers have "aved the way for introducing com"uter in language teaching and learning. 7ith the advent of $nternet and multimedia, studies in recent years %Ali, 68acob, 9:;:4 rcetin, 9:;:4 2ilickaya, 9:;:, AbuSeileek, 9:;;, AbuSeileek, 9:;9( have shown an e!"losion of interest in using com"uters for foreign language teaching and learning. 0ecently the significance of $nformation Technology %$T( for teaching and learning of nglish is widely acknowledged. According to 7arschauer %;<<=( when the $nternet first emerged, the early tendency among the educators of nglish for s"eakers of other languages % SO-( was to see how it could be em"loyed as a tool in teaching nglish. The $nternet considered as the most im"ortant linguistic medium. $t includes every as"ect of human life, including the learning of nglish language. nglish language is considered as the most widelys"oken language in the world because of its usage in new globali>ed media and commerce, hence there has been a ma?or growth in the number of nglish s"eakers all over the world. ;< A"ril 9:;@ Page ; of A ProQuest

According to .rystal %9::B( the im"ortant of incor"orating or using acronym or abbreviations in .'. chat or .'. 'essages is socially&based motivation to show one's membershi" along with the network users. .rystal %;<<B3=C( described the "ur"ose of in&grou" language, DThe chief use of slang is to show that you're "art of the gangED The use of acronyms and abbreviations in the electronic media are considered as the techni)ue of indicating membershi" in grou". Fraddol %;<<B(, "oints out that the new electronic communications increase the language change. The innovations in the electronic communication may give rise to new modes of communication. The characteristics of s"oken language are shared in the style of written te!t, which used in electronic mail. /ew "atterns of communication might be created by electronic communications, by generating and crating the needed new words to describe the situations that arise around their use. ;. T# -A/F+AF OG - .T0O/$. .O''+/$.AT$O/ $t is essential to know how the language is used via the electronic communication in order to understand how the $nternet affects and sha"es nglish language. According to ,iesenbach&-ucas 67iesenforth, %9::;(, the language of electronic communication %or e&communication( leads to interesting variations in the use of written language. The language of electronic communication %e&mail, chats, 7eb&based discussions and S'S messages( is marked by formal writing and informal s"eech features. $t contains acronyms, abbreviations, and changes in s"elling norms for managing social interaction, and changes in s"elling norms %Abdullah, ;<<A(. .om"uter&mediated communication %.'.( has im"act on the teaching and learning of nglish language. 'cQueen %9::=( defines .om"uter&mediated communication %.'.( as any communicative transaction that occurs with two or more electronic devices. According to Abrams %9::H(, .'. is widely discussed in language learning because .'. "rovides o""ortunities for language learners to "ractice their language. #erring %;<<H(, states that .'. refers to the communication that takes "lace between human beings via the instrumentality of com"uters. The used of the $nternet and com"uter technology have led to the develo"ment of an nglish language Acronyms that emerged in instant messages, emails, social networks, chat grou"s. 7arschauer and #ealey %;<<A3 HC( state that3 '$t is the rise of com"uter&mediated communication and the $nternet, more than anything else, which has resha"ed the uses of com"uters for language learning at the end of the 9:th century. 7ith the advent of the $nternet, the com"uter&both in society and in the classroom&has been transformed from a tool for information "rocessing and dis"lay to a tool for information "rocessing and communication. Gor the first time, learners of a language can now communicate ine!"ensively and )uickly with other learners of s"eakers of the target language all over the world'. Since the ;<<:, the advent of the $nternet and the increasing availability of the com"uter have created a new sha"e of communication that hel"s to overcome the limits of time and s"ace, namely that which researchers and scholars refer to as .om"uter&'ediated&.ommunication %Fuarda, 9:;9(. Thorne, %9::B( focused that .'. has brought about a 'shiftin -9 education, one that moves learners away from simulated classroom&based conte!ts and toward actual interaction with e!"ert s"eakers of the language they are studying %". @9@(. ;.; Acronyms and Abbreviations in lectronic .ommunication Acronomy is a term that refers to initialisms, which are "roduced as single words %.rystal, 9::C3;9@(. Acronyms are most of nglish language terms used in the internet language. The user of the $nternet should know the different acronyms used in the electronic communication, it may become easier for users to understand and em"loy the acronyms on fre)uent basis when using the electronic communication such as chat rooms, emails, ;< A"ril 9:;@ Page 9 of A ProQuest

