Taglish, Jejemon, and Gay Lingo: Linguistic Innovation and Social Identity Among Filipino Youth

Abstract

Filipino youth use Taglish, Jejemon , and Gay Lingo to communicate, interact with one another and to develop identities in both physical and digital contexts. While prior research has focused on each of these language varieties separately or on language attitudes or structures, very few studies have explored how they work together to create and negotiate the social identity of youth. This research utilized a qualitative descriptive research design to explore how Taglish, Jejemon , and Gay Lingo reflect and affect the experiences of Filipino youth as well as the meanings that are attached to these languages. The study was participated by fifteen (15) college students from Cebu City who actively use Taglish, Jejemon and Gay Lingo in their daily communication. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with and digital discourse and analyzed through thematic analysis. Based on Eckert ‘s Community of Practice theory and Silverstein ‘s Theory of Indexicality, the findings suggest that Taglish functions as a marker of bilingualism, education level or education background, and cosmopolitanism; Jejemon provides means by which peer solidarity, creativity, and resistance to linguistic elitism are expressed; and Gay Lingo provides a place for humor and expression of performative identity through different youth communities, including LGBTQ+. Collectively, these linguistic innovations provide Filipino youth with various interrelated resources that help them develop identity, build relationships with each other, and express themselves through current new technology concepts. This research adds to the body of work in sociolinguistics by showing that young people’s use of language is not only a way of communicating but is also an evolving form of building their identities. In addition, this research will help language education, digital communication, and language policy by highlighting youth’s creativity in using language as a valid and important way of performing their identities.