Linguistic Interpretation of Internet Catchwords of 2017

【Abstract】As technology develops， people are exposed to more Internet language， especially Internet catchwords， which according to Xia Meili （2016） are a typical group of linguistic items which are popular among all netizens. This study discusses the Internet catchwords of 2017 on its origins， implications， features， and social ground for their widespread and profound influence on peoples life.

【Key words】internet language； internet catchwords； linguistic features； social ground

【作者简介】杨海燕，华中师范大学。

1. Introduction

Recently， some authorities have researched on the Internet catchwords of 2017 such as the official report “Top 10 Internet Catchwords in 2017”. Why are these small linguistic entities so popular？ What kind of linguistic phenomenon do they reflect？ Based on catchwords of 2017， they will be discussed in detail.

2. Examples

“打call” originates from a Japanese term using to support idols. It is applied to the situation where people admire or show approval for something or someone. You can see it is frequently put into use， particularly by young generation on Sina Weibo. “尬聊” is derived from “尬舞”， which stems from American street-dance competition， here refers to embarrassed and awkward conversations. When one feels uncomfortable and bored chatting with another one， s/he considers it “尬聊”. Plus， “怼” in Xinhua Dictionary refers to grudge. In 2017， it is used to against somebody with words or actions. Nowadays youngsters tend to adopt more direct and sharp posture on things and people they do not approve. The word is endowed with such a strong stance that it manifests their youth.

3. Linguistic Features

3.1 Mixed with Chinese and English

3.1.1 Morphologically Pure Combination

Morphologically， there are three Chinese characters and one English word in the sentence “你有freestyle嗎”. Only when we combine them to one clause or sentence， whether the constituents are Chinese or English， they make sense in specific context. I call it pure morphological combination.

3.1.2 Semantically Loan Word

Semantically， “diss” and “羞辱” nearly refer to the same and both have negative meaning. “Diss” is an English slang word which originates from hip-hop culture. In 2017， Chinese people get closer to hip-hop owing to the broadcasting of the Rap of China， wherein it is common to see rappers diss each other.

3.1.3 Phonetically Sound Combination

“Book思议” emanates from Chinese idiom “不可思议”. Phonetically， English word book（/buk/） sounds similar to Chinese “不可”. It not only achieves phonological harmony， but also injects vigor into internet expressions.

3.2 Youngster-oriented

By June， 2017， China has Internet users of about 0.75 billion. Nearly 50% of the netizens are young people aged from 18-30. As Wardhaugh （2000） suggests， young people are usually the pioneers in the battlefield of language changes.

3.3 Productive

There are many ways of creating new ones， yet the most productive way is derivation. For example， the “尬” of “尬聊” is a derivative affix， a prefix. In this case， “尬” can collocate with words apart from “聊”， like “（尬）笑”， “（尬）歌”. Another is “你盡管xxx， xxx算我输”， a self- productive sentence. Self- productivity here means the catchwords ability of producing other catchwords by itself. “你尽管xxx， xxx算我输” is considered a framework of the house， but what the decoration of house inside looks like and how it functions depend on what contents netizens put into.

4. Analysis

4.1 Social Phenomenon

Language is a social phenomenon， thus its rise and fall depends on social development. Internet catchwords are a social phenomenon because Internet has penetrated into every corner of our real world and cannot be separate from each other. They are all from the concern about real world and embody opinions or stances on certain things.

4.2 Collectiveness of Internet Catchwords

Language is the result of social collective will and a spiritual product of social sharing. Netizens are sharing not only the same language style， but the feelings and emotions which make them convinced they belong to each other， and they are fighting together to make things happen. Then internet catchwords are all the rage. These catchwords increasingly turn into an internet carrier， which carries the thrills and pains of the masses， and gradually evolve into the public memory of the nation.

5. Conclusion

This study is done to provide a detailed description of Internet catchwords of 2017， since this particular language phenomenon has stretched out of the internet community to change peoples life pattern and language use. Thus exploring latest linguistic phenomena will inject new vitality into linguistics.

References：

[1]Crystal D.Language and the Internet[M].Cambridge：Cambridge University Press，2001.