Borrowing and Language Change in Contemporary Uzbek
Keywords:
Lexical borrowing, Uzbek sociolinguistics, language change, adaptation models, morphological integration.Abstract
This study explores the multi-layered phenomena of lexical borrowing and subsequent language change within contemporary Uzbek sociolinguistic contexts. Driven by rapid globalization, digital acceleration, and socio-economic shifts between 2025 and 2026, the Uzbek language is undergoing substantial structural and lexical transformations. By analyzing a compiled mini-corpus of media text, online communication, and academic discourse, this paper examines how foreign elements—predominantly English IT, financial, and subcultural terms—are integrated into the native agglutinative framework. The findings indicate a significant shift from historical Russian-mediated borrowing toward direct anglicization. These loanwords undergo systematic phonological, morphological, and semantic adaptations, reshaping everyday communication norms among the younger generation.
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