CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1   Background to the Study
Language is one of the most complex of all human specific phenomena. Its convolutions of parts and meanings. It goes beyond its semiotic possibility of conveying information at a communicative level to have an art form that exists by it alone which is known as the literary art.
At the communicative level, it involves other tools to aid interlocution namely voice modulation and pitch, gesticulations which for the sake of this study include facial expressions and feedbacks from the other person for the clarification of meanings and understanding. At interpersonal level, language is always based on contextual sense making as the complexity of language always bear upon every utterance.
Remove the verbal and personal arrangement of this semiotic speech act and all the other tools for sense making being to go with it. So that one runs the risk of being misunderstood which defeats the aim conversations in all levels. However, with the advancement of technology especially at telecommunications sector, people now rely much on texting and the instant messaging platforms are becoming more and more popular across social classes and with this popularity comes the need for its acceptance for formal and informal purposes.
1.2   Statement of the Problem
The use of the WhatsApp instant messaging application involves a two way attempt to decipher interlocution beyond the texts. So that feature like emojis and Smiley’s are added to aid understanding while short hands are also evolved and their meanings learnt by users and new users. However, a greater chance of sense making still lies on the texts and how users are able to adjust to each persons texting pattern. At any event, one relies majorly on context in order to make sense of what is being read and when this fails, one asks for clarifications from the other person(s). This is the problem that has given rise to the present research: to conduct a pragmatic study of WhatsApp chats.