Research methodology an analysis of word formation of english slang words used by university students on facebook

The aforementioned points set the context for our research entitled “An analysis of word formation of English slang words used by university students on Facebook”.. This study was based

Truong Khanh Linh Nguyen Mai Chi

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.1 Statement of the problem and the rationale for the study 3

1.4 Scope of the study

1.5 Significance of the study

2.1 Theoretical framework

2.1.1 Slang word

2.1.3 The relation between slang words and word formation processes 8

3.1 Research Design

3.2 Research site

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Statement of the problem and the rationale for the study

Communication is considered one of the most important aspects of the daily life of humans Every day, people need to communicate with others, whether directly or indirectly Communication is defined as the process of understanding and sharing meaning (Pearson & Nelson, 2000) The root of the word “communication” in classical Latin is “communicate”, which means to share, or to make common (Weekley, 1967)

Language is the most vital system of human communication, using a particular form of spoken or written words or other symbols Language varies from one group to another group, from one situation to another situation, and from one place to another place Language can help one person form their identity or sense of self As a result, every speaker does not speak the same language, and people from different cultures or communities will show their ability to use languages in different ways

Language varieties indicate that the speakers are distinct fram members of other groups (Finegan, 2008) According to Akmajian et al (1998), in fact, there are some examples of language variations that are of interest to linguists such as lingua francs, pidgins, creoles, jargon, slang, and taboo languages

The 21st century has witnessed the rapid development of technology The digital age has profoundly changed human civilization by affecting culture, standard of living, values, and social interaction style The digital natives’ lifestyles are now reflected in daily living, workplace culture, and especially language Nowadays, the way young people - often called the ‘Z’ generation communicate has also drastically changed, especially when they talk to others

of the same age on Facebook - a social media platform As a matter of fact, it led to the emergence and popularity of a new variation of language - slang According to Finegan (2008), slang is particularly popular among teenagers and college students in general The speaker uses slang in order to achieve social dynamics with the people to whom he/she is speaking and slang outlines social spaces and attitudes towards slang to help identify and construct social groups and identity (Adams, 2009)

Although English slang is informal and not taught in the academic curriculum, the use of this variation language on Facebook is still considered an interesting topic to study Facebook slang words refer to a variety of everyday

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languages used by different communities on Facebook (Yuliati, 2013) Language is changing more quickly, but technologies have developed and they allow the transmission of slang terms to pass from one group to another much more quickly (Coleman, 2012) It will be also interesting to find out what kinds

of English slang words teenagers mostly use, what factors of this social platform influence them to use English slang, and also the reason behind the use of this variation of language

The aforementioned points set the context for our research entitled “An analysis of word formation of English slang words used by university students

on Facebook” This study was based on 2 theories of word formation processed

by Plag (2003) and Delahunty and Garvey (2010) and aimed to focus on the language variation that could be categorized as English Facebook slang words used by teenagers

As English major students at university who frequently chat with others on social networks, in particular Facebook, sometimes several types of Slang appear in conversation simply because the use of some slang word is considered

to follow new trends and sometimes it is simply because of the convenience | have observed that the content of Slang holds a significant allure Along with the development of social networks, more and more people interact with others

on Facebook than face to face, which also means diverse kinds of slang words created Initial researchers expressed different perspectives on the definitions of Slang and pointed out different kinds of word forms in Slang, but the development of slang terms and their meanings are less tracked Therefore, this study has been created to clarify this issue Furthermore, previous studies tended

to determine the Slang usage in daily conversation Consequently, it is crucial to emphasize the use of Slang on social platforms, especially on Facebook which

is the most popular social digital in recent years

Rezeki and Sagala (2019) stated Slang has become a phenomenon in the younger demographic today, affecting not just city dwellers but even rural people who are familiar with the language as if it has become cutting-edge The term defines the frequency of Slang usage adequately, so it's vital to figure out the reasons for Slang use Therefore, the researchers believe it is essential to do research in the area of the rationale for slang usage, given the widespread spread

of slang use among the younger population, especially university students 1.2 Aims of the study

English slang words used by university students and their word formation The research also sheds light on the reason why young people today use slang words

on Facebook Simultaneously, the study records and describes the use of slang words in different contexts as well as evaluates the impacts of English slang words on communication

1.3 Research questions

The aims above were demonstrated in this major research question: 1) What types of English slang are mostly used on Facebook?

