لغة كلام
Volume 11, Numéro 3, Pages 300-310
2025-09-30

From Humour To Identity: The Role Of Memes In Language And Identity Expression Among Algerian Efl Students



Auteurs : Chifaa Adda Sekrane . Khaled Belarbi .

Résumé

In the contemporary digital landscape, memes have transcended their function as fleeting forms of entertainment to emerge as potent semiotic resources that mediate communication and identity negotiation. Acknowledging their linguistic and sociocultural weight, this study examines the role of English memes in influencing Algerian EFL students’ linguistic practices and identity expression. Adopting a qualitative-dominant mixed method approach, an open-ended questionnaire was administered to EFL 80 Master 1 students of linguistics at Ibn Khaldoun University of Tiaret to investigate their perceptions of the potential impact of memes in their language choice and identity performance. Given the multimodal nature of memes, an online observation was conducted to contextualise the study and capture real-time engagement with memes. The findings revealed that memes significantly influenced students’ linguistic behaviours, particularly through code-switching practices and lexical borrowing. Simultaneously, they notably function as identity-driven strategies, allowing students to signal group belonging, express cultural values, and project affective stances. Future research could examine the systematic integration of memes within the Algerian EFL classrooms, with particular attention to how they enhance academic language development and identity negotiation within EFL classroom discourse.

Mots clés

Algerian EFL students; digital communication; English memes; language choice; identity expression

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