FROM DICTIONARY TO DIGITAL DISCOURSE: SEMANTIC INTERPRETATION IN CONTEMPORARY DIGITAL ENGLISH

The rapid development of social media transforms not only the language but also the meanings attached to familiar lexical items. The transformation takes place within and across languages. Words that carry stable dictionary definitions are increasingly being used in transformed semantic and pragmatic contexts within digital discourse. Expressions such as aura, lore, brainrot, coded and troll illustrate how existing English words can acquire extended, metaphorical, evaluative, or context-dependent meanings through contemporary online communication. This study examines the semantic interpretation of selected English words in digital discourse, focusing on the movement from dictionary meanings to transformed social-media meanings. Drawing on theories of semantic change, the study compares dictionary definitions with contemporary social-media discourse. A qualitative analysis of selected digital examples will be used to analyse recurring patterns of semantic transformation and to examine the communicative and cultural factors contributing to these changes, including memes, viral trends, popular culture, and rapid circulation across social media platforms. Rather than treating digital language as a source of new slang or neologisms, the study argues that social media also functions as a significant environment for the interpretation and expansion of existing lexical meanings. By tracing the relationship between conventional and digitally transformed meanings, the study contributes to the understanding of semantic change in contemporary English and demonstrates how meaning remains dynamic within changing communicative environments.