Due to the advanced development of technology, people not only change their communication practices, but also the language involved. One of the significant and controversial language features is abbreviation. Abbreviated language is really common nowadays and people use it on texting, Facebook, msn and even academic writing.
Some critics associate the declining English standard in Hong Kong with the use of this form of language. This contradicts some research findings. I learnt from the lecture that there is research showing students who use SMS language more do better in standardized tests. This really surprises me. Further investigation may be needed to tell the answer.
For me, I am not addicted to abbreviation. I still use complete sentences and full spelling when I chat with friends in msn and Facebook. Although it takes me longer time to type the words and compose the sentences, I believe it can keep my standard of English. Practice makes perfect!!!!!!
But the significant linguistic feature in my online communication practice is code mixing. As a bilingual person created by the education system, code mixing is a very natural behavior. When I forget the spelling of a word or how to type a Chinese word, I use other language to substitute.
I discover another interesting linguistic feature from my friends. Some of my friends use combination of Pinyin and Phonetic. They create the spelling of the words according to the Cantonese pronunciation. For example, they use “mug yeh” for “what” and “mo liu” for “very boring and nothing to do”. I really have difficulty in understanding this kind of language. I think they can create the spelling because they have high proficiency in both English and Mandarin. When they combine these two languages to produce a Cantonese pronunciation, they think they are speaking Cantonese.
Very interesting post. It's not so much that standard English no longer exists, but that in addition to standard English there are so many other varieties. Actually, this has always been the case, but it is much more obvious now that people from all over are interacting on the Internet. Your example from Facebook shows how common it is for people to codeswitch in their communications: it just goes to show that in Hong Kong you really have to grow up to be fluent in a number of different languages, if you want to get by!
ReplyDeleteI always use pinyi when I communicate with others on the web. I don't know why I do it but I just don't want to use standard English. It's very normal that I also mix English and Cantonese when I chat with my friends on MSN. I think that's the characteristic of HK digital culture.
ReplyDelete