Linguistic Dynamics in the Post-Truth Era: Semantic Hijacking, Lexical Voids and Digital Semantic Reconfiguration in Bulgarian

Digital communication in the post-truth era creates conditions for lexical innovation, pragmatic refunctionalization, and semantic change, particularly in languages experiencing intensive contact with English. This study examines selected lexical and semantic developments in Bulgarian digital discourse during 2016–2026 through a qualitative analysis of 36 lexical units and 89 dated contextual records. Bulgarian provides a relevant case as a language that is not demographically endangered but remains comparatively under-resourced in computational linguistic infrastructures. Three potentially overlapping analytical categories are distinguished: Semantic Hijacking, involving the pragmatic refunctionalization of established expressions; Lexical Voids, concerning naming instability and lexical accommodation; and Digital Semantic Reconfiguration, describing the extension or reorganization of established semantic and referential configurations without implying lexical disappearance. The study introduces the Digital Living Dictionary (DLD) as a structured qualitative evidence resource linking dated contextual attestations, lexicographic references, and explicit analytical decisions to support transparent and revisable documentation of lexical developments. A pilot LingvoScanner workflow integrated CLASSLA-Stanza morphosyntactic annotations with manual lexicographic verification. The findings illustrate how digitally mediated lexical change encompasses not only new vocabulary but also shifts in communicative functions and extensions of established meanings. The proposed framework contributes to evidence-oriented linguistic documentation in comparatively under-resourced digital language contexts without claiming automated detection. Future research will focus on expanding the diachronic evidence base, introducing independent expert validation, and developing LingvoScanner toward continuous lexical monitoring of semantic change in Bulgarian.