Lexical Borrowing in Novelists’ X (Twitter) Accounts

The phenomenon of language extensions developed to fulfill community communication demands has led to an increase in lexical borrowing, where words from one language are adopted by another. Lexical borrowing is a rich source of linguistic growth, and as highlighted by Grant (2014), it is the most common form of contact-induced language change. This study explores the lexical borrowings in the tweets of prominent Indonesian novelists Fiersa Besari, Dewi Lestari, and Ika Natassa on X (formerly Twitter). Using a descriptive qualitative method, data were collected in the form of words from their tweets. Drawing on Hockett's (1958) classification, the study identifies two main types of borrowing: loanwords and loan blends. Loanwords, like "pilot" and "manual," are borrowed with minimal modifications, while loan blends, like "tiket" and "kapten," combine elements from both English and Indonesian. These findings reflect broader linguistic and cultural shifts in digital discourse and demonstrate how novelists creatively integrate foreign elements into their language. This study contributes to the understanding of how foreign words are adapted and localized in modern Indonesian communication, particularly within social media platforms like X, where communication is rapid and widespread.