2) What are the students’ perspectives on using English slang words?

1.4 Scope of the study

The subjects of this study are limited to about 100 students aged 18 - 20 from University A who will be invited to participate in this study To conduct the study, a questionnaire survey was used to explore how university students use English slang words, its influence on their lives, and the impact on online lives The experiences of those students on social media platforms and their responses to our survey questions served as the foundation for this study The research results can be generalized to the use of language by the younger generation in the digital age There are many different types of social media that can be used to analyze the word formation of English slang words used by university students, for example, Instagram, Twitter, Google, etc This study chose Facebook as a means to analyze and evaluate its impact

Prior research tends to target a broad range of users across all age groups using English slang words This study focuses on a specific target group, which

is university students in Vietnam

1.5 Significance of the study

This study's importance touches on three points:

1 To society, people of all ages may learn from this study that sociolinguistic factors have a significant role in the phenomena of our social interactions, particularly in the language that is used on Facebook

2 To the Facebook user, this study can assist them in giving additional knowledge to the Facebook user, who may not have discovered and understood

all of the English word formations as well as English slang words utilized in social media

3 To the other researcher, it is expected that the results of this investigation will contribute to another case study It could be used as a reference by another researcher

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Theoretical framework

2.1.1 Slang words

Sheryllia, E (2019) stated that Slang is regarded as “another area of vocabulary’, and a level of young or old people that can be presented by Slang Slang in a modern lifestyle is “the linguistic prerogative” of the young generation and it is a generally odd concept to the elderly A variety of new words have been created through the appearance of Slang in conversation based

on context and messages people would like to convey The level of usage is assessed more frequently in the youth than in the old

Slang proposed by Agha (2015) that “slang is an ideological framework for reasoning about language that defines a class of deviant registers of language” "Ideological framework" implies that slang is formed by a specific set of thoughts, principles, and social norms rather than merely a collection of words and expressions Slang usage might reveal attitudes and opinions about the group using it Agha considered that slang, which is frequently used by particular groups or subcultures, differs from formal or mainstream language People utilize slang to express themselves and communicate in social contexts

It involves reasoning and thought processes about how language works and how

it can be used in specific situations

In addition, Triyatno (2017) said that “slang words as non-standard words have a more emotional impact than the standard words in common Slang words change from time to time’ Even though slang may appear in the form of an entire phrase, it is typically classified as a word because it lacks consistent categorization One approach to characterize slang is as a departure from formal language usage Slang is a term for the non-standard use of words in one's own tongue; occasionally, new words are borrowed from other languages

Slang has a variety of definitions depending on the different perspectives

of authors However, this study is going to develop based on the definition of Yanchung and Yanhong in 2019: “Slang is part of a language that 1s out from

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the standard usage of daily life language that may consist of new vocabularies and phrases with extended meanings attached to the original terms or words that belong to a particular group”

Slang is used in particular contexts or among particular groups of people;

it is not commonly used for casual conversations This study aims to clarify how frequently teens, in particular students, utilize slang in interactions on Facebook, where they feel free to express themselves about anything Because Slang refers

to informal or nonstandard language, it is characterized by its creative and ever- changing nature, often incorporating new words, abbreviations, or altered meanings for existing words It adds color, expressiveness, and a sense of belonging to informal conversations Through the method of synthesizing theories in previous studies combined with actual surveys, the study will analyze the level of use of different types of slang among young people 2.1.2 Word formation processes

The term “Word formation processes” is a common term that refers to

“the transformation of words from the old form to the new form.” (Teo Muyibul Hidayat, 2020) According to Plag (2003), the word formation process is divided into four kinds: compounding, abbreviation, blending, and affixation, while it can be divided into another four kinds: coinage, conversion, acronym, and borrowing (Delahunty and Garvey, 2010)

