How does internet use influence Ukrainian spelling and literacy skills

Internet use influences Ukrainian spelling and literacy skills in several ways, particularly through exposure to informal digital language styles and foreign language influences. The rapid spread of internet slang, abbreviations, and non-standard spelling via social networks and messaging platforms contributes to changes in language use among younger generations. This sometimes leads to spelling errors, typos, and reduced adherence to traditional punctuation norms in Ukrainian writing. The evolution of internet language blurs the boundary between formal and informal language, impacting literacy skills.

Moreover, the influence of English and Russian loanwords through digital communication fosters code-switching and bilingual tendencies in Ukraine, complicating the pure Ukrainian orthographic tradition. This is observed alongside ongoing reforms and debates in official Ukrainian orthography aiming to preserve Ukrainian-centric spelling principles while adapting to new language realities shaped by digital communication and globalization.

The internet also serves as a platform for extensive language exposure, socialization, and self-expression, especially among teenagers, influencing their linguistic preferences, orthographic choices, and language habits. However, this influence is double-edged: it both facilitates language modernization and diversification and poses challenges to maintaining traditional spelling standards and overall literacy quality.

In summary, internet use in Ukraine plays a significant role in transforming Ukrainian spelling and literacy skills by introducing informal linguistic forms, foreign lexical elements, and new communicative practices, which together affect the language normativity and literacy culture. ^{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}

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