Qualitative analysis reveals that SMS language fosters identity affirmation and linguistic appropriation in multilingual learners, indicating new teaching approaches.
This article explores the role of English SMS language as a vehicle for linguistic appropriation and identity affirmation among non-native English learners. Drawing on linguistic identity theories and the sociocultural approach to learning, it analyses how digital exchanges, digital interactions via WhatsApp, constitute spaces for linguistic experimentation, socialization, and identity construction. Using a qualitative methodology combining corpus analysis and questionnaires, this research highlights learners' linguistic creativity and their ability to negotiate their English-speaking identities in a multilingual environment. The results invite us to reconsider pedagogical practices by valuing the skills developed during these digital interactions and to recognize text messaging as a powerful tool for learning and social emancipation.
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Kamalan et al. (2025) studied this question.
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