English Language Use in Social Media among University Students at Tahri Mohamed University of Bechar - Algeria

Abstract

English language, nowadays, plays an important role in the culture. The majority of educated people use it to communicate on social media platforms; specifically, the youngest generation tends to use the English language widely in multiple situations. They use it for communication, social media, and playing games. The present study focuses on the language shift among Bechari students in social media. It is based on a descriptive analysis of the language used in social media platforms and groups organized by Bechari students at Tahri Mohamed University of Bechar- Algeria. Besides, an online questionnaire was used to investigate the reasons for such a shift from French or Algerian Arabic to English. The results of the descriptive analysis show that English is the commonly used language in social media by Bechari students of different specialties at Tahri Mohamed University of Bechar. Furthermore, the questionnaire reveals that the majority of the participants prefer the use of English over French or Arabic for they believe that English is more practical and it opens the doors to the world. In addition, they believe that the French language connects them to the colonizer and makes them feel bound and subject to it.