FEATURES OF THE USE OF FRENCH YOUTH SPEECH IN SOCIAL MEDIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17721/2663-6530.2026.50.62-69Keywords:
French youth speech, les parlers jeunes, sociolinguistics, digital communication, social media, verlan, argot, neologisms, linguistic variationAbstract
Language is a fundamental element that evolves alongside society, particularly in the context of rapid technological change. Today, it is difficult to imagine everyday life without various digital devices that have significantly optimized communication practices, facilitated access to information resources, and created new opportunities for intercultural and international interaction. The rapid development of digital technologies and social media has substantially influenced the nature of contemporary communication, especially among young people.
While French youth speech previously functioned mainly in oral communication and local social communities, it is now actively used in the digital environment, where it acquires new forms of realization and dissemination. Online platforms have become not only a means of communication but also a space for recording, transforming, and popularizing linguistic innovations. In this context, particular attention should be paid to les parlers jeunes (French youth speech), which combines traditional elements of verlan and argot with new digital language practices and demonstrates a high degree of linguistic variability.
In the digital environment, youth speech represents one of the most dynamic sources of language change. The active use of verlan, contemporary argot, neologisms, Anglicisms, and various abbreviations reflects young people's desire for linguistic creativity, expressiveness, and self-expression. Social media facilitate the rapid dissemination of new lexical units and expand their use beyond specific youth communities.
Particular attention is given to contemporary sociolinguistic approaches to the study of youth speech and to research on computer-mediated communication. The article examines the main theoretical approaches to the interpretation of the concept of les parlers jeunes, as well as the role of verlan, argot, and lexical innovations in shaping the linguistic identity of contemporary French youth. Special consideration is given to the influence of the digital environment on the development and dissemination of youth language practices in social media.
The article analyzes the main sociolinguistic and communicative approaches to the study of French youth speech in the digital environment and summarizes contemporary scholarly views on the peculiarities of its functioning in social media.
The findings of the study make it possible to consider French youth speech as a dynamic sociolinguistic phenomenon that actively adapts to new communicative conditions and reflects contemporary processes of linguistic variation, neologization, and the digitalization of language.
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