Emerging Abbreviations in English Twitter/X Discourse: Linguistic Patterns and Functions

Abstract

This article presents a corpus study of the structural and functional features of abbreviations in English Twitter/X discourse as manifestations of innovative transformations in social media language. The relevance of the study is determined by the need for systematic study of linguistic innovations in digital communication, which form new conventions of literacy and reflect the adaptation of language to the technological limitations of platforms. Based on a corpus of 500 English-language tweets analyzed using Voyant Tools, the mechanisms of formation, patterns of distribution, and pragmatic functions of abbreviations in contexts typical for this platform are investigated. The research methodology includes analysis of frequency, distribution, and context, which allows us to identify systematic patterns in the use of abbreviations. Functional analysis shows that abbreviations perform three main pragmatic functions: markers of epistemic modality, hedging devices that soften categorical statements, and indicators of in-group identity. The results of the study indicate the systematic nature of abbreviations in Twitter discourse and confirm the hypothesis of the formation of stable conventions of digital literacy, which are determined by the interaction between the technological limitations of the platform and the communicative needs of users. The study contributes to the understanding of language innovation processes in computer-mediated communication and demonstrates the effectiveness of corpus methodology in the study of digital discourse phenomena.