social networks etc. #ence, the ty"es of electronic communication in which one chooses to chat "lay a role in using the internet language. Table; shows some of the Acronyms used in the electronic communication. There are many e!am"les of words or "hrases that share the same abbreviations %e.g., lol could mean laugh out loud, lots of love, or little old lady(. Therefore, the users of the electronic communication should know the meaning of different acronyms and abbreviations. Gor e!am"le, if we check how many meanings the abbreviation lol has on the following useful website htt"3II www.acronymfinder.comI. 7e will find that -O- has <= meanings based on si! categories as follow3 $nformation Technology %=(, 'ilitary Fovernment %9(, Science 6'edicine %@(, Organi>ation, Schools, etc %;=(, ,usiness 6Ginance %;:( and Slang, chat 6Po" .ulture %H=( meaning. See figure ; below for more details. ' lectronic revolution' and globalisation are bu>>words of the last ten to fifteen years, and these "henomena have contributed to a new creative energy in word&formation. 7e are witnessing the creation of new ty"es of acronyms, including numerous mi!ed forms like DnetcronymsD or De&abbrevsD some of which have even found their way into everyday usage. According to Svennevig %9::=( that when $nternet chat grou"s and emails came into being, users started communicating with each other without having any conventions that were established for this "articular genre of communication. This resulted in new genres being develo"ed. $n addition, the $nternet chat has develo"ed new conventions that are "articular for this means of communication, such as a system of using acronyms, abbreviations and icons4 hence, the $nternet chat builds on the conventions of s"eech. lectronic communication has become very "o"ular during the last decade, they contains numerous acronyms and abbreviations. .rystal %9::A3 B&A( su""orts the above ideas4 'te!ting has evolved as a twenty&first&century "henomenon & as a highly distinctive gra"hic style, full of abbreviations and deviant uses of language, used by a young generation that doesn't care about standards. There is a widely voiced concern that the "ractice is fostering a decline in literacy. And some even think it is harming language as a whole 'Te!t messages destroying our language'' .rystal %9::;( "oints out that we are on the brink of the biggest revolution in language ever, that /ets"eak, this is how he calls online language, is not a monolithic creation, but rather a dis"arate set of communication methods and ty"es such as e&mail, chat rooms, $nternet 0elay .hat, 7orld 7ide 7eb "ages, 7ebsites etc. #e suggests that online language is best viewed as a new s"ecies of interaction, a genuine third medium %besides the written and oral forms of nglish(, which is evolving its own systematic rules to suit new circumstances. .rystal %9::;3;B( defines the term '/ets"eak' Dis an alternative to '/etlish', '7eblish', '$nternet language', 'cybers"eak', 'electronic discourse', 'electronic language', 'interactive written discourse', 'com"utermediated communication' %.'.(,D .rystal %9::;3 HB( "ointed out the innovation of /ets"eak Done of the most creative le!ical domains in contem"orary nglish, involving all ma?or le!ical "rocessesD ;.9 A linguistic 5imension of lectronic -anguage The $nternet is widely used in learning of second language all over the world. According to .rystal %9::;(, technology bears gifts also for linguistic investigation3 /ets"eak is a new o""ortunity for academic study. #e outlines the Donce in a lifetimeD o""ortunity offered by the emerging communication media. A new academic study of D$nternet -inguisticsD includes, at the very least, a com"arative study of the style of different formats and ;< A"ril 9:;@ Page C of A ProQuest

