The rapid development of information technologies has led to the emergence of new spheres of human activity, which, in turn, has given rise to new concepts and terms. These processes are particularly intense in the field of computer science, where new gadgets, programs, and services are created daily—each requiring appropriate naming. The new linguistic units that emerge at the intersection of technology and language practice are referred to as cyberneologisms. This linguistic phenomenon is considered one of the most relevant subjects of modern humanities, as it necessitates an interdisciplinary approach to its study, bringing together the efforts of linguists, sociologists, psychologists, educators, and other specialists.
In the context of the information society, characterized by dynamic technological advancement, language undergoes profound transformations. One of the most noticeable manifestations of these changes is the emergence of new lexical units related to the digital world. Cyberneologisms not only reflect new phenomena but also actively shape the worldview of the modern user, influencing their perception of reality, thinking patterns, and communicative behavior.
The relevance of studying cyberneologisms is determined by several factors: the globalization of the digital space, which promotes the spread of English terminology as a tool of intercultural communication; the rapid pace of IT development, which demands constant updates to a language’s lexical stock; the strong influence of English on the lexical and grammatical systems of other languages; and the social consequences
of linguistic change, which manifest in the fields of education, culture, and social interaction.
The dissertation is devoted to a comprehensive study of English-language cyberneologisms as one of the most dynamic layers of vocabulary shaped by information and communication technologies within contemporary internet discourse. The relevance of the research is determined by the globalizing transformations of society, the rapid development of the digital environment, and the dominance of the English language in network-based communication. Cyberneologisms emerging in the digital sphere serve not only as means of naming new technological realities but also as markers of profound sociocultural shifts.
The aim of the dissertation is to identify the linguistic characteristics, structural and semantic features, and functional roles of English-language cyberneologisms within modern internet discourse. The research focuses on word-formation models, types of lexical innovation, frequency and contextual functioning of neologisms, as well as the specifics of their representation in the Ukrainian communicative space.
The theoretical foundation of this study is based on the works of both domestic and international linguists in the fields of neology, internet linguistics, discourse studies, sociolinguistics, and translation studies. An interdisciplinary approach has been employed, combining methods of structural, semantic, contrastive, discourse, corpus, and statistical analysis.
The material for analysis consisted of texts from contemporary English-language internet discourse, as well as Ukrainian-language publications that include translations or adaptations of cyberneologisms. The research corpus was compiled from analytical, journalistic, and blog texts available in the open digital space. For the processing of textual data, specialized platforms such as Sketch Engine and Voyant Tools were used, enabling in-depth frequency and collocational analysis.
Particular attention is given to the most productive word-formation models involved in the creation of English-language cyberneologisms: affixation, compounding, contamination (telescoping), abbreviation, and conversion. The study identifies the specifics of new lexical units formed on the basis of core terms such as «smartphone»,
«AI», «tablet» and «cloud», which serve as central elements of lexical-semantic fields. It is demonstrated that such lemmas generate derivative vocabulary with high frequency and a broad functional range.
The dissertation analyzes sociolinguistic factors that influence the active integration of cyberneologisms into language use, including age stratification, professional specialization, level of digital competence, and media consumption. Special attention is given to stylistic variability and the pragmatic functions of new terms across different discourse types—informative, journalistic, advertising, and educational.
The study also addresses the issue of translating English-language cyberneologisms in the Ukrainian media space.
