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Programme: accepted abstracts

Abstract ID: 702

Part of Session 123: Non-standard and youth varieties in urban Africa (Other abstracts in this session)

The use of text message (SMS) language in print advertisements. A study among urban Afrikaans teenagers

Authors: Saal, Elvis Ockert
Submitted by: Saal, Elvis Ockert (University of South Africa (Unisa), South Africa)

Compared to computer-mediated communication (CMC), SMS text messages (also referred to as “text messaging” or “texting”) have become the preferred mode of interpersonal communication among young people at the turn of the twentieth century (cf. Deumert 2006:121; Thurlow 2011:1). It is estimated that 75% of young people (15-24 years olds) in South Africa own mobile phones (DasGupta 2008). The technological constraints of the mobile phone gave rise to a text message (SMS) language with very distinctive linguistic features. This study examines whether an Afrikaans SMS language could be effective as language of advertising in the print media. It is expected that SMS speak in print advertisement could evoke favourable speaker perceptions. Communication Accommodation Theory postulates that when a receiver perceives the communicative act as similar to his/her communication style, the speaker could be viewed as an in-group member and therefore more socially attractive (Gallois, Ogay & Giles 2005:131). SMS speak in print advertisements could also stimulate conversations among teenagers. The theoretical model on message form by Hoeken, Swanepoel, Saal and Jansen (2009) claims that a message feature could spark conversation if the audience has to put in some cognitive effort to find the intended interpretation. The use of SMS language in print advertisements has the potential to provide the audience with the “pleasure of text” (Hoeken et al. 2009:56) and spark conversation among teenagers. To determine how teenagers could perceive the use of Afrikaans SMS language in print advertisements, two different print advertisements were used: a product advertisement and a health communication message. These two print adverts (in Standard Afrikaans) were ‘translated’ by teenagers themselves into their own SMS language. Two separate experimental studies were conducted for the two types of advertisements. In each of the two experimental studies, the teenagers compared the standard version of the advertisement with the corresponding SMS language version with regard to source perceptions (i.e. the speaker’s social identity and social attractiveness) and perceptions of the message (i.e. appreciation of the message and intention to spark conversation).

References:

Crystal, D. 2008. Txtng: the gr8 db8. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

DasGupta, T. 2008. The power of peers. Online: http://www.ngopulse.org/category/defined-tags/youth/youth-culture. Accessed 15 August 2011.

Deumert, A. 2006. Semantic change, the Internet: and text messaging. Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics. Second edition, pp. 121-124.

Gallois, C., Ogay, T., & Giles, H. 2005. Communication accommodation theory: A look back and a look ahead. In W.B. Gudykunst (ed.) Theorizing about intercultural communication. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, pp. 121-148.

Hoeken, H., Swanepoel, P., Saal, E. &  Jansen, C. 2009. Using message form to stimulate conversations: The case of tropes. Communication Theory, 19:49–65.

Thurlow, C. 2011. Text messaging. In S.C. Herring, D. Stein & T. Virtanene (eds.) Handbook of the pragmatics of CMC. Berlin & New York: Mouton de Gruyter. Online: http://faculty.washington.edu/thurlow/papers/thurlow&poff(2009).pdf. Accessed 20 January 2012.