An Investigation into English Mixing in Chinese Internet Language

Abstract

This paper examines the code-mixing phenomenon in Chinese internet language from top 10 websites. By analysing 250 code-mixing sentences, the study found most often used English words are NBA, love, CBD, flash, New etc. The semantic functions of these words are quite similar to research conducted in other contexts of Chinese cultural origin (e.g., Hong Kong and Taiwan). In addition, 200 questionnaires were sent out in order to better understand the general public’s attitudes towards English mixing in Chinese internet discourse. The findings indicate that code-mixing is a trend in Chinese internet discourse, but there is not a sign of cultural invasion by those words because those words are purely having the linguistic function rather than other features. The study also suggests that though English mixing has become an inescapable trend, much attention still needs to be paid on how to balance the use of code-mixing, in order to make less confusion and refrain from cultural interference.