On Internet Language From Sociolinguistic Perspectives

From Sociolinguitic perspective, this paper analyzes Internet language, a new language form which is now popular among the youth. The author summarizes the characteristics of Internet language, depending on the research on Chinese in chat room or IRC1. In order to find out what makes this form of language so peculiar, the author analyzes the present social background: technological, cultural and psychological. In the paper, quantitative analysis is applied to investigate the speech community ofcyberspace: the research focuses on the netizens' age, profession, education and financial background,. After the investigation, the author invents a term as " the virtual speech community". Then, the author, makes an emphasis on the context of situation of two specific conversations, based on Halliday's theory on "register" and Dell Hymes' theory of "SPEAKING". Nowadays, a debate on whether Internet language brings nutrition or trash into Chinese is carried on among linguists, writers and teachers. This paper gives my personal point of view on internet language from sociolinguistic perspectives. According to the research on this special speech community, the author points out that internet language is a kind of language variety and it is not inferior to any other language, which is in accordance with Saussure's theory that1 IRC:: internet relay chat2 Netizen: An Internet user who is trying to contribute to the Internet's use and growth. Internet creates a new culture and its own special issues, such as who shall have access to it. The implication is that the Internet's users, who use and know most about it, have a responsibility to ensure that is used constructively while also fostering free speech and open access."language is composed by signs, and the relationship between sound and concept is arbitrary, language is variable." The author says that internet language is just valuable complement of Chinese and she points out the popularization of internet language will lead to the third revolution of modern Chinese after the first one in the May Fourth Movement, and the second in the 1980's since China implemented the open door policy. Since internet language has become a popular form, it is necessary to describe and maintain it instead of regulating or rectifying it. The paper's attitudes towards internet language are that we should treat internet language dynamically, accept the irregular form of internet language and find out how it comes into being and why it is popular in our society.