Creating new forms from the existing ones: An investigation of morphological processes in selected WhatsApp group chats
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60787/jolan.vol5no1.421Keywords:
New forms, morphological processes, WhatsApp chats, social media communicationAbstract
This study examines the morphological processes employed on the WhatsApp platform, with a focus on identifying the most commonly used word-formation strategies among its users. A descriptive research design was adopted, combining both qualitative and quantitative methods for data analysis. Two WhatsApp groups were selected, and thirty (30) texts were taken from each, making a total of sixty (60) texts. The texts were analyzed to identify and discuss the morphological strategies users adopt in creating new words for interaction. Findings revealed that minor morphological processes - particularly clipping and initialism, both forms of shortening - are the most frequently used. In the first group,
clipping occurred in 22 texts (73.3%), while initialism appeared in 8 texts (26.7%). In the second group, clipping was found in 13 texts (43.3%), initialism in 11 texts (36.7%), blending in 5 texts (16.7%), and aphetic forms in 1 text (3.3%). The study concludes that WhatsApp users rarely employ major morphological processes such as affixation, compounding, and conversion in the creation of new words for communication on the platform.
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