The integration of English words in online communication in China

ABSTRACT

This article investigates how Chinese Internet users integrate English words syntactically and semantically into their Chinese online communication. ‘English words’ – English lexicons that are fully spelled out in Latin alphabets – appear more often in Chinese speakers’ online interactions than before. However, there are not many studies revealing this ongoing situation. By examining netizens’ asynchronous communication, the article reveals a holistic picture of the integration of ‘English words’ and draws on previous literature to infer the possible reasons behind it. These findings show that the most common English words that are borrowed are content words. Meanwhile, these words are semantically and syntactically integrated into Chinese, demonstrating that English words are creatively localized. Moreover, this study inspires future studies to examine the concluded findings in a broader context and within a longer period.

KEYWORDS:

• English words
• English nativization
• linguistic integration
• Chinese language
• World Englishes

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Dr Aya Matsuda for providing valuable feedback.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.