Clipping is a word formation that removes the front or the end of a word It’s also usually called shortening

Blending is a word formed from two words or a combination of two words to create a new term

Acronyms are abbreviations, formed from names or phrases and using the initial letter of the word

Coinage is the process of word formation by inventing existing words to represent a newly invented word

Multiple processes are the process of creating new words through more than one word

Compounding forms a word out of two or more root morphemes

Derivation is the creation of words by modification of a root without the addition of other roots

Borrowing is the one of word formation processes by taking over words from other languages

word (usually a noun) to form a word of another type (usually a verb)

Conversion is a process of forming a word by changing the function of the word (usually a noun to a verb) without any reduction

2.1.3 The relation between slang words and word formation processes This research uses the theory of word formation process from both Plag (2003) and Delahunty and Garvey (2010) as the framework to analyze the data and conduct a survey question set

According to these two studies above, there are ten types of word formation processes: coinage, borrowing, compounding, blending, clipping, back-formation, conversion, acronym, derivation, and multiple processes Among these 10 types, 5 types of word formation will create slang words (Hidayat, 2020), and they will be classified through the most common slang words used by university students (data will be collected through other research and our survey)

For example, “clipping” is one of the word-formation types in English slang that shortens the word or a few letters (Pratama, 2021) From the data, some clipping process of word formation was found on Facebook posted with the caption: “Luv u sweet girl” Slang: “Luv” The word “luv” from the data above is a slang word referring to “love” It becomes a slang word because it''s

a new word that is created with a certain word formation process, the clipping process

2.1.4 The reason for using slang

Slang is one of the most common languages to have developed and spread throughout the populace It is an informal language that has been developed by

a specific community to serve a specific purpose Keraf (1980) stated: “Slang is

an informal non-standard word that is used in conversation that is placed in a typical, powerful, and humorous or ordinary word that is arbitrarily modified and used in conversation.”

According to Fromkin & Rodman (2003), slang is a type of informal language that evolved as a result of the quick spread of new words and is used

by individuals as a method of expression to communicate more quickly and effectively This indicates that slang terms are restricted to particular contexts and boundaries Slang was created spontaneously to express certain situations or moments with policies inside a group by persons with particular interests since

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it is a colloquial language that is used in an informal setting Slang is popular because it makes communication with friends and other members of society easier

According to Rachmijati (2015), using slang is an efficient way to convey sentiments and thoughts Slang may make conversations between people faster, simpler, and more intimate Slang is totally permissible in ordinary speech (Ober, 2007) because it delivers specific information and indicates group membership It implies that using slang is totally normal because it highlights the community's unique inventiveness

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODS

3.1 Research design

The type of approach used in this research is descriptive quantitative, as

in which researchers will make several questions or questionnaires on a Google form The form of questionnaire will be distributed to university students, especially the English language major as they are quite more familiar with this topic However, it is also possible for students from other majors to fill out this questionnaire Data of this Google form then be collected to be used for the writing process of this scientific paper The population of this scientific research

is limited and determined by 35 respondents

3.2 Research site

The research site is placed in University Ain Vietnam, with a range of 35 students aged from 18 to 20 We explore the use of English slang words by university students on Facebook, which is the most common social media platform for youngsters in Vietnam By combining observations on social media platforms, we also conduct online surveys to gather different perspectives on slang usage and identify the common slang terms used by students

3.3 Sampling

e Collect data for quantitative analysis:

Tool design:

Structured Questionnaire: Develop a standardized questionnaire concentrating

on English slang term development, frequency of use, and context Ensure clarity and consistency in questions for consistent answers

Question generation:

Questions that have been answered: Assist with quantitative analysis, ask questions with predetermined response alternatives (e.g., multiple choice, Likert scale) This aids in the classification and quantification of reactions

Furthermore, the research team asked open-ended questions to foster diversity

in responses, providing possibilities to acquire alternative perspectives and tailor information rather than relying just on accessible options Furthermore, open-ended questions are utilized to validate or supplement information from structured questions, so ensuring the correctness and completeness of the data acquired

