An Appraisal of Morphological Change in Nigerian Urban Slang: A Comparative Study of Facebook and WhatsApp Linguistic Trends
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Background of the study
Urban slang in Nigeria is a dynamic phenomenon influenced by digital communication platforms. This study appraises morphological change in urban slang by comparing linguistic trends on Facebook and WhatsApp. Both platforms serve as arenas for creative word formation, where users generate neologisms, abbreviations, and innovative compounds. While Facebook’s public posts foster a broader lexicon influenced by diverse demographics, WhatsApp group chats tend to produce more localized and informal morphological variations (Eze, 2023). By analyzing corpora from both platforms, this research aims to identify common derivational patterns, such as affixation and blending, and to determine how digital communication accelerates morphological evolution. The study also examines the cultural implications of these changes on identity formation among urban youth. Findings will contribute to theories of language change in digital spaces and provide recommendations for incorporating contemporary slang into educational and media literacy programs (Ifeanyi, 2024; Nwachukwu, 2025).
Statement of the problem
Despite the rapid evolution of urban slang, there is limited comparative research on morphological changes across different digital platforms. The absence of systematic studies on Facebook and WhatsApp linguistic trends hinders our understanding of how digital media drives word formation and impacts language standardization in urban settings (Eze, 2023).
Objectives of the study:
1. To compare morphological innovations on Facebook and WhatsApp.
2. To analyze the derivational processes involved in urban slang.
3. To recommend strategies for integrating digital slang into language education.
Research questions:
1. What morphological changes are prevalent on each platform?
2. How do derivational processes differ between Facebook and WhatsApp?
3. What impact do these changes have on urban language use?
Significance of the study
This study is significant as it provides a comparative analysis of morphological changes in Nigerian urban slang, offering insights for linguists and educators to better understand and integrate digital language trends into educational practices (Nwachukwu, 2025).
Scope and limitations of the study:
The study focuses exclusively on morphological innovations in urban slang on Facebook and WhatsApp and does not cover other digital media.
Definitions of terms:
1. Morphological Change: The evolution of word structure.
2. Urban Slang: Informal language used by urban populations.
3. Neologisms: Newly coined words or expressions.
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