FROM TEXTING TO TALKING HOW GEN ZERS AND GEN ALPHAERS ARE RESHAPING ENGLISH COMMUNICATION

Abstract

Needless to say, several factors, such as cultural changes, technical development, mass media, and web-based social platforms, have always changed English. Consequent upgrades in the digital age made Gen Zs and Gen Alphaers reshape English with major changes. The unique characteristics of contemporary generations’ English—including slang and abbreviations (LOL, BRB, GOAT), emojis and GIFs as nonverbal communications, the impact of internet culture and memes, and spelling and grammar in digital discourse are investigated in this study. Particularly, while these changes in the informal context indicate expressiveness and efficiency in communication, the very changes are not considered suitable for professional and intergenerational communication. Certain academicians and linguists believe that some of these language changes might fade away over time while others could remain in use among the generations to come. Language teachers, linguists, and academicians should learn the emergence patterns of English so that they can both understand what this generation’s population speaks and resolve problems that may arise in the at tempt to prevent the language.