| The popularity of the Internet and the increase in the number of Internet users has spawned a new language phenomenon,namely the Internet language.The bestknown words are cyber buzzwords.It can be found that some of the cyber buzzwords originally exist in the language which are not newly created.However,they broke away from the original context and gained new meaning in the Internet communication environment and became popular.The newly-added meanings are mostly metaphorical,resulting from semantic transformation with recontextualization.This paper makes a detailed analysis of the generation and change of new metaphorical meanings of network buzzwords based on the theory of recontextualization.For comprehending the transformation of the meanings between established and newly-added,metaphor is significant from a cognitive perspective.Conceptual metaphor and Conceptual Blending theory are the most classical and authoritative theories in the study of metaphor and have the most extensive influence,which are combined to form Blended Metaphor Theory on the basis of advantages of two theories.Therefore,based on the theory of recontextualization,this paper analyzes the understanding process of Chinese cyber buzzwords on the transformation of meaning by adding the assistance of the mapping mechanism,characteristics between new and original meanings,and the influencing factor of semantic transformation by the mixed-method approach of qualitative and quantitative analysis,which mainly takes qualitative analysis supplemented by quantitative analysis,and case studies.The findings are as follows: firstly,the transformation of the meaning of old words with newly-added meaning in Chinese cyber buzzwords is mainly achieