The impact of electronic communication technology on written language
Communication technology is changing things. Language is no exception. Some language researchers argue that language is deteriorating due to increased use in electronic communication. The present paper investigated 100 randomly selected electronic mails (e-mails) and 50 short messaging system (SMS)...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
David Publishing Company
2009
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/17184/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/17184/1/The%20impact%20of%20electronic%20communication%20technology%20on%20written%20language.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848843171580084224 |
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| author | Hamzah, Mohd Sahandri Gani Ghorbani, Mohammad Reza Abdullah, Saifuddin Kumar |
| author_facet | Hamzah, Mohd Sahandri Gani Ghorbani, Mohammad Reza Abdullah, Saifuddin Kumar |
| author_sort | Hamzah, Mohd Sahandri Gani |
| building | UPM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Communication technology is changing things. Language is no exception. Some language researchers argue that language is deteriorating due to increased use in electronic communication. The present paper investigated 100 randomly selected electronic mails (e-mails) and 50 short messaging system (SMS) messages of a representative sample of international students in University Putra Malaysia (UPM) to find out the impact of these two specific modes of electronic communication on written language use. The e-mails from UPM International Students Association (UPM-ISA) yahoo group were content analyzed. A non-probability convenience sampling was used to select the 50 short message services sent to the researcher about different subject matters by Malaysian and international students at UPM. Then, they were also content analyzed. The results indicated that the language used in students’ e-mails and SMS messaging was full of spoken-like spelling, unconventional use of punctuation and abbreviations, and ungrammatical sentences. However, the more in-depth content analysis of the data revealed that the written language is being creatively adapted, developed, and enhanced to suit the conditions of the electronic communication age. Syntactical and lexical reductions are just strategies used to reduce effort, time and space. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T08:10:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | upm-17184 |
| institution | Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T08:10:47Z |
| publishDate | 2009 |
| publisher | David Publishing Company |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | upm-171842018-10-16T01:28:16Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/17184/ The impact of electronic communication technology on written language Hamzah, Mohd Sahandri Gani Ghorbani, Mohammad Reza Abdullah, Saifuddin Kumar Communication technology is changing things. Language is no exception. Some language researchers argue that language is deteriorating due to increased use in electronic communication. The present paper investigated 100 randomly selected electronic mails (e-mails) and 50 short messaging system (SMS) messages of a representative sample of international students in University Putra Malaysia (UPM) to find out the impact of these two specific modes of electronic communication on written language use. The e-mails from UPM International Students Association (UPM-ISA) yahoo group were content analyzed. A non-probability convenience sampling was used to select the 50 short message services sent to the researcher about different subject matters by Malaysian and international students at UPM. Then, they were also content analyzed. The results indicated that the language used in students’ e-mails and SMS messaging was full of spoken-like spelling, unconventional use of punctuation and abbreviations, and ungrammatical sentences. However, the more in-depth content analysis of the data revealed that the written language is being creatively adapted, developed, and enhanced to suit the conditions of the electronic communication age. Syntactical and lexical reductions are just strategies used to reduce effort, time and space. David Publishing Company 2009 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/17184/1/The%20impact%20of%20electronic%20communication%20technology%20on%20written%20language.pdf Hamzah, Mohd Sahandri Gani and Ghorbani, Mohammad Reza and Abdullah, Saifuddin Kumar (2009) The impact of electronic communication technology on written language. US-China Education Review, 6 (11). pp. 75-79. ISSN 1548-6613 http://www.davidpublisher.org/index.php/Home/Article/index?id=13817.html 10.17265/2161-623X/2009.11A.007 |
| spellingShingle | Hamzah, Mohd Sahandri Gani Ghorbani, Mohammad Reza Abdullah, Saifuddin Kumar The impact of electronic communication technology on written language |
| title | The impact of electronic communication technology on written language |
| title_full | The impact of electronic communication technology on written language |
| title_fullStr | The impact of electronic communication technology on written language |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impact of electronic communication technology on written language |
| title_short | The impact of electronic communication technology on written language |
| title_sort | impact of electronic communication technology on written language |
| url | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/17184/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/17184/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/17184/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/17184/1/The%20impact%20of%20electronic%20communication%20technology%20on%20written%20language.pdf |