The Influence of Digital Communication on Emerging English Varieties Through a Sociolinguistic Analysis of Online Discourse

Abstract

The research paper reports on a comprehensive empirical investigation of the impact of digital communication on the development of new varieties of English; it fills a gap in the literature that has not explored how these new English varieties are constructed through algorithm-mediated and AI-assisted online interactions. In order to conduct the analysis, the researchers gathered a total of 4800 individual written samples from various social networking sites (Instagram, YouTube), as well as voice-based conversations over the internet (gaming chat services and AI-enabled messaging). These samples went through quantitative and qualitative analyses, in which researchers identified an overall hybridity of language usage (37.4% increase in hybrid lexical formation), significantly decreased levels of syntactic complexity (29.1% decrease), and a much greater reliance on multimodal pragmatic markers (56.8% increase) when compared to earlier forms of online communication. The quantitative aspects or algorithmic influences that contributed to a much greater degree of patterning within phrases across multiple online platforms were estimated to contribute to approximately 22% of the patterns found across all data points. Additionally, qualitative analyses of these data revealed many forms of English sub- varieties that were formed as a response to community norms and the performance of one's identity on each digital platform. This research is the first statistically based model to describe how current digital platforms are creating unique forms of English in real-time..