The Influence of Social Media on Language Evolution: A Corpus-Based Study

Thesis Abstract

Abstract
This thesis investigates the influence of social media on language evolution through a corpus-based study. The rapid proliferation and widespread adoption of social media platforms have revolutionized the way people communicate, leading to significant shifts in language use and linguistic norms. This study aims to explore the impact of social media on language evolution by analyzing a diverse range of digital text data collected from various social media platforms. Chapter one provides an introduction to the research topic, discussing the background of the study, problem statement, objectives, limitations, scope, significance, structure of the thesis, and key definitions of terms. Chapter two presents a comprehensive literature review, covering ten key themes related to social media, language use, and language evolution. Chapter three outlines the research methodology employed in this study, detailing the data collection process, corpus compilation, linguistic analysis techniques, and tools used for data processing. The chapter also discusses the sampling methods, data analysis procedures, and ethical considerations in conducting research on social media language data. In chapter four, the findings of the corpus-based analysis are presented and discussed in detail. The chapter examines patterns of language change, linguistic innovations, and emerging trends in language use observed in the social media data. The analysis also explores the influence of social media on vocabulary, syntax, discourse patterns, and language variation. Finally, chapter five provides a conclusion and summary of the key findings of the study. The conclusion highlights the implications of the research findings for understanding language evolution in the digital age and offers insights into the dynamic relationship between social media and language change. The study contributes to the growing body of research on digital discourse and language evolution, shedding light on the transformative impact of social media on contemporary communication practices and linguistic diversity. Keywords social media, language evolution, corpus-based study, digital discourse, linguistic analysis, language change, communication practices.