2026 IJRSE – Volume 15 Issue 7
Available Online: 9 March 2026
Author/s:
Macascas, Cristina
Philippine Normal University, Philippines (macascas.cd@pnu.edu.ph)
Abstract:
This study examined the language used by Filipinos on social media. The general objective of the study was to understand canal language, a form of contemporary slang. Specifically, it aimed to identify the similarities and/or differences between canal language and other existing slang varieties, as well as to analyze how slang is formed. The descriptive method was used in the study. Data were collected through surveys, interviews, and corpus analysis. Of the 231 participants in the survey, 28 belonged to Generation Alpha, while 203 belonged to Generation Z. An additional 20 participants were interviewed in relation to the subject of the study. The findings revealed that the canal lexicon is derived from Generation Z and Generation Alpha slang. Canal language is commonly formed through back formation, metathesis, word combinations, clippings, and word borrowing. Overall, the study found that canal language is not significantly different from existing slang. Therefore, it is recommended that further studies be conducted to determine whether this language variety can be recognized and included in language registers.
Keywords: canal humor, slang, sociolinguistics, survey, variety
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2026.26817
Cite this article:
Macascas, C. (2026). Unpacking kanal language: Anong bago? International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 15(6), 31-39. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2026.26817