FEATURED NEOLOGISM:

One neologism that I find representative of our time is Smombie, a German blend of smartphone and zombie. It appeared around 2015 and describes a person walking while looking at their phone. Structurally, it is a portmanteau that captures digital distraction and changing social behaviour. It became widely known after being selected as Germany’s Jugendwort des Jahres.

I am a Lecturer at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, University of Tirana, Department of German Studies. My research focuses on language pedagogy, communicative competence, productive skills (speaking and writing), and linguistic transfer in the context of German as a foreign language. As a PhD candidate in linguistics, I examine lexical development, error analysis, and the interplay between neology, language learning processes, and digital communication. I am particularly interested in how lexical innovation emerges in learner language and how pedagogical approaches can support the acquisition and integration of new lexical items.