Linguistic Features of Podcasts in the Bulgarian Digital Ecosystem

This article examines the linguistic features of podcasts within the Bulgarian digital ecosystem. The podcasts and episodes analyzed were selected according to the theme, media type and creator, as well as the interactional behavior of podcast hosts and their guests. The corpus comprises 50 podcasts and 200 episodes spanning the period from January 2024 to June 2026. The research methodology adopts an interdisciplinary approach, necessitated by the multilayered and complex nature of the objects under study — Bulgarian podcasts – and encompasses linguistic, discourse, and visual analysis alongside cyberethnography. The study hypothesizes that podcast language is characterized by heterogeneity and dynamic development; podcast hosts and their guests express themselves clearly and frequently incorporate professional terminology and even jargon, alongside moderate elements of figurative language. The aim of the study is to establish podcasts within the Bulgarian digital ecosystem as a parallel, and indeed alternative, channel of communication. The linguistic analysis proceeded along four dimensions. The first focused on lexical features, the specific use of words and expressions, and adherence to or deviation from language norms. The second addressed the modes of dialogue and self-presentation employed by participants. The third examined the formulation of episode and podcast titles, as well as the verbal and visual means by which they are presented on social media. The fourth focused on the analysis of visual intertextuality as manifested in podcast logos and episode thumbnails.