Emerging New Media Syntax, Violation of English Syntactic Rules, and Meaning Misrepresentations
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Abstract
A new variety of English syntax emerged with the new media. This study examines new media syntax to show instances of mindless violation of grammatical rules and the misrepresentation of meanings among student users of the new media. The study relies on selected social media posts. Descriptive survey, textual and content analyses, and interpretive techniques are employed. The analysis demonstrates that new media syntax, a corrupted or bastardized form of the English syntax, is characterized by syntactic deviations, grammatical violations, misrepresentation of meanings, and informal features, which affect the performance of students in English Language courses or subjects because most of them transfer the syntactic features of new media syntax to their formal compositions. The study concludes that the strained use of new media exerts adverse effects on English syntax and students’ writing and performance because they lose marks to the transferred features of new media syntax to the formal English syntax, which causes solecism, violation of grammatical rules and misrepresentation of meanings. Teachers are charged to consistently teach students how to use new media language for its associated informal contexts and purposes alone rather than mixing it with the formal variety in formal compositions.
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Copyright (c) 2024 Anyanwu Edith Ada, PhD, Ifeyinwa Chukwuokoro, PhD, Robert, Odey Simon (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Anyanwu Edith Ada, PhD, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria.
Department of Languages and Linguistics,
Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria.
Ifeyinwa Chukwuokoro, PhD, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria.
Department of English and Literary Studies,
Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria.
Robert, Odey Simon, Centre for Continuing Education, the College of Education, Nsukka, Nigeria.
Centre for Continuing Education, the College of Education, Nsukka; and Ropah Educational Services, Research & Consultancy, Abuja, FCT.
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