Influence of Translanguaging on Pragmatic Meaning and Intercultural Identity among Nigerian University Learners of French in Digital Communication.

The expansion of digital communication has created new spaces for Nigerian learners of French to interact, exchange ideas and express themselves across linguistic and cultural boundaries. This study examines translanguaging among Nigerian university learners of French as a foreign language in digital communication, with particular attention to pragmatic meaning and intercultural identity. It explores how learners draw on French, English, Nigerian Pidgin and indigenous Nigerian languages to express intentions, sustain relationships, interpret culturally embedded expressions and negotiate aspects of their identities during online interactions. The study adopts a qualitative research design based on naturally occurring digital exchanges and learner-generated online texts, complemented by relevant participant accounts. Data are analysed through qualitative discourse and thematic analysis, drawing on translanguaging, pragmatic and intercultural perspectives, with attention to clarification, politeness, humour, emotional expression, solidarity, cultural references and identity positioning. Findings indicate that learners’ flexible use of their linguistic resources is not merely a response to limitations in French proficiency. Rather, translanguaging enables them to convey contextually appropriate meanings, express cultural experiences, establish rapport and negotiate their social and intercultural identities. The study concludes that digital communication provides a dynamic space for multilingual interaction and that recognising learners’ complete linguistic repertoires can support pragmatic development, meaningful French language learning and intercultural understanding.