A Comparative Study On Chinese And Western Internet Nicknames

The thesis is a comparative study of Chinese and Western Internet nicknames from a sociolinguistic and cross-cultural perspective. Internet nicknames are not just useful, but random "handles" for logging onto various online activities, such as chats, forums, or games. On the contrary, they became Internet users' extended selves, parts of identity and a colorful wealth of contemporary culture images and clues. Furthermore, they can also be seen as both indicators and embodiments of new language developments influenced primarily by the processes of informatization and globalization.In view of this "expressive potential" Internet nicknames possess, Chinese and Western Internet nicknames were thoroughly analyzed, with the hope of providing further examples and insights into the popular East-West thematics. Thus, Internet nicknames' grammatical structures, semantic features and poetic devices used have been studied, and striking differences on all these levels found. Cultural and linguistic characteristics that influence these differences have been discussed at length and serve as the main part of the thesis.