Introduction
This essay explores the pervasive infiltration of English loanwords, or anglicisms, into everyday Croatian speech, driven by the forces of globalisation and digitalisation. With a particular focus on the language practices of Croatian youth aged 15–25, the study aims to determine the extent to which English terms are used despite the availability of Croatian equivalents. It examines phenomena such as anglicisms, hybrid forms like “Chinglish” (Croatian-English mixing), and emerging acronyms in the context of social media discourse for the hypothetical years of 2025 and 2026. Drawing on theoretical concepts of linguistic interference, this essay also considers the prestige of English, technological advancements, and the lack of timely Croatian terminology for digital phenomena as key drivers of this trend. Through content analysis of social media posts, the essay tests the hypothesis that young people predominantly use anglicisms to express emotions and digital actions. Ultimately, this work seeks to shed light on the implications of such linguistic shifts for the Croatian language and identity in a rapidly globalising world.
Context: Globalisation and Digitalisation as Catalysts for Anglicisms
Globalisation has significantly reshaped linguistic landscapes worldwide, with English emerging as the dominant lingua franca, particularly in domains like technology, entertainment, and youth culture. In Croatia, this influence is especially evident in the intensified penetration of English words into everyday speech, a process accelerated by digitalisation. The internet, social media platforms, and streaming services expose Croatian youth to a constant stream of English content, fostering familiarity with terms that often lack direct Croatian equivalents at the time of their introduction. For instance, words like “story” (used on platforms like Instagram) or “ghosting” (a term for abruptly ending communication) are adopted wholesale due to their succinctness and cultural resonance, even when Croatian alternatives exist or are later proposed by linguistic authorities such as the Institute for Croatian Language and Linguistics (IHJJ).
Moreover, digitalisation has created a new lexicon tied to technological advancements. Terms like “app,” “download,” or “stream” often enter Croatian discourse unadapted because the pace of innovation outstrips the development of native terminology. This phenomenon is not unique to Croatia but is particularly pronounced in smaller language communities where resources for linguistic adaptation may be limited. As Filipović (1990) argues, smaller languages often face challenges in maintaining linguistic purity under the pressure of a dominant global language like English, a trend that continues to intensify in the 21st century.
Theoretical Framework: Linguistic Interference and Cultural Influences
Linguistic interference, or the influence of one language on another due to contact, is central to understanding the adoption of English terms in Croatian. This can manifest in two forms: loanwords (usvojenice) and foreign words (tuđice). Loanwords are adapted to Croatian phonology and orthography, such as “haker” (from “hacker”), which aligns with Croatian spelling and pronunciation rules. In contrast, foreign words remain unadapted, retaining their original English form, as seen with “story” or “ghosting.” According to Vidan (2015), the distinction reflects varying levels of integration into the host language, with unadapted forms often signaling prestige or modernity among speakers, particularly younger generations.
The causes of this linguistic shift are multifaceted. Firstly, English carries significant cultural prestige as the language of global media, science, and technology, making its adoption a marker of cosmopolitanism among Croatian youth. Secondly, technological development frequently outpaces the creation of Croatian equivalents for new concepts, leaving a semantic gap that English terms fill. For example, while the IHJJ suggests “dijeliti” as an alternative to “share” in digital contexts, the anglicised hybrid “shareati” remains popular due to its informal, youth-centric appeal. Finally, the lack of timely native terminology often results in the permanent entrenchment of anglicisms, as initial adoption becomes habitual before alternatives are widely disseminated (Pranjković, 2008).
Methodology: Analysing Social Media Discourse
To explore the usage of anglicisms among Croatian youth, this study proposes a content analysis of 50–100 social media posts from platforms like Instagram and TikTok, focusing on users aged 15–25 in the projected years of 2025 and 2026. Social media serves as a naturalistic setting for observing contemporary language use, especially among young people who are prolific digital communicators. Posts will be selected based on criteria such as the presence of anglicisms, hybrid forms, and acronyms, with attention to context (e.g., emotional expression or digital actions).
The hypothesis posits that Croatian youth predominantly use anglicisms to articulate emotions and describe digital interactions, such as “shareati” (to share) or “lajkati” (to like), due to the perceived expressiveness and trendiness of English-derived terms. Data will be coded to categorise instances of adapted versus unadapted forms and to identify patterns in their usage, such as whether they correlate with specific emotional or technological contexts. While actual data collection for 2025–2026 is not possible at present, this methodological framework offers a robust approach to future research into evolving linguistic trends.
Results and Key Findings: Language Mixing and Digital Innovations
Although empirical data for 2025–2026 is speculative at this stage, predictable patterns can be inferred from current trends. One notable phenomenon is the literal translation of English phrases into Croatian, often resulting in unnatural expressions. For instance, the phrase “to čini smisao” (a direct calque of “it makes sense”) is occasionally used instead of the idiomatic Croatian “to ima smisla.” Such errors highlight the depth of English interference, as speakers internalise foreign syntactic structures alongside vocabulary.
Another anticipated finding is the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) terminology on everyday language. As AI tools become integral to digital life, terms like “prompt” (input instruction for AI) and “output” (AI-generated result) are likely to gain traction among tech-savvy youth, often without adaptation due to their specificity and global standardisation. This mirrors earlier waves of technological vocabulary adoption, where precision and universality trumped linguistic purism (Hudeček and Mihaljević, 2015). Indeed, the intersection of AI and language use represents a frontier for linguistic research, as it introduces terminology at a pace that challenges traditional adaptation processes.
Conclusion
In summary, this essay has explored the significant impact of globalisation and digitalisation on the Croatian language, particularly among youth aged 15–25. The pervasive adoption of English loanwords, both adapted and unadapted, reflects not only practical needs—such as filling lexical gaps for digital phenomena—but also cultural dynamics, including the prestige associated with English. While phenomena like “Chinglish” and literal translations reveal the complexities of linguistic interference, emerging AI terminology underscores the ongoing evolution of language in response to technology. The proposed methodological framework of social media content analysis offers a viable path for future research into language trends in 2025 and 2026. Ultimately, these linguistic shifts raise important questions about the balance between global integration and the preservation of Croatian linguistic identity, a tension that warrants further scholarly attention and public policy consideration.
References
- Filipović, R. (1990) Anglicizmi u hrvatskom ili srpskom jeziku: porijeklo, razvoj, značenje. Zagreb: JAZU.
- Hudeček, L. and Mihaljević, M. (2015) Hrvatski jezik u digitalno doba. Zagreb: Institut za hrvatski jezik i jezikoslovlje.
- Pranjković, I. (2008) Hrvatski jezik i jezična politika. Zagreb: Disput.
- Vidan, A. (2015) ‘Linguistic Borrowing and Purism in Croatian’, Journal of Croatian Studies, 46-47, pp. 23-40.
