The Use of Slang on EFL Students’ Instagram Statuses

Abstract

Slangs are commonly associated with informal ways of communication and used both in direct and indirect conversations, such as to communicate and express emotions on social media like Instagram. The question is how the use of slang may support and help improve students' EFL learning through social media like Instagram. The purpose of this study was to investigate the types, social functions, and whether the use of slang on the students' Instagram statuses contributed to their English language learning. This study was conducted using a descriptive qualitative design by employing 20 students who regularly posted statuses on Instagram at least once a week from January to March 2020 as participants. The data were collected through documentation and interview with the participants. The study found that the most widely used type of slang was an acronym constituted approximately 30%, and the pursuit of selfidentity was the most dominantly used social function of slang. The participants also perceived that they gained advantages through the use of slang on their Instagram statuses. Posting statuses and engaging in communication online through Instagram enabled the students to practice vocabularies they have learned and improved their writing skills. These findings show the usefulness of slang and social media in facilitating students' EFL learning that needs to be considered by teachers for teaching English.

Analysis of Slangs Used by the Students of 9a Class of SMP Pgri Wringinanom

“…Besides slang has benefits in identifying social group, it has advantages in learning language. To strengthen this statement, slang expression can be used as a way to support and facilitate learning language especially foreign language (Kurniati & Rusfandi, 2020).…”