Pragmatic Language Choices in the Digital Age: A Comparative Study of Tanzanian and Pakistani Undergraduates

Nasir Razzaq; Casmir     M. Rubagumya; Felician B.     Mgimba

doi:10.34118/jskp.v6i1.4552

Nasir Razzaq https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6939-2856
Casmir M. Rubagumya
Felician B. Mgimba

DOI: https://doi.org/10.34118/jskp.v6i1.4552

Keywords: multilingual pragmatics, digital communication, code-switching, code-mixing, orthographic code-switching, semiotic switching, lexical erosion, language maintenance

Abstract

Digital communication has reshaped how multilingual speakers make pragmatic language choices in everyday interaction. Digital platforms reorganize language through speed, multimodality, and technical affordances in emerging multilingual societies. As undergraduate students are intensive users of digital media, their interactional practices offer a key site for examining pragmatic choices across face-to-face and online contexts. This study examines how Tanzanian and Pakistani undergraduate students negotiate language mixing and language purity, with particular attention to digitally mediated interaction. Through observation, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions, qualitative, inductive, and comparative data were collected and analyzed thematically. The findings indicate that Pakistani students rely heavily on Romanised Urdu for digital convenience, while experiencing increasing difficulty with Urdu script and vocabulary, suggesting script attrition and lexical erosion. Emojis and memes provide multimodal pragmatic communication of humour, attitude, tone, and emotion. Habitual code-mixing reflects lexical automatisation, alongside participant concern regarding younger generations’ diminishing lexical depth in local languages. The study concludes that pragmatic choice extends beyond speech to include scripts, visual modes, and digital infrastructures, with implications for language maintenance in digital futures

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