Exploring EFL Learners’ Attitudes towards the Role of Cyber Language in Fostering their Fluency Skill.

Abstract

Contradicting the common critics upon cyber language’s opposition to language formality, this current research attempts to reveal EFL learners' attitudes towards its role in developing their fluency level in English. More precisely, it seeks to raise the question upon the frequency of using the cyber language by EFL learners and targets their perceptions towards its efficiency in fostering their level of fluency. Therefore, a mixed-method that consists of qualitative and quantitative tools has been followed to conduct this study. Particularly, in order to analyze the actual use of Netspeak and detect its different salient features, a chat online focus group of seven (7) participants who engaged in a spontaneous discussion was designed to gather qualitative data. Additionally, an online survey questionnaire has been distributed to ninety-seven (97) first-year students of Master in Language and Culture from the department of English, University of 8 Mai 1945 in Guelma. The questionnaire aims at exploring EFL students' attitudes towards the possible cause-effect relationship between the reliance on the cyber language and the development of their fluency skill of English. As a result, the analysis of the virtual conversation on the one hand, has proved that most of the participants highly depend on colloquial English through applying the different constituencies of internet language, namely, abbreviations, acronyms, emoticons, slang, and approaching spoken to written discourse techniques. On the other hand, the obtained data from the survey has revealed EFL learners' positive attitudes towards internet language as an authentically adequate assistant in achieving an eligible level of fluency by exposing them to the language in use by the natives. Finally, the current study proposed further practical recommendations for EFL learners to upgrade their level of fluency.