WHEN LOL REPLACES GRAMMAR: THE RISE OF INFORMAL DIGITAL ENGLISH

Аннотация

The rise of digital communication has dramatically reshaped the English language, giving birth to a new, informal written register commonly referred to as “Digital English .” This article explores how chat language, SMS-style writing, and vlog-influenced discourse have led to the erosion of conventional grammatical norms in favor of speed, creativity, and emotional expressiveness. The study examines lexical innovations, syntactic simplifications, and the emergence of multimodal features such as emojis and acronyms (e.g., "LOL", "BRB", "idk "). The research also considers the socio-cultural implications of this shift and whether it threatens traditional literacy or signals a new evolution in linguistic expression. The findings suggest that while informal digital English challenges prescriptive norms, it also reflects a dynamic and adaptive linguistic ecosystem.