Pilot test:

Pre-testing the questionnaire as a pilot test: Because the research team generated the questions utilized in the study paper without consulting example questions from previous research articles, the team was asked during the question design process to To detect and correct any ambiguities or flaws in the structure or wording of the questions, the study should perform pilot testing with a small group of participants similar to the target population

Data collection methods:

Use online resources: Distribute questionnaires to a specified sample of college students on Facebook by deploying a survey utilizing the online survey tool Google Forms We utilize the online technique because: Google forms allows us

to capture real-time data Data is instantly updated as participants fill out the form, providing for effective data management Furthermore, the form's data is instantly saved in Google Sheets, making it simple to evaluate and share with coworkers or colleagues as needed

Distribution strategy:

Targeted distribution: To effectively reach the identified population, the research team actively circulated the survey link through Facebook groups, forums, or university-specific pages

Response collection:

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Reminders regularly: Send out reminders regularly to encourage participation and increase response rates To manage the data collection process, set survey completion deadlines

Data security protection:

Anonymity and confidentiality: Ensures the anonymity and confidentiality of participants by not gathering identifying information and preserving the data acquired

Quality control: Authentication and data management

The data collection technique attempts to systematically acquire quantifiable information regarding how English slang phrases are used by college students

technologies, and ethical considerations

e Demographics of participants

Table 1 Analysis of participants demographics This study surveyed 36 university students (69.4% male, 19.4% female and 11.1% preferred not to say) The majority were juniors (52.8%) and sophomores (36.1%), reflecting the target population of undergraduate students Based on 4 popular types of slangs on social network (clipping, blending, acronym and coinage type), there are:

- 30.5% of people who strongly agree that they often use words of the Clipping type

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- 16.6% of people who strongly agree that they often use words of the Blending type

- 25% of people who strongly agree that they often use words of the Acronym type

- 8.3% of people who strongly agree that they often use words of the Coinage Type

=> Among the 4 types above, Clipping is the most used type and appears the most in their social network communication

About the survey of motivation to use slang in social media, there are:

- 58.3% of people agreed that they only use slang in conversations with certain people in social media

- 50% of people agreed that using slang can make the conversation more appealing

- 50% of people disagreed that it is disrespectful to others when using slang

In this study, the researchers collect primary data by distributing self- constructed questionnaire sets which explore the level of common slang types usage by students and motivation of using slangs on social media In addition, they also use several sources like websites, articles and journals for later reference in writing these scientific papers Researchers have elaborated these two techniques in a coherent and detailed manner so that readers do not feel confused when reading their paper, which they also hope that this paper can be used as a reference for further research

3.5 Data analysis method and procedure

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Following data collection, the researcher evaluates the data by describing the meaning of each slang phrase in context The data was then classified by the researcher based on the use of each sort of word formation Finally, the researcher examines the data to determine the meaning of each slang word that each style of word creation may generate

The research team employed five supplementary dictionaries to determine the

https://kamuslengkap.com/, Merriam Webster's dictionary app, and Michael Munro's Slangs dictionary The researcher then evaluated the data by describing each slang phrase associated with each sort of word formation and taking into account its context

The writer creates a table to summarize the data The table includes the number

of data, slang words, and word construction type The table is depicted below

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x28 0,56 0,54 0,68 0,280,50 0,73 045035 0,27 032 0,34 0,29 0,53 0,68 0,16 034 0,240,66 040 0,15 0,73 0,53 0,71 0,10 041 0,23 0,88 x29 035031 036 0,120,27 038 0,05 0,27 032 0,22 0,22 031 0,15 030 0,61 046 0,58 038 0,74 0,68 0,64 0,52 0,52 0,52 0,76 0,69 0,53

Table 3 Data analysis from 36 participants

reason for using them by university students:

“Slang words belonging to Clipping type - refers to the shortening of words by removing one or more syllables, letters, or sounds (e.g., info, bro, chill ) often appear

in conversations on your social network accounts” have a strong correlation with

“You often use words of the Clipping type” and “Clipping-type slang words are easy to use and understand.”

