Language Change in Progress: Evidence from Computer mediated Communication

Gao Liwei (2008). "Language change in progress: evidence from computer-mediated communication". Proceedings of the North American Conference on Chinese Linguistics 20: 361–377. http://chinalinks.osu.edu/naccl-20/proceedings/19_gao_l.pdf.

3.2 The Sentential Features
One of the most conspicuous features of web sentences is that they are usually
relatively short and are used to express meanings in a concise and straightforward
manner. It is particularly so in regard to language used in chat rooms and on BBS’s. An
excerpt from an online chat in 14) below exemplifies this characteristic. Among the ten
sentences in this sample, there is only one complex sentence, 如果有机会我一定
送花给你 (‘If I have a chance, I’ll surely send you flowers.’). In addition, eight out of
these ten sentences consist of six or fewer words.


Web sentences also involve novel usages, which are usually represented by 1) a
change in sentence word order, 2) the use of sentence-final redundant words, 3) a change
in word category, 4) the use of an unusual sense of a word, and 5) the use of bound
morphemes as free morphemes. Some examples are given in 15-23) below. The sentences
in 15-16) involve a change in sentence word order. The sentences in 17-18) feature the
use of semantically superfluous expressions. The sentences in 19-20) represent a change
in word category. The sentence in 21) exemplifies the use of a very uncommon sense of a
word. And the sentences in 22-23) are characterized with the use of usually bound
morphemes as free morphemes.

In 15), the adverbial prepositional phrase zaitushuguan 在图书馆 Prepositionpicture-
book-place ‘in the library’ was moved from before the verb phrase kanshu 看书
look-book ‘to read books’ to after it. In 16), the adverbial time phrase mingnian 明年
following-year ‘the following year’ was moved from before the verb phrase qumeiguo
去美国 go-U.S. ‘to go to the U.S.’ to after it.