Sociolinguistic projects of the "Language Unit of the Year" type: categorization and dynamics of development

Introduction. The paper provides a complex system analysis of sociolinguistic projects of the "Language Unit of the Year" type in various linguistic cultures. There are several studies related to the topic of sociolinguistic "Word of the Year" projects, which focus on the activation of lexical and thematic groups within the calendar year. The relevance of this study is based on the lack of scientific papers that provide a comprehensive understanding of socio-cultural projects aimed at identifying the mechanisms and priorities of linguistic reflection through other semantic units. The purpose of the study is to record projects initiated by different countries in the period from 1971, the launch of the first project in Germany, to the present, to identify regularities and notable differences. The novelty of the research lies in the consideration of these sociolinguistic projects in a broader scope of linguistic cultures and the analysis of various semiotic units reflecting the influence of extralinguistic processes on linguistic consciousness.

Materials and Methods. A critical analysis of databases and official pages of project sites was carried out, scientific publications and news articles of online publications were studied. The research used the methods of observation, comparison, generalization, analysis, synthesis and interpretation of data.

Analysis. The regularities and distinguishing features of the development of the "Word of the Year" projects in the media discourse are studied. The projects under the study are systematized by languages, countries, and periods of implementation, the venues for posting information about the projects are identified and the organizations implementing the projects as well as their goals pursued are discovered.

Results. The study has allowed us to record 71 projects of the "Language Unit of the Year" type, which have been carried out since the second half of the XX till the first decades of the XXI century in 29 countries of Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa and Australia in 21 languages of the world. A meaningful change in the interest vector of the public, media actors and researchers towards other semiotic units, like gestures, hieroglyphs, numbers, emoji, and memes, has been revealed.

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