Naslov
Upotreba engleskog jezika u digitalnim medijima i svakodnevnoj komunikaciji među hrvatskim govornicima kojima engleski nije materinski jezik
(The use of the English language in digital media and daily communication among non-native speakers of English in Croatia)

Autori
Semenčić, Katarina

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Ocjenski radovi, diplomski rad, preddiplomski

Fakultet
Odjel za lingvistiku

Mjesto
Zadar

Datum
21.02

Godina
2023

Stranica
35

Mentor
Oštarić, Antonio

Ključne riječi
English language, digital communication, young speakers, Croatia, English as a foreign language

Sažetak
In the past five decades, development of technology has enabled a faster and more effective communication than ever before, and English has become a global language that allows people around the world to maintain such quality communication. The English language is present among younger Croats who are showing a growing excitement for the language and have been using it a lot in their digital and face-to-face communication. This paper focuses on the digital communication of non-native speakers of English in Croatia, and it explores the topic through language choice, language ideologies, and code-switching. Furthermore, it tries to answer the following research questions: why do some native Croatian speakers prefer using English over Croatian ; when and where do they use English the most ; does their communication style remain the same after switching to English ; and do they practice code-switching, or they prefer speaking and writing only in English? I have conducted five semi-structured interviews with young respondents of approximately 20 years of age. After analysing the data, I realized that some interviewees preferred English over Croatian, and some of them only preferred it in certain situations whereas others preferred it at all times. One participant stated that even though they love English, their love for Croatian is stronger because they think it is a beautiful and a rare language. All participants stated that they prefer using English with young people and do not use it with their parents. They are active on various websites and social media such as TikTok, Reddit, Facebook, WhatsApp, etc., where they insert many English phrases or completely switch to English. Most of them have stated that their confidence increases when they write and/or speak in English. Some have stated that they feel like a different person, almost disconnected from the reality in which they speak Croatian. Whether they prefer digital communication or face-to-face communication depends on various reasons, for example, a participant mentioned that they feel more comfortable using English online because they can express themselves more eloquently, whereas another participant stated that they prefer face- to-face communication in English because it feels more natural to them. To conclude, English is a frequent language in daily communication, and this is especially visible among younger Croats. The extent of the use of English depends on the individuals and their views and feelings towards the language, and their language is influenced by the media they consume. This study is based on the results of only five participants, so it is not representative of the entire population, but it shows the tendencies in the use of English among young people in Croatia.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Filologija

POVEZANOST RADA