the develo"ment of language change within these new media. According to ,aron %9::C(, .'. considers as concrete form of written communication, in which the receivers of such te!t can only rely u"on the te!t itself to inter"ret the sender's intent. #ence, .'. is actually a written medium4 some of the common linguistic conventions in %"articularly synchronous .'.(, informal ty"es of .'. are finding their way into traditional offline writing. Acronyms and abbreviations, s"ellings mistakes, and random grammar are commonly acce"ted in .'. world. They can be noticed all the time in learners' written com"osition. The main "rominent written feature in .'. is use of acronyms or abbreviations. Acronyms and abbreviations are "art of the written language, which a""ear in both "rinted and handwritten manuscri"ts. Their most general "ur"ose in both .'. and off&line writing is to save s"ace andIor energy. $n .'. case, saving energy and time is often an ins"iration when chatting, or writing $', or S'S messages. The consideration of s"ace becomes very im"ortant when the uses used "ortable devices, which limit the number of characters that can be transmitted in a single message %,aron, 9::C(. According to Fraddol %;<<B(, social networks s"read the innovation in language. The changes in the "atterns of communication or in the structure of social relationshi"s in the social networks lead to a change in language use. The creation of new forms of social network or new "atterns of social networks can also be e!"ected to alter the way that s"eech communities are created and maintained. The $nternet encourages the formation of 'discourse communities' in the social networks. 5avid .rystal %9::;( "oints out that the language of electronic communication that found in email and chat actually has more in common with writing than with s"eech, and he "oints out a challenging notion when he calls the language of /ets"eak as a new variety of language, because it has its own le!icons, grammar, gra"hology, and usage conditions. #owever, it can be labelled as a distinct variety of language if there is ade)uate cohesion in /ets"eak. A""endi! %;( contains list of basic anonyms and abbreviations used in electronic communication from %.rystal 9::;3A=&AH(. 5avid .rystal %9::;3A@( states that3 DThe various ty"es of abbreviation found in /ets"eak have been one of its most remarked features. Acronyms are so common that they regularly receive critical comment....The chat grou"s and virtual worlds also have their abbreviations, some of which turn u" on e&mail and in "ersonal 7eb "agesD. The acronyms are not restricted to short "hrases or words, however Acronyms can be sentence&length3 A8SOS *'Are you stu"id or somethingJ'1, .$5 *'.onsider it done'1, .$O *'.heck it out'1, wdys*7hat did you sayJ1 According to the conomist %9::H(, electronic communications have affected, and will continue to affect, language in three distinct ways. Girst, electronic communications change the way language is used. Secondly, electronic communications have created a need for a global language and nglish language will fill that ga". Ginally, electronic communications will influence the future of other languages, which "eo"le will %"erha"s "erversely( continue to s"eak. The sim"lest sort of change start with the way nglish is used in electronic chat. The language of electronic chat is full with abbreviations that make it not ?ust faster to ty"e but also im"enetrable to the novice. 'any activities have their own vocabularies, badges of identity for the cognoscenti. According to ,aron %9::C(, .'. considered as a kind of linguistic variety, incor"orating face&to&face and traditional writing discourse features but end with a sim"le mi!ture of the two. -inguists "ay attention in characteri>ing the language of .'. and what sort of linguistic modality it has, as well as in studying the influence of .'. on written and s"oken language. 9. T# $'PA.T OG - .T0O/$. .O''+/$.AT$O/S O/ /F-$S# -A/F+AF - A0/$/F ;< A"ril 9:;@ Page @ of A ProQuest

The emergence of the $nternet as a "rominent technology has influence all as"ects of the nglish language learning and teaching.The im"act of electronic communication on nglish language learning 6teaching has been acknowledged globally such that the integration of .'. in language learning has become essential in today's learning and teaching setting. .rystal dismisses the common view that online communication is illiterate and dumbed&down language. #e agrees that most of the language used in online communication is non&standard, full of new words and s"elling errors, "layful, highly deviant in bending the usual rules of language, tolerant of ty"ogra"hic. #owever, in the same time he is fascinated by its innovation and variety and takes a very "ositive view, suggesting, The "henomenon of /ets"eak is going to change the way we think about language in a fundamental way, because it is a linguistic singularity & a genuine new medium . %.rystal, 9::;( The $nternet considered as an im"ortant linguistic medium. $t is an im"ortant tool in the teaching 6learning "rocess. The $nternet has been added to every as"ect of human life, including the learning and teaching of nglish languages. 7arschauer and #ealey %;<<A3HC( state that3 '$t is the rise of com"uter&mediated communication and the $nternet, more than anything else, which has resha"ed the uses of com"uters for language learning at the end of the 9:th century. 7ith the advent of the $nternet, the com"uter both in society and in the classroom has been transformed from a tool for information "rocessing and dis"lay to a tool for information "rocessing and communication. Gor the first time, learners of a language can now communicate ine!"ensively and )uickly with other learners of s"eakers of the target language all over the world. According to .rystal %;<<B(, A=K of the world's international organi>ations use nglish as their official language in transnational communication. About A=K of the world's im"ortant film "roductions and markets use nglish as well, and <:K of the "ublished academic articles in several academic fields, such as linguistics, are written in nglish. $n many cases, the increased growth in the use of the nglish language can be attributed to educational, economic, or cultural globali>ation. astment %;<<<( "oints out that that there were ;,::: -T % nglish -anguage Teaching( sites devoted to language learning activities, resources, and materials %on the $nternet(. According to astment %;<<<3;( in his survey on the $nternet and nglish&language teaching % -T( notes that 'no doubt that the $nternet...will eventually transform the way that the teaching and learning of nglish, and the business of -T is conducted'. The electronic means are going to "rovide the learning environment in the future due to the growing use of the $nternet around the world. The electronic communications via $nternet include $nstant messages, discussion boards, interactive blogs, and online forums. -earners of nglish language are taking hel" of nglish movies, songs, and TL shows to get e!"osure to different nglish accents and increase their mental le!icons. $n addition, social networks can be used to develo" language skills and have the "otential to involve the students in learning nglish language %$slam, 9:;;(. #am>ah, Fhorbani;6 Abdullah %9::<(, conducted a study entitled the im"act of electronic communication technology on written language. The findings indicate that the language used in students' e&mails and S'S was full of unconventional use of "unctuation and abbreviations, s"oken&like s"elling and ungrammatical sentences. .O/.-+S$O/ The advents of $nternet and electronic communication have changed the way we s"eak and write nglish drastically. The electronic devices and the $nternet have allowed the users to conduct electronic communication in different styles that is formal and informal and use many ty"es electronic communication such as e&mail, chats, 7ebbased discussions, facebook, S'S messages, blogging and online games. $n the electronic ;< A"ril 9:;@ Page = of A ProQuest

