The Impact of Social Media on Semantic Change in the Kurdish Language (The Local Bahdinî Dialect as sample)

Abstract

Semantic change is one of the most significant and dynamic phenomena in any language. It is a natural process occurring in all languages, where the meanings of words evolve over time. Like any other living language, Kurdish has been affected by waves of change, leading to shifts in the meanings of its vocabulary. This research, titled "The Impact of Social Media on Semantic Change in the Kurdish Language (The Local Bahdinî Dialect as sample)," examines words used on social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) that have undergone semantic Change. These changes are analyzed according to Stephen Ullmann’s classification of the forms of semantic change. The primary objective of this study is to identify the patterns of semantic change within the social media platforms of the local bahdinî dialect . The research follows a descriptive-analytical approach, utilizing Stephen Ullmann’s model to determine the types of semantic change. The key findings indicate that social media, as an influential factor in linguistic evolution, has significantly impacted semantic changes in the Kurdish language. These platforms have created a new environment for Kurdish, driving it toward modernization. Furthermore, the Kurdish language has demonstrated its ability to adapt to the digital era and the rapid technological transformations occurring globally. Social media has not only introduced new terms into the Kurdish lexicon but has also redefined the meanings of existing ones.

This research consists of two parts besides the introduction, conclusions and list of sources:

Part One: Entitled (Semantic Change) which includes the following topics, the concept of language change, as well as the concept of semantic change, characteristics of semantic change, stages of semantic change, this stage consists of (change stage, diffusion stage). These factors include social factors, linguistic factors, historical factors, psychological factors, necessity factors, the role of social networks in meaning change, social networks and meaning change in Kurdish.

The second part is a theoretical and practical part entitled (Methods of meaning change according to the model (Stephen Olman)) which consists of four methods: (meaning expansion, meaning narrowing, meaning increase, meaning decrease).