Deconstructing the Affixation and Transliteration Linguistic Processes in Social Networking Sites amongst EFL Learners at Tiaret .

Abstract

The present study attempts to scrutinize the linguistic phenomena of utilizing Affixations and Transliteration amongst EFL students of Linguistics in a Messenger group entitled ‘MA2 Linguistics Team’. The central objective of this investigation is to examine to what extent the members of this group utilizes the Affixations and Transliteration; determine the reasons behind the perception of these linguistic phenomena, and to find out the effect of these processes on the status of the Arabic native language. In order to achieve the aforementioned goal, this study was conducted following a mixed method approach. The first data collection instrument is a survey questionnaire designed and directed to 60 MA2 students to scan their linguistic attitudes towards the Affixations and Transliteration. The second instruments is a qualitative observation (Content Analysis Approach) used to dissect these linguistic phenomena. Our findings exhibit a various attitudes and perceptions towards the Affixations and Transliteration. On the one hand, the students tend to use Transliteration and Affixations for the sake of mainly facilitating the communication though the majority of them confirmed the negative influence they pose on their native language. In the other hand, the perception of these phenomena was driven from the current sociolinguistic status in Algeria, whereby, Code switching and Code mixing were a direct and major reason behind the diffuse of Affixations and Transliteration. With this extent of utilizing these processes, one may assume there will be an emergence of a whole new hybrid dialect formed out of these hybrid terms amongst the speakers nowadays, which put the status of the Arabic native language in a questionable position. In fact, the users of the Arabic language are in constant decline, which urges the reconsideration of language planning in Algeria, however, language attitude is a significant factor in this equation, whereby, speakers need to embrace their own native language so as it regains its rightful status as the language that represent our identity and culture.