Еволюція мови соціальних медіа: соціолінгвістичний аналіз сучасних неологізмів

This study examines linguistic innovations on social media platforms, analyzing a corpus of over 50 recent neologisms collected between 2016 and 2024. It investigates these new terms' word formation processes, semantic domains, and sociolinguistic functions to understand how language shapes online communication. The methodology includes an analysis of each neologism: its formation process, semantic categorization, and sociolinguistic functions. The study shows that blending is the most prevalent word formation process (40%), followed by affixation (21%), compounding (17%), and abbreviation (6%). Semantic analysis identified five primary domains: user types/roles (23%), online behaviors/practices (38%), platform-specific features/trends (19%), psychological/social phenomena (13%), and content types (7%). The study displays the development of platform-specific language, showing how various social media ecosystems are a breeding ground for unique neologisms. Sociolinguistically, they serve functions such as in-group marking, commentary on digital culture, and determination of online/offline boundaries. This research contributes to our understanding of contemporary sociolinguistic processes by illustrating the swift linguistic evolution in online contexts and the role of language in creating digital identities and communities. It demonstrates how neologisms help users navigate and describe their online experiences while reflecting further integration of digital culture into everyday life. The results have implications for sociolinguistics and digital communication studies, showing the need for continued research into linguistic changes in online spaces and their potential impact on offline language use. The study emphasizes the importance of digital literacy in social media and provides practical insights into evolving online communication.