communication, $nitialisms are one of the most remarkable features, which save time, s"ace and energy. $nitialisms can be word or short "hrases or sentence long. The numerous numbers of $nitialisms used in the electronic communication shows that the creation and formation of acronyms follows a "rinci"le of economy.The various ty"es of acronyms found in the electronic communication considered as linguistic remarkable features. The kind of written nglish used in the electronic communications differs from conventional written nglish. Grom linguistic "oint of view, /et -ingua is much like slang3 one must know when and where to use it. Grom "sychological "oint of view, it should be borne in mind3 the sub?ect we are in contact with is not a living creature but com"uter and technologies do influence human behaviour in their direction. The nglish vocabulary has changed due to the influence of acronyms in electronic communication, and due to the increase of many new e!"ressions in the varieties of language, that is standard and nonstandard. The emergence of numerous initialisms acronyms shows the creativity and insight of electronic communication's "artici"ants. Sidebar Atef Odeh AbuSa'aleek %9:;C(. -inguistic 5imensions of $nitialisms used in lectronic .ommunication. Studies in -iterature and -anguage, H%C(, B&;C. Available from3htt"3IIwww.cscanada. netIinde!."h"IsllIarticleIviewI?.sll.;<9C;=HC9:;C:H:C.9@A; 5O$3 htt"IId!.doi.orgI;:.CH<AI?.sll.;<9C;=HC9:;C:H:C.9@A; References 0 G 0 /. S AbuSeileek, A. %9:;;(. #y"ermedia annotation "resentation3 The effect of location and ty"e on the G- learners' achievement in reading com"rehension and vocabulary ac)uisition. .om"uters 6 ducation, =B%;(, ;9A;&;9<;. AbuSeileek, A. %9:;9(. The effect of com"uter&assisted coo"erative learning methods and grou" si>e on the G- learners' achievement in communication skills. Original 0esearch Article .om"uters 6 ducation, =A %;(, 9C;&9C<. Abdullah, '. #. %;<<A(. lectronic discourse3 volving conventions in online academic environments. ,loomington3 0$. .learinghouse on 0eading, nglish, and .ommunication. Ali, '., 68acob, /. %9:;:(. .om"uter vocabulary look&u" behaviour of three adult university students with different nglish language abilities. $n M. Abas et al. % ds.(, Proceedings of Flobal -earn Asia Pacific 9:;: %"".CC==& CCH@(. AA. . 0etrieved from htt"3IIwww.editlib.orgI "IC@@:=. Abrams, M. %9::H(. Grom theory to "ractice3 $ntracultural .'. in the -9 classroom. Gorthcoming in 5ucate. $n ditor -ara 6/ike Arnold % ds.(, .alling on .A--3 Grom Theory and 0esearch to /ew 5irections in Goreign -anguage Teaching. Provo3 .alico 'onogra"h Series. ,aron, /. S. %9::C(. -anguage of the internet. The Stanford handbook for language engineers %"". =<&;9B(. .hicago3 +niversity of .hicago Press. ,iesenbach&-ucas, S. 67iesenforth, 5. %9::;(. &mail and word "rocessing in the S- classroom3 #ow the medium affects the message. -anguage -earning and Technology, = %;(, ;C=&;H=. .rystal, 5. %;<<B(. nglish as a global language. .ambridge3 .ambridge +niversity Press. .rystal, 5. %9::;(. -anguage and the internet. .ambridge3 .ambridge +niversity Press. .rystal, 5. %9::C(. A 5ictionary of linguistics and "honetics. O!ford3 ,asil ,lackwell. .rystal, 5. %9::C(. The .ambridge encyclo"aedia of the nglish language. .ambridge3 .ambridge +niversity Press. ;< A"ril 9:;@ Page H of A ProQuest