“Slang words belonging to Blending type - is a word formation process where parts of two or more words are combined to create a new word (e.g., sitcom, workaholic, blog, ) often appear in conversations on your social network

accounts.” have a strong correlation with “You often use words of the Blending Type” and “Blending-type slang words are easy to use and understand.”

“Slang words belonging to the Acronymtype type - are abbreviations formed from the initial letters of a phrase and pronounced as a word (LOL, OMG, IDK ) and often appear in conversations on your social network accounts.” have a strong correlation with “You often use words of the Acronym type” and

“Acronym-type slang words are easy to use and understand”

“Slang words belonging to Coinage Type - refer to the creation or invention of a completely new word or term (Bae, Lit, Noob ) often appear in conversations

on your social network accounts.” have a strong correlation with “You often use words of the Coinage Type” and “Coinage-type slang words are easy to use and understand

Analyze the correlation between slang usage and motivation:

According to the data analytics, we observe that the Clipping type of slang used

by university students have a positive correlation but rather weak and average with these statements:

e | am the type of person who is interested in using slang in social media: Strong

e | only use slangs in conversations with certain people in social media: Strong

e | rarely use slang in social media: Weak

e | believe that using slang in social media can lead to mutual

misunderstanding: Weak

e | think slang in social media is being overexploited: Weak

e | believe that using slang can make the conversation more appealing: Strong

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e | would never use slang just because others in social media use them: Weak

e | feel annoyed when others use slang in social media: Weak

e [tis not right to deny using slang in social media: Strong

e | would accept it if others use slang in some specific situations

(emergency circumstances, ): Average

e | feel that slang should be used more commonly in online communication

to save time: Average

e It is disrespect others when using slang in social media: Weak

e Slang used in social media can contribute to the generation gap: Weak

e It is believed that slang would weaken the ability of using original language: Weak

e | feel that slang is using language in creative ways: Strong

e | believe that slang is contributing to the richness of language: Strong

e | feel that using slang can make users forget the original meaning of words: Average

The Blending type of slang used by university students have a positive correlation but mostly weak with these statements:

e | am the type of person who is interested in using slang in social media: Average

e | only use slangs in conversations with certain people in social media: Strong

e | rarely use slang in social media: Weak

e | believe that using slang in social media can lead to mutual

misunderstanding: Average

e | think slang in social media is being overexploited: Weak

e | believe that using slang can make the conversation more appealing: Average

e | would never use slang just because others in social media use them: Weak

e | feel annoyed when others use slang in social media: Weak

e It is not right to deny using slang in social media: Weak

e | would accept it if others use slang in some specific situations

(emergency circumstances, ): Weak

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| feel that slang should be used more commonly in online communication

to save time: Weak

It is disrespect others when using slang in social media: Weak Slang used in social media can contribute to the generation gap: Weak

It is believed that slang would weaken the ability of using original language: Weak

| feel that slang is using language in creative ways: Weak

| believe that slang is contributing to the richness of language: Weak

| feel that using slang can make users forget the original meaning of words: Weak

The Acronym type of slang used by university students have a positive correlation but mostly weak and average with these statements:

| am the type of person who is interested in using slang in social media: Average

| only use slangs in conversations with certain people in social media: Average

| rarely use slang in social media: Negative (weak)

| believe that using slang in social media can lead to mutual

misunderstanding: Weak

I think slang in social media is being overexploited: Weak

| believe that using slang can make the conversation more appealing: Weak

| would never use slang just because others in social media use them: Weak

| feel annoyed when others use slang in social media: Negative (Weak)

It is not right to deny using slang in social media: Average

| would accept it if others use slang in some specific situations (emergency circumstances, ): Weak

| feel that slang should be used more commonly in online communication

to save time: Average

It is disrespect others when using slang in social media: Weak Slang used in social media can contribute to the generation gap: Weak

It is believed that slang would weaken the ability of using original language: Weak

| feel that slang is using language in creative ways: Strong

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