The Evolution of the French Language in the Digital Age

The study aimed to analyze the impact of digital technologies on the vocabulary and grammar of the French language in France and Azerbaijan. Content analysis methods were used to analyze texts published on social media (Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook), online forums (Reddit, Jeuxvideo.com, Doctissimo), blogs (Medium; Discourse, Language, and Society; French Today), and informal communication platforms (WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, YouTube, and Twitch). The main focus was on learning anglicisms, technical terms, words of internet culture, abbreviations, emojis, and slang expressions. The average frequency of use of new lexical items in France was 962.37 with a standard deviation of 180.00, while in Azerbaijan it was 778.19 with a standard deviation of 167.60. The results of the Student’s t-test (t = 4.10, p = 0.00013) confirmed statistically significant differences between the two groups. The correlation analysis demonstrated that abbreviations and emojis are more actively used in France, especially on social media, while in Azerbaijan, they are more often limited to informal chats. The differences identified include a more active use of anglicisms and simplified grammatical constructions in France, as well as partial adaptation of new words to local language norms in Azerbaijan. The results of the study demonstrate the processes of lexical and grammatical updating of the French language in the digital environment in greater detail and can be used for further research on language adaptation in different cultural contexts.