Buzzwords as reflection of transformational processes in English lexical system in 2020-2023

This article delves into the most prominent transformations of the English lexical system within the period of 2020-2023. These transformations, on the one hand, reflect the unprecedentedly rapid changes in today’s reality; on the other hand, they contribute to certain trend formation in the global public opinions and in a way stimulate social, political and economic processes due to information richness of the up-to-date media landscape, as well as the large-scale engagement of English speakers in global processes.

The present research analyses the changes that have been taking place in the lexical system of English business discourse as illustrated by the top words/phrases and buzzwords of 2020-2023 selected by the Global Language Monitor portal, the leading British, American and Australian dictionaries, including business lexis attributed to the language system. The article provides a comparative analysis of buzzwords discourse parameters observed at two stages of the said time period, i.e. 2020-2021 and 2022-2023. Besides, the authors look into:

- the new lexical units which have gained popularity at each of the two stages,

- the buzzwords that were popular in 2020-2021 but got out of active use in 2022-2023,

- the most productive word formation models of contemporary English.

In conclusion the authors outline the main evolutionary trends in the English lexical system and the evidence of anglophones’ frame shifting tendencies within the four year period.