Lugemissujuvust

Lugemissujuvust is a linguistic concept that was introduced in 2021 by Dr. Vahe Mardekian of the University of Yerevan. The term is derived from the Armenian words “lugemi” (reading) and “sjuvust” (to join), and it describes a specific form of code‑switching that occurs during rapid text-based communication. In lugemissujuvust, a speaker switches from one language to another within a single utterance in a way that maintains grammatical cohesion, often by inserting loanword morphemes that carry both semantic and syntactic load.

The phenomenon is most frequently observed in bilingual communities where the languages in contact are typologically dissimilar, such as in areas of the Caucasus, parts of Southeast Asia and among migrant populations in North America. Researchers have documented lugemissujuvust in online forums, mobile messaging, and informal spoken exchanges, noting that it serves functions of identity, intimacy and stylistic emphasis.

Related linguistic terms include interlanguage shift, contact phonology and lexicalization. Empirical studies suggest that lugemissujuvust can raise processing efficiency for bilingual speakers, reducing the cognitive load of mental translation. However, critics argue that its popularity is tied to digital communication technologies and that it may be a transient signal rather than a stable grammatical category. Overall, lugemissujuvust highlights how modern communication technologies accelerate the emergence of new linguistic patterns in multilingual contexts.