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Chinese-English code-mixing among China's netizens

Chinese-English mixed-code communication is gaining popularity on the Internet

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 September 2012

Wei Zhang
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Extract

One of the most fascinating aspects of Chinese English in the contemporary age is the growing practice of code-mixing on China's Internet. This study uses participant observation to explore the ‘mixing’ practices of Chinese netizens in online social networking communities, by focusing on code-mixing in domains of government administration, pop culture and social interaction. The results of the study suggest that a mixed-code variety of Chinese English is gaining popularity in China's homegrown social networks. For the young generation in mainland China, ‘mixing’ has become part of their everyday communication practices as they build multicultural identities, transform the traditional social relationships and practice their social responsibilities, using new communication technologies as well as their linguistic and cultural repertoires.

Type
Original Article
Information
English Today , Volume 28 , Issue 3 , September 2012 , pp. 40 - 52
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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