SEMANTIC SHIFTS IN SOCIAL NETWORK LEXICON: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ENGLISH AND UZBEK
Abstract
Social media platforms have accelerated semantic change in both English and Uzbek. This study identifies and classifies dominant semantic processes—narrowing, broadening, functional reinterpretation, and platform-specific specialisation—in social network lexicon, and maps how English-derived meanings are reproduced or transformed as they enter Uzbek. A multi-platform corpus (Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, TikTok; 2024–2026) forms the empirical base. Results show that English drives primary semantic innovation while Uzbek actively re-semantises incoming units through morphological integration and native-form competition. Platform context is decisive: the same formal unit may carry distinct dominant senses across platforms, and semantic change is bidirectional.