SOCIOLINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF THE USE OF IT TERMINOLOGY IN INFORMAL ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS IN UKRAINIAN

The article studies the penetration of IT terminology into informal online communication in Ukrainian. The main mechanisms of adaptation of terms, such as transcription, calquing, hybridisation and abbreviation, are analysed, which facilitate the integration of specialised vocabulary into everyday speech. Special attention is paid to the functions of IT terms, including time saving, social identification and stylistic play. The study also covers sociolinguistic aspects that influence the use of IT vocabulary in different age and professional groups. The research methodology involves a combined approach that includes quantitative, qualitative and comparative analysis. The data sources were social networks (Facebook, Instagram, Telegram), forums and chats, which allowed us to trace current language trends. Quantitative analysis provided a measure of the frequency of use of IT terms, while qualitative analysis allowed us to explore their semantic variations in different contexts. The comparative approach helped to identify the peculiarities of using IT vocabulary among representatives of different social and age groups. The results of the study showed that IT terms in online communication are divided into three main groups: unchanged borrowings (‘лайк (laik)’, Eng. ‘like’, ‘чат (chat)’, Eng. ‘chat’, ‘логін (lohin)’, Eng. ‘login’), adapted hybrids (‘зашерити (zasharyty)’, Eng. ‘to share’, ‘апгрейднути (apgreidnuty)’, Eng. ‘to upgrade’, ‘забанити (zabanyty)’, Eng. ‘to ban’) and abbreviations (LOL, DM, BRB). It has been found that young people and representatives of the IT sphere are the most active in using IT vocabulary, while in bilingual environments it is possible to use English and Ukrainianised versions of terms in parallel. The functionality of IT vocabulary covers not only the communicative but also the socio-cultural aspect, reflecting the change of language norms in the digital space. The study emphasises the importance of IT terminology in the formation of modern linguistic culture and outlines the prospects for its further development in connection with the dynamic changes in the digital environment.