Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Advanced Research in Social Sciences
Year: 2024
DOI:
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Digital Evolution: Exploring the Impact of Social Media on Local Dialects and Lexicon; An Examination of Central Kurdish Language
Shokhan Anwar Hassan Al-Jaf, Dr. Khoshi Anwer Hasan Al-Jaf, Mezin Hesen
ABSTRACT:
In the early 21st century, social media (SM) has had a widespread impact on various facets of human life, including politics and culture. Language, as a fundamental component, has undergone significant transformation due to the influence of SM over the past two decades. The Kurdish community in Iraqi Kurdistan is one such group that regularly engages with and relies on these platforms. High levels of unemployment in Iraq have led to a substantial portion of the population turning to SM as users. Social media platforms (SMPs) are utilized by a diverse range of users worldwide, regardless of factors such as age, gender, education, or professional background. This study focuses on examining the influence of SM on Kurdish local dialects, investigating its impact on vocabulary evolution and the ongoing endeavor to standardize a central dialect—a persistent challenge that has intrigued scholars for decades. The research employs a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, incorporating experimental approaches and questionnaires. Data collection encompasses demographic and geographical factors to ensure diversity across age, education, gender, and usage patterns on these platforms. The findings of the data analysis confirm that certain local vocabularies have been replaced with standardized equivalents. As a result, these local dialects are converging to form a unified central dialect, leading to the evolution of a standardized Kurdish Central Language.
keywords: Language and Socil Media, vocabularies, central Kurdish dialect, language development