Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Youth linguistic practices are performative registers rather than distinct languages or varieties. Emerging in the transitional life stage between childhood and adulthood, these practices are closely tied to identity formation, resistance to authority, and social differentiation. Rather than being uniform varieties, they are dynamic practices, marked by innovation, ambiguity, and stylistic manipulation. Ecological approaches, grounded in the observation of spontaneous interaction, reveal how youth use language to navigate peer networks, mark group boundaries, and express different personae. Common features include lexical creativity, overlexicalization in certain semantic domains, and performative delivery, often reinforced through gesture, intonation, and visual styling. Examples of youth linguistic practices in four different countries are discussed. As elements of these practices have gained visibility in media and are appropriated for broader social use, they have acquired new social meanings and symbolic value. In the current era of global digital communication, youth linguistic practices are increasingly influenced by online trends and transnational communities. These developments call for renewed attention and different approaches in examining how language use among youth reflects shifting power dynamics, social alignments, identities, and language change more broadly.</jats:p>