Survey on Use of Language on Social Media: English versus Turkish in North Cyprus

Abstract

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is among the many countries which have long embraced the use of social media and social networking sites. The frequent access of and use of social networking platforms have been intensified by the presence of many institutions of learning and the increasing number of foreign students and tourists from across various countries of the world. The Northern Cypriot locals are not left out in the social media activities. The common networking sites frequently used in the setting include but not limited to Facebook, e-mail and twitter. Northern Cyprus is clearly multilingual but three languages seem to be common in communication: Turkish, English and Arabic. However, on the social media, broadcast messages, adverts and bulk sms from service providers are predominant in either English or Turkish. The methodology will be quantitative through survey. The research will compare the use of English and Turkish languages on social media in north Cyprus to determine which is more frequently used and more accessible to social media users. The possible findings would be that English and Turkish are in a competitive situation.