The Role of Translanguaging on Linguistic Conflicts in the Facebook Landscape

Abstract

Abstract

Translanguaging has emerged alongside the rise of social media platforms, especially on Facebook, where a diverse user base with varying identities and language choices coexists. In this digital landscape, translanguaging has notably bridged linguistic barriers, enabling communication across different languages while also creating gaps leading to linguistic conflicts which affect negotiation of peace and assertion of identity. Using content analysis, the researchers selected posts of Facebook celebrities having at least one thousand followers who have engaging post about english usage while employing translanguaging which poses linguistic conflicts. This data were selected by inputting words or phrase tags relevant to the context. Findings showed that the common themes which are treated as conflict triggers are; linguistic resistance and satirical simplification; deconstructing linguistic capital, challenging language-based stereotypes and; acknowledgment and moral framing. These conflicts were found to be both mitigating and escalating linguistic conflicts in the Facebook landscape. In this manner, translanguaging is not inherently inclusive or divisive, but rather reflects the underlying power dynamics and social attitudes within multilingual digital communities. Also, Facebook users equally perceive translanguaging—as inclusive/bridge-building, or divisive/alienating in terms of how they negotiate linguistic boundaries and assert identity across online disputes depending on the context. These findings suggest future researchers to further the study using sociopragmatic lenses in order to discover the digital peacebuilding potential of social media platforms where translanguaging is used.

Keywords: Translanguaging, Linguistic Conflicts, Facebook landscape