Department of Communication Studies, University of Cape Coast, Ghana
Online published on 21 March, 2013.
The Short Message Service (SMS) is arguably the commonest new media in Ghana. Despite the communicative efficacy of SMS in Ghana, only a little of the language is used in texting among Ghanaians. This paper explores the nexus between SMS and radio by examining the language of text messages posted during radio panel discussions on Joy FM and Peace FM, two popular radio networks, in order to determine whether the messages constitute a special discourse type. The study was based on a corpus of approximately five hundred (500) messages collected within a period of three months. The analysis indicated that radio panel discussion texting (i.e RDPS SMS) is typified by four basic discourse features prominent among which are phonetic approximation and abbreviation. The study also showed that these texting strategies served not only as shortening forms but also as means to demonstrate the prama-dexterity of texters in their use of language. The findings characterise texting on RPDs as a unique discourse type, and reveal the nature of public discourse on RPDs in Ghana. These findings bear theoretical implications and raise concerns for media practice.
