INVESTIGATING IRAQI ARABIC SPEAKERS’ USE OF NANO-PRAGMATICS WITH REFERENCE TO SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

Abstract

Abstract

This current study investigates how Iraqi Arabic speakers use nanopragmatic markers which are defined as the use of micro-cues like emojis, vocal prosody in voice notes, and the use of creative typography for pragmatic ends, aiming to explore the social media platforms represented by WhatsApp and Twitter. The study employs qualitative discourse analysis complemented by quantitative statistical tests. Using the software Praat for vocal patterns and MAXQDA for emoji coding, a corpus of 2,000 text samples and 300 voice messages are analyzed, taking into account the sociolinguistic variables such as age and gender. The study concludes that such digital markers are not randomly used; they represent sophisticated adaptations and manifestation of the classic pragmatic principles such as Relevance and Politeness, when it comes to the Iraqi cultural context. This current study not only introduces the unique digital use of the Iraqi dialect, but also provides crucial insights for educators, linguists, and AI developers, thereby assisting those who seek the high rate of connecting people from various socio-cultural backgrounds in the age of digitalism.