Non-Standard English and Register Variation in the Academic Writing of Students at a Philippine State University: A Qualitative Portfolio Case Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69569/jip.2026.357Keywords:
Academic literacy, Digital discourse, Non-standard English, Register awareness, Vernacular subcultureAbstract
This qualitative portfolio case study examined non-standard English (NSE) and register variation in the academic and professional writing of 150 engineering and human ecology students at a Philippine state university. It aimed to identify recurring NSE and register-related features, interpret them through sociolinguistic, interlanguage, and academic-literacy perspectives, and determine context-sensitive pedagogical responses. The researchers analyzed 662 usable outputs from five course-based writing activities and conducted five focus group discussions, using descriptive frequency counts and thematic analysis. Recurrence was defined as occurrence in at least 5% of analyzable outputs for an activity and in at least five unique writers. Findings revealed three major analytic groups: digital-register forms, grammatical and formulaic instability, and recognized spelling variation across English standards. Among counted features, 55 of 143 outputs used “with regards to,” while 23 of 130 used “If I am … I will.” Digital forms were treated as illustrative rather than recurrent because form-level counts were unavailable. The study found that repeated forms did not automatically establish vernacular membership, digital causation, or first-language transfer. Results support contrastive register instruction, explicit form-meaning teaching, guided revision, and consistent application of recognized English conventions in multilingual academic writing, while avoiding simplistic deficit interpretations of students’ legitimate linguistic variation.
Downloads
References
Arboleda, A.D.B. (2022). Move analysis of thesis and dissertation abstracts in one Philippine graduate institute. Premise: Journal of English Education and Applied Linguistics, 11(3), 576–594. https://doi.org/10.24127/pj.v11i3.5437
Asafo-Adjei, R., Mensah, R.O., Klu, E.K., & Swanzy-Impraim, E. (2023). Social media and English language writing performances of a Ghanaian ESL class: The nexus. Cogent Education, 10(1), Article 2189388. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2189388
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Cheshire, J. (1982). Linguistic variation and social function. In S. Romaine (Ed.), Sociolinguistic Variation in Speech Communities (pp. 153–166). Edward Arnold.
Constantinou, F., & Chambers, L. (2020). Non-standard English in UK students’ writing over time. Language and Education, 34(1), 22–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2019.1702996
Creswell, J.W., & Poth, C.N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Eckert, P. (2000). Linguistic variation as social practice: The linguistic construction of identity in Belten High. Blackwell.
Gavina, M.A.T., & Ibay-Pamo, L. (2024). Effect of automated writing evaluation in higher education academic writing performance. EDULANGUE, 6(2), 118–137. https://doi.org/10.20414/edulangue.v6i2.8300
Hashim, S., Samad, A., & Alamgeer, H. (2024). Influence of L1 on the academic writing skills of undergraduate students of English: A case study of Thal University Bhakkar. Journal of Development and Social Sciences, 5(1), 15–25. https://doi.org/10.47205/jdss.2024(5-I)02
Hernandez, H.P. (2024). Does Philippine English subject–verb agreement exist in academic writing? The case of research articles across disciplines. Asian Englishes, 26(2), 337–354. https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2023.2222347
Hyland, K. (2019). Second language writing (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Matsuda, P.K., & Silva, T. (2010). Writing. In N. Schmitt (Ed.), An Introduction to Applied Linguistics (2nd ed., pp. 232–246). Hodder Education.
Monderin, C.P., & Go, M. (2021). Emerging Netspeak word choices in social media on Filipino pop culture. International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation, 4(6), 49–61. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2021.4.6.7
Nowell, L., Norris, J., White, D., & Moules, N. (2017). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847
Ortega, L. (2019). SLA and the study of equitable multilingualism. The Modern Language Journal, 103(S1), 23–38. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12525
Patton, M.Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Peters, P. (2004). The Cambridge guide to English usage. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511487040
Selinker, L. (1972). Interlanguage. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 10(1–4), 209–232. https://doi.org/10.1515/iral.1972.10.1-4.209
Snell, J., & Andrews, R. (2017). To what extent does a regional dialect and accent impact on the development of reading and writing skills? Cambridge Journal of Education, 47(3), 297–313. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2016.1159660
Snell, J., & Cushing, I. (2022). ‘A lot of them write how they speak’: Policy, pedagogy, and the policing of ‘nonstandard’ English. Literacy, 56(3), 199–211. https://doi.org/10.1111/lit.12298
Squires, L. (2010). Enregistering internet language. Language in Society, 39(4), 457–492. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047404510000412
Tan, L.N., & Bensal, E.R. (2022). Effects of diametric motivational approach on Filipino students’ academic writing proficiency: A mediation analysis. The Journal of Asia TEFL, 19(3), 797–817. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2022.19.3.4.797
Tocalo, A.W., Racman, S., Guiamelon, K.N.A., & Mama, B. (2022). Is Filipino ESL academic writing becoming more informal? PASAA, 64, 99–125. https://doi.org/10.58837/CHULA.PASAA.64.1.5
Tuquib, J., & Bacus, R. (2024). Netspeak in students’ academic writing: A case in the Philippines. The New English Teacher, 18(1), 1–14. https://assumptionjournal.au.edu/index.php/newEnglishTeacher/article/view/7350
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
JIP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Under the Open Access Policy, appropriate attribution can be provided by simply citing the original article.
