Epistemology of Meaning in Digital Arabic: A Cognitive Semantic Analysis of Lexical Meaning Shifts in Social Media

Abstract

The proliferation of social media has driven a significant transformation in the use of the Arabic language, particularly at the level of lexical meaning. This article aims to examine the epistemology of meaning in digital Arabic through a cognitive semantic analysis of shifts in the meanings of Arabic vocabulary as used on social media platforms. The study adopts a qualitative-descriptive approach, employing cognitive semantic analysis as its primary method, with a focus on linguistic data collected from various Arabic-language social media platforms. The data are analyzed by identifying patterns of semantic expansion, narrowing, shift, and metaphorization that emerge within digital communication contexts. The discussion demonstrates that changes in the meanings of Arabic lexical items are influenced not only by internal linguistic factors but also by cognitive, social, and cultural dimensions that shape how speakers perceive and represent digital reality. The findings reveal that social media functions as a new epistemic space in which meaning is reconstructed through collective experience, novel conceptualizations, and multimodal interaction. In conclusion, the evolution of Arabic lexical meaning on social media reflects the epistemological dynamics of contemporary Arabic, wherein meaning is inherently flexible, context-dependent, and cognitively constructed by its speech community within digital environments