LEXICAL BORROWING DYNAMICS IN VIRTUAL LINGUISTIC COMMUNITIES OF LESSER-STUDIED LANGUAGES

In the contemporary era of globalization, the study of language contact has gained renewed significance. With the proliferation of digital technologies and the rise of social media, minority and lesser-studied languages have found new spaces of expression and interaction. Virtual linguistic communities—online forums, social media groups, and digital chat platforms—offer fertile grounds for observing how speakers of minority languages navigate the linguistic pressures of dominant global languages. These digital domains not only facilitate communication but also accelerate lexical borrowing processes, where words and expressions from global lingua francas such as English and Spanish enter local linguistic repertoires.