LINGUISTIC SOVEREIGNTY IN VIRTUAL SPACE: LANGUAGE ECOSYSTEM, PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

Against the backdrop of globalization and digital transformation in the modern era, linguistic sovereignty has become a strategic cybersecurity issue, extending beyond the traditional paradigm of state security. As languages migrate from physical space to virtual ecosystems, national languages face the hegemonic influence of global tech giants, and, especially in the case of dominant languages, artificial intelligence systems. The lack of high-quality text corpora and natural language processing technologies for national languages in virtual environments leads to linguistic asymmetries in artificial intelligence systems, thereby limiting the functionality of national languages on digital platforms. Protecting linguistic sovereignty in the digital environment is crucial to ensuring the functional existence and sociocultural sustainability of national languages. This article analyzes the functional independence and sustainability of languages in the context of the digital ecosystem, identifying the key aspects of linguistic sovereignty. Conceptual approaches to ensuring and developing linguistic sovereignty in the digital environment are analyzed, and a multi-level model of linguistic sovereignty in this context is proposed. The main threats to linguistic sovereignty in the virtual space are identified, and the need to develop an ecosystem of national languages to address them is emphasized. The possibilities and key components of developing a language ecosystem on a digital government platform are identified. Recommendations are provided for expanding the functionality of national languages in the digital space and ensuring digital sovereignty. The development of a sustainable ecosystem of the Azerbaijani language on a digital government platform is proposed as a promising direction.