From Slang to Classroom: Exploring Conyo Expressions of Senior High School Students

Abstract

This research investigates the use, characteristics, functional roles, and perceptions of Conyo expressions among Senior High School students in Abra, focusing on their implications for identity, peer relationships, and academic achievement. The study employed a sequential explanatory mixed-method design, with 40 purposefully selected students in four schools for the quantitative phase and 10 regular Conyo users for the qualitative phase, using interviews, classroom observations, and elicitation activities. The constructed questionnaire had a Cronbach alpha value of 0.926, and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Findings reveal that Conyo is predominantly used in informal peer communication and semi-formal classrooms, serving as a tool for self-expression, socialization, and identity formation. It also includes language phenomena such as code-mixing, hybrid morphology, semantic borrowing, phonological adaptation, and syntactic blending. Conyo expressions contribute to identity construction, peer bonding, humor, register shifting, and discourse organization. While students reported that Conyo strengthens group cohesion and creativity, it was also noted to pose challenges in using standard Filipino and English in academic writing. Overall, the research demonstrates that Conyo is a socially embedded, multifunctional sociolect that reflects the interaction between language, identity, peer relationships, and education, highlighting the importance of embracing hybrid youth languages in educational contexts for both linguistic innovation and cognitive advancement.