UKRAINIAN LANGUAGE IN THE CONDITIONS OF DIGITAL COMMUNICATION: TRENDS, CHANGES, PROSPECTS

Abstract

The article presents a theoretical and analytical study of the impact of digitalization on the structure and functioning of the Ukrainian language in modern communicative practices. The focus is on identifying common and divergent characteristics of the “print” and “digital” eras as sociocultural paradigms of communication. It is confirmed that the print era contributed to the centralization and standardization of language practices, while the digital era stimulates decentralization, openness, and increased variability of communicative behavior. The study outlines the impact of computer-mediated communication on linguistic processes in the Ukrainian language. The structural, semantic, and stylistic features of language use in the online environment are analyzed, which made it possible to identify dominant development trends. The most dynamic transformations are recorded at the lexical level, where active borrowings and the formation of semantic and morphological neologisms are traced. Changes in the syntactic organization of utterances are also characterized, driven primarily by the communicative demand for linguistic economy and accelerated information exchange. Non-standard punctuation practices, frequent use of graphic markers, and creative manipulation of written norms are interpreted as manifestations of expressiveness, emotionality, and democratization in digital discourse. The analysis emphasizes the multimodal nature of electronic texts that integrate verbal, visual, and hypertextual components into a single communicative structure. The study identifies and characterizes the signs that signal the formation of a digital language norm. This norm does not replace the codified literary standard; rather, it coexists with it in a dynamic relationship. The digital norm reflects the speed, openness, emotional richness, and polyphonic nature of communication in the digital era. The conclusions emphasize that digitalization should not be viewed as a threat to the Ukrainian language. On the contrary, it expands the functional spheres of the Ukrainian language, increases the linguistic awareness of society, and demonstrates the high adaptability of the language to technological and communicative transformations while preserving its national and cultural identity.