TOPICS

Background of the study
Digital neologisms have become a defining feature of online communication, reflecting the rapid pace of cultural and social change. In Nigeria, Twitter hashtag movements have emerged as influential platforms for lexical innovation. Users employ hashtags not only to categorize content but also to coin new words and expressions that encapsulate evolving social and political sentiments (Ibrahim, 2023). These neologisms often spread quickly, gaining...

Background of the study
Digital platforms have revolutionized the production and perception of speech, leading to significant phonological variation in online content. In Nigeria, TikTok and Instagram are popular for their unique approaches to audio communication. TikTok, known for its short-form videos and lip‑sync challenges, often features exaggerated and creative phonetic expressions, while Instagram incorporates audio in its stories and posts, blending natural spe...

Background of the study
Code‑switching, or the alternating between languages, is a dynamic and integral aspect of Nigerian digital discourse. On platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp, users frequently blend indigenous languages with English to navigate different social contexts and communicate identity (Ibrahim, 2023). Facebook, with its more public and formal nature, often sees a strategic mix of language use, while WhatsApp, being more personal and conversational, exh...

Background of the study
Morphological innovation in digital communication reflects the creative adaptation of language to new media formats. On Instagram, captions are a vital component where Nigerian users exhibit linguistic creativity by inventing new word forms, abbreviations, and hybrid structures (Ibrahim, 2023). These innovations often arise from the need to convey complex ideas succinctly within the platform’s visual and textual framework. The interplay of...

Background of the study
Online communication requires not only clear language but also effective use of pragmatic strategies to convey tone, emotion, and intent. In Nigeria, WhatsApp and Facebook serve as primary platforms where users employ diverse pragmatic markers—such as emojis, interjections, and informal expressions—to manage conversations and express attitudes (Ibrahim, 2023). WhatsApp messages, often personal and conversational, feature spontaneous...

Background of the study
Digital visual narratives have transformed language by merging imagery with textual expression, especially on platforms like Instagram. Nigerian users often craft innovative captions for Instagram Stories, blending traditional syntax with creative alterations that align with visual storytelling (Okafor, 2024). These captions frequently employ non-standard sentence structures, unique punctuation, and inventive word order to enhance the narrative...

Background of the study
social media has become a driving force behind linguistic change, particularly in dynamic societies like Nigeria. Platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are at the forefront of this transformation, where users actively shape language through interactive posts, comments, and multimedia content (Ibrahim, 2023). In Nigeria, these digital platforms facilitate the rapid spread of new expressions, idioms, and even grammatical constructions that refl...

Background of the study
Hashtag‑based neologisms have become an integral part of digital communication, particularly on Twitter, where they capture cultural trends and social movements. In Nigeria, users repurpose hashtags to coin new words and expressions that reflect current events and evolving social identities (Ibrahim, 2023). These neologisms often emerge rapidly, spreading virally through retweets and engagements. This study investigates the mechanisms behind has...

Background of the study
Twitter threads in Nigeria offer a unique glimpse into the evolving morphosyntactic practices that characterize digital communication. These threads—extended sequences of connected tweets—are a breeding ground for linguistic experimentation, where users adapt conventional grammar to suit the platform’s brevity and immediacy (Ibrahim, 2023). Nigerian Twitter users often modify sentence structures, utilize unconventional punctuat...

Background of the study
Digital communication in Nigeria is marked by its rich linguistic diversity, where code‑switching—the alternating between languages—is a common practice. WhatsApp group chats have emerged as vibrant spaces in which individuals effortlessly blend indigenous languages with English to express identity, emotion, and cultural nuance (Ibrahim, 2023). In these private digital communities, users employ code‑switching not only as a communicat...

Background of the study
Digital linguistic innovation has accelerated with the rise of social media, transforming how language evolves in real time. In Nigeria, Instagram and TikTok stand out as platforms where users actively engage in creative language practices. On Instagram, captions and comments often feature inventive wordplay, neologisms, and syntactic experimentation, while TikTok videos promote rapid, ephemeral expressions that frequently incorporate trending p...

Background of the study
Semantic networks represent the interconnected meanings that emerge from language use, and digital communication has transformed how these networks are formed. In Nigeria, platforms such as Facebook and Twitter serve as dynamic spaces where users create and modify semantic associations through their interactions. On Facebook, extended discussions and community engagement contribute to rich, multi-layered semantic webs, while Twitter’s brev...

Background of the study
Hashtag campaigns have become central to political and social mobilization on Twitter, and they are increasingly influencing language use in Nigeria. These campaigns encourage users to condense complex ideas into succinct, innovative expressions, resulting in modifications to morphosyntactic structures. Nigerian Twitter users creatively manipulate word order, punctuation, and grammatical constructions in response to hashtag-driven narratives (Ib...

