THE EVOLUTION OF LANGUAGE IN THE DIGITAL AGE: THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL NETWORKS ON THE ROMANIAN LANGUAGE
THE EVOLUTION OF LANGUAGE IN THE DIGITAL AGE: THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL NETWORKS ON THE ROMANIAN LANGUAGE

Summary/Abstract: Technological transformations in the last two decades have profoundly changed communication practices and language dynamics, leading to the emergence of new forms of expression adapted to the digital environment. Social networks have become privileged spaces for the manifestation of linguistic change, influencing both the lexical level and the morphosyntactic, pragmatic and discursive structures of the Romanian language. The present study aims to analyze the impact of digital communication on the Romanian language from the perspective of digital linguistics, sociolinguistics and discourse analysis. The research follows the main mechanisms through which the online environment facilitates the spread of Anglicisms, the emergence of digital neologisms, the development of the Romanian-English mixed code, the use of emojis and hashtags, as well as the semantic and pragmatic changes produced in virtual communication. Representative examples from platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp and X are analyzed, highlighting both the processes of lexical adaptation and the discursive strategies specific to computer-mediated communication. At the same time, the article discusses the advantages and limitations of these transformations, relating them to recent research in the field of digital linguistics and sociolinguistics. The results indicate that the digital environment does not represent a factor of language degradation, but a context favorable to the acceleration of linguistic change and the diversification of communication registers. The evolution of the Romanian language in the virtual space reflects complex processes of innovation, adaptation and identity negotiation, specific to the contemporary information society.

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