USING CORPORA TO STUDY NEOLOGISMS AND LEXICAL INNOVATION

Abstract

This article explores the role of corpus linguistics in the study of neologisms and lexical innovation in contemporary English. As language continuously adapts to social, technological, and cultural change, new words and meanings emerge to meet evolving communicative needs. Traditional methods of studying lexical change often rely on dictionaries and intuition, which may not accurately reflect real language use. In contrast, corpus-based approaches provide empirical evidence drawn from large collections of authentic texts. The study discusses how corpora are used to identify neologisms, analyse their frequency, contextual usage, and patterns of dissemination across different registers and time periods. It also examines how corpus data contributes to the analysis of broader lexical innovations, including semantic change and productive word-formation processes. Finally, the article highlights the advantages and limitations of corpus-based methods, arguing that despite certain challenges, corpora remain an indispensable tool for understanding lexical development in modern linguistics.