NEOLOGISMS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA – MORPHO-SEMANTIC ANALYSIS

Abstract

The thesis paper is set against the premise of technological advancement in the past years where the internet based communication and its connected and corresponding effect it has on the English language and vocabulary. World known linguist David Crystal had once expressed his belief that the internet usage would be the trend which will have the greatest impact on the English language in the 21 st century. The daily use of the Internet and as of recently the massive use of social media platforms and easy to access technologies such as smart phones, have truly shaped the way we communicate, which contributes to the development of a whole new variety that defines culture as it is today. This study will therefore focus on the social media platforms, and will reveal the new words that have sprung as a result of the social media platforms use. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have attracted millions of English and non-English speaking users who connect and communicate on the platforms, using computers and smart phones and other mobile devices. This vast use of social media on daily basis has largely expanded and enriched the English vocabulary. This internet mediated communication provides a vast resourceful database for language researchers as well as English language learners. This thesis will focus on the Neologisms which had been created on social media platforms and used under the influence of the social media platforms, which in many ways affects the individual users of internet in terms of communication and vocabulary. This study would suggest that the most frequently occurring word formation processes of social media neologisms are: blending, compounding, semantic extension, acronyming and coinage. Thus, the primary purpose of this study is to investigate the neologisms from social media platforms into the lexical system of Modern English and reveal the trends that are taking place within the processes of their formation and meaning. Key words: social media platforms, neologisms, vocabulary, language research, etc.