A Structural Description of the Language of Social Networks in Morocco

Abstract

The great outburst in the use of Internet all over the world has led to the emergence of a number of social changes in connection with communication between people, its efficiency, its extent and its channels. Social networking, the use of online social media platforms to connect with people, provides channels which make communication possible everywhere. One of the major social changes that emerged with the advent of social networks is reflected in the language people use to communicate through these networks. This paper is an attempt to describe certain aspects of this language as they appear in the written exchanges between a group of young social media users in the city of Marrakech. Excerpts of this language are analyzed with the objective of identifying its structural features and its impact on the linguistic behaviour of its users. The findings have shown that this form of language exhibits specific linguistic characteristics, which make it a full-fledged variety.