Language choice in online written communication among Maldivian professionals

Language choice is a sociolinguistic phenomenon which refers to the selection of language(s) for different purposes in various contexts. This study examines the language choice of Maldivians in online written communication in the domains of family, friendship and work. Dhivehi is the unique Indo-A...

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Main Authors: Fathimath Fahmee, Yong, Mei Fung
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2016
Online Access:http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10692/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10692/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10692/1/11345-39657-1-PB.pdf
id ukm-10692
recordtype eprints
spelling ukm-106922017-10-01T23:59:35Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10692/ Language choice in online written communication among Maldivian professionals Fathimath Fahmee, Yong, Mei Fung Language choice is a sociolinguistic phenomenon which refers to the selection of language(s) for different purposes in various contexts. This study examines the language choice of Maldivians in online written communication in the domains of family, friendship and work. Dhivehi is the unique Indo-Aryan language spoken almost exclusively in the Maldives along with English as the unofficial second language. A total of 150 professionals from the fields of education, administration and health took part in the study with academic qualifications ranging from diploma to doctorate degree. The data was collected using a survey questionnaire and analysed quantitatively. The findings revealed that Dhivehi is the dominant language in the family domain while English is dominant in the friendship and work domains. There is also a relationship between language choice and age, and English language proficiency. The high preference for English in online written communication indicates a need for a language policy that would emphasise and increase the use of Dhivehi online as a language maintenance effort. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2016 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10692/1/11345-39657-1-PB.pdf Fathimath Fahmee, and Yong, Mei Fung (2016) Language choice in online written communication among Maldivian professionals. 3L; Language,Linguistics and Literature,The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies., 22 (2). pp. 49-66. ISSN 0128-5157 http://ejournal.ukm.my/3l/issue/view/807
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Local University
institution Universiti Kebangasaan Malaysia
building UKM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
language English
description Language choice is a sociolinguistic phenomenon which refers to the selection of language(s) for different purposes in various contexts. This study examines the language choice of Maldivians in online written communication in the domains of family, friendship and work. Dhivehi is the unique Indo-Aryan language spoken almost exclusively in the Maldives along with English as the unofficial second language. A total of 150 professionals from the fields of education, administration and health took part in the study with academic qualifications ranging from diploma to doctorate degree. The data was collected using a survey questionnaire and analysed quantitatively. The findings revealed that Dhivehi is the dominant language in the family domain while English is dominant in the friendship and work domains. There is also a relationship between language choice and age, and English language proficiency. The high preference for English in online written communication indicates a need for a language policy that would emphasise and increase the use of Dhivehi online as a language maintenance effort.
format Article
author Fathimath Fahmee,
Yong, Mei Fung
spellingShingle Fathimath Fahmee,
Yong, Mei Fung
Language choice in online written communication among Maldivian professionals
author_facet Fathimath Fahmee,
Yong, Mei Fung
author_sort Fathimath Fahmee,
title Language choice in online written communication among Maldivian professionals
title_short Language choice in online written communication among Maldivian professionals
title_full Language choice in online written communication among Maldivian professionals
title_fullStr Language choice in online written communication among Maldivian professionals
title_full_unstemmed Language choice in online written communication among Maldivian professionals
title_sort language choice in online written communication among maldivian professionals
publisher Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
publishDate 2016
url http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10692/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10692/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10692/1/11345-39657-1-PB.pdf
first_indexed 2023-09-18T19:58:13Z
last_indexed 2023-09-18T19:58:13Z
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