astment, 5avid. %;<<<(. The internet and -T. O!ford3 Summertown Publishing. rcetin, F. %9:;:(. ffects of to"ic interest and "rior knowledge on te!t recall and annotation use in reading a hy"ermedia te!t in the -9. 0e .A--, 99 , "" 99A&9@H. Fraddol, 5. %;<<B(. The future of nglishJ3 A guide to forecasting the "o"ularity of the nglish language in the 9;st century. Fuarda '. %9:;9(, .om"uter&mediated&communication and foreign language education. Nournal of e&-earning and 2nowledge Society, A%C(, ". ;=&9B. #am>ah, '., Fani, S., Fhorbani, '., 6Abdullah, S. 2. ,. %9::<(. The im"act of electronic communication technology on written language. +S&.hina ducation 0eview, H%;;(, B=&B<. #erring, S. .. % d., ;<<H(. .om"uter&mediated communication3 -inguistic, social and cross&cultural "ers"ectives. Amsterdam3 Nohn ,en?amins Publishing. $slam, '. /. %9:;;(. $nde"endent nglish learning through the $nternet. Nournal of -anguage Teaching and 0esearch, 9%=(, ;:A:&;:A=. 2ilickaya, G. %9:;:(. .om"arative usefulness of online and traditional vocabulary learning. The Turkish Online Nournal of ducational Technology, <%9(. 'cArthur, T. %9:::(. /etcronyms and emoticons. nglish Today H%@(, @,;H. 'cQuail, 5enis. %9::=(. 'c)uail's mass communication theory. -ondon3 SAF Publications. Paolillo, N. %;<<<(. The virtual s"eech community3 social network and language variation on irc. Nournal of .om"uter& 'ediated .ommunication, @%@(. /ew8ork3 Nohn 7iley 6Sons, $nc. The conomist %;<<H(. -anguage and electronics3 The coming global tongue, 9; 5ecember <&CB. 7arschauer, '. %;<<=(. &mail for nglish teaching. Ale!andria, LA3 T SO- Publictions. 7arschauer, '., 6#ealey, 5. %;<<A(. .om"uters and language learning3 An overview. -anguage Teaching, C;%9(, =B&B;. 7u, -i and .ao. Ting?un %9::B(. nglish language teaching in non& nglish language countries3 The curriculum im"act of globalisation and com"uter&mediated communication. Transnational .urriculum $n)uiry, @%;(. 0etrieved from htt"3IInitinat.library.ubc.caIo?sIinde!."h"Itci. AuthorAffiliation Atef Odeh AbuSa'aleek*a1,O *a15e"artment of nglish -anguage and Translation, +nai>ah .ommunity .ollege, AlQassim +niversity, Saudi Arabia. O .orres"onding author. 0eceived ;: A"ril 9:;C4 acce"ted 9H 'ay 9:;C Appendix %ProQuest3 A""endi! omitted.(

Sub ect: $nternet4 .ommunication4 nglish language4 Abbreviations4 Students4 .om"uters4 Social networks4 $nformation technology4 Slang4 ducational technology4 !ublication title: Studies in -iterature and -anguage ;< A"ril 9:;@ Page B of A ProQuest

"olume: H Issue: C !ages: B&;C #umber of pages: B !ublication $ear: 9:;C !ublication date: 9:;C %ear: 9:;C !ublisher: .anadian 0esearch 6 5evelo"ment .enter of Sciences and .ultures !lace of publication: 'ontreal Countr$ of publication: .anada !ublication sub ect: -inguistics, -iterature ISS#: ;<9C;=== Source t$pe: Scholarly Nournals Language of publication: nglish Document t$pe: Geature Document feature: Tables 0eferences Photogra"hs !ro&uest document ID: ;@9HB<H:@@ Document 'RL: htt"3IIsearch."ro)uest.comIdocviewI;@9HB<H:@@JaccountidPCABH< Cop$right: .o"yright .anadian 0esearch 6 5evelo"ment .enter of Sciences and .ultures Nun C:, 9:;C Last updated: 9:;C&;:&9A Database: ProQuest .entral

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