Neologisms in Chinese Internet Discourse

Abstract

This article is devoted to identifying the features of Chinese neologisms in Internet communication. The relevance of this study is motivated by the increasing interest of linguists in the influence of the Internet and information technology on the Chinese language. The study of Chinese Internet vocabulary allows you to identify the features of the Chinese language at the phonetic, lexical and grammatical levels. The object of this work is Internet neologisms, which are very popular among Chinese netizens, the subject of the study is the ways of forming new words in Chinese Internet communication, the causes of the appearance of neologisms and their social functions.  The material of the study was the Internet neologisms selected by the continuous sampling method, which are common in Chinese social networks. As a result of the analysis, the main reasons for the formation of neologisms in Chinese Internet discourse are identified: a) the emergence of new realities as a result of social changes; b) the spread of communication platforms; c) foreign cultural influence; d) increased government control over the Internet. The features and methods of formation of Internet neologisms are defined: abbreviation, combination of various graphic elements (numbers, hieroglyphs and Latin letters), phonetic borrowing, expansion of the meanings of existing words by their metaphorical use, etc. The social functions of Internet vocabulary and its influence on the development of the Chinese language are summarized.