Linguistic Analysis of Indonesian Language Errors in Elementary School Students’ Whatsapp Chats: A Case Study in Tambak Pring, Surabaya

Abstract

This study aims to analyze Indonesian language errors found in WhatsApp conversations among elementary school students based on four linguistic levels: phonology, morphology, syntax, and spelling. The research employed a qualitative approach using a case study design. The participants consisted of five female elementary school students from Tambak Pring VI, Surabaya, identified by the initials DIN, AYU, YUM, YOL, and AGN. The research data were collected from naturally occurring WhatsApp group conversations discussing daily topics, including K-Pop, TikTok video creation, traditional rope-jumping games, and plans to play together after attending Quran recitation classes. Data were gathered through documentation techniques and analyzed using the language error analysis procedures proposed by Tarigan, including error identification, classification, description, and explanation. The findings indicate that language errors occurred at all linguistic levels. Spelling errors were the most dominant, including the misuse of capital letters, punctuation marks, non-standard abbreviations, and incorrect word writing. Morphological errors involved the use of non-standard word forms and inappropriate affixation, while syntactic errors appeared in incomplete sentence structures and ineffective word order. Phonological errors were reflected in written forms influenced by spoken language pronunciation. These findings suggest that students' digital communication is strongly influenced by spoken language habits, peer interaction, and the informal characteristics of social media communication. Therefore, teachers and parents are encouraged to strengthen students' digital language literacy by fostering the appropriate use of standard Indonesian in both academic and digital communication.