Style, context, and register of Tinglish for teaching contextualized conversational English

Abstract

The study aimed to determine the style, context, and register of Tinglish for teaching contextualized conversational English in Grade 6 Intensive English Program classrooms in Thailand. Using interlanguage and translanguaging theories within the framework of discourse analysis, ten video and audio recording sessions were transcribed, coded, and analyzed. The prevalent styles students used when employing Tinglish in the classroom reflected the distinct characteristics encompassing vocabulary choices, sentence structures, tone, and rhetorical devices. Key vocabulary patterns included interchange functions, literal translation, clipping, coining, and loanwords, demonstrating adaptation to their linguistic context. In terms of sentence structure, students frequently omitted articles; varied tense and aspect usage; and exhibited unique placements of conjunctions, adjectives, prepositions, and questions with punctuation reflecting spoken rather than written norms. Their communication alternates among five distinct tones while employing rhetorical devices emerged as integral features, enriching classroom interactions. Their registers revealed how social roles and dynamics shape interactions, blending formal and informal styles to express politeness and respect. These linguistic features are set in the context of Thai cultural and contextual references, which heavily influenced students' use of Tinglish. As students adopt these styles and registers, the study demonstrated that recognizing and integrating the unique characteristics of Tinglish can promote contextualized English instruction, aligning with students' linguistic abilities and leading to more effective and culturally responsive teaching in conversational English.