Background of the study
Social media platforms have redefined the way language is articulated, with digital performance playing a crucial role in phonetic innovation. In Nigeria, TikTok lip‑sync videos have emerged as vibrant sites where users experiment with pronunciation, intonation, and rhythm. These videos often feature exaggerated speech patterns, creative sound manipulations, and stylistic alterations that deviate from traditional phonetic norms (Ibrahim, 2023)....

Background of the study
Hashtag neologisms have emerged as a distinctive feature of digital discourse, particularly on Twitter. In Nigeria, users employ hashtags not only for categorization but also to innovate linguistically by coining new words and expressions (Ibrahim, 2023). These neologisms often encapsulate cultural phenomena, social movements, and political sentiments, serving as dynamic markers of language evolution. The rapid spread and iterative modification...

Background of the study
Digital platforms provide fertile ground for morphosyntactic innovation as users adapt language to suit new communicative environments. Instagram, a visual-centric platform, encourages creativity not only in imagery but also in the accompanying text, known as captions. In Nigeria, Instagram captions often feature inventive word formations, unconventional syntax, and hybrid morphological structures that diverge from traditional linguistic norms (...

Background of the study
Online language use in Nigeria has evolved significantly with the advent of diverse social media platforms. WhatsApp and Facebook, in particular, have emerged as dominant channels for communication, each fostering unique linguistic practices. WhatsApp facilitates rapid, informal messaging that often incorporates colloquial expressions, abbreviations, and emoticons, while Facebook supports more formal, extended discussions enriched with multimedi...

Background of the study
Digital communication has dramatically reshaped linguistic practices, particularly in the domain of syntax. In Nigeria, Twitter threads have emerged as microcosms of language innovation, where users engage in extended, interconnected dialogues that challenge traditional syntactic norms. These thread structures encourage the use of unconventional punctuation, abbreviated sentence forms, and creative clause linkage, all of which contribute to a dy...

Background of the study
Viral social media trends, particularly through memes on Instagram, have become instrumental in driving linguistic innovation in Nigeria. Memes, as humorous and culturally resonant digital artifacts, often combine visual elements with creative text that challenges conventional language use (Okafor, 2024). Nigerian Instagram memes showcase inventive wordplay, neologisms, and syntactic creativity that reflect the dynamic interplay of global digita...

Background of the study
Semantic shifts in language are accelerated by digital communication, particularly through the use of political hashtags on Twitter. In Nigeria, Twitter serves as a platform for political discourse where hashtags become vehicles for semantic evolution. Political hashtags encapsulate complex socio-political sentiments, and over time, their meanings undergo transformation as users repurpose them to express new ideas (Ibrahim, 2023). This study inv...

Background of the study
Digital audio content has become a key dimension of modern communication, with platforms like TikTok and Instagram at the forefront of this evolution. In Nigeria, users on these platforms exhibit notable phonetic variations in their audio clips, employing creative alterations in pronunciation, intonation, and rhythm (Ibrahim, 2023). TikTok videos often feature exaggerated or stylized speech patterns, while Instagram audio trends reflect a blend...

Background of the study
Code‑mixing, the fluid alternation between languages within a conversation, is a prominent feature of Nigerian digital communication. WhatsApp group chats, in particular, provide a natural setting for code‑mixing due to their informal and interactive nature (Ibrahim, 2023). In these groups, users frequently blend indigenous languages with English, creating a distinctive hybrid discourse that reflects the country’s rich linguistic diversity...

Background of the study
Digital communication in Nigeria has spurred innovative morphosyntactic practices as users adapt language to suit online platforms. Facebook and Instagram, with their distinct modes of interaction, provide contrasting environments for language use. Facebook supports lengthy discussions with complex sentence structures, while Instagram favors succinct captions that often blend visual cues with abbreviated syntax (Okafor, 2024). This study examine...

Background of the study
Pragmatic markers—linguistic tools that signal tone, emotion, or attitude—are pivotal in managing digital conversations. In Nigerian social media, platforms like WhatsApp and Twitter exhibit distinct pragmatic behaviors due to differences in communication style and context (Ibrahim, 2023). WhatsApp messages often feature informal markers such as emojis, interjections, and fillers that facilitate personal communication, while Twitter...

Background of the study
Digital visual content has redefined language usage by blending images with text, and this interplay is especially prominent on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Nigerian users often create captions that accompany visual media, resulting in morphological innovations as traditional language is adapted to suit digital aesthetics (Okafor, 2024). Instagram captions tend to be reflective and narrative-driven, whereas TikTok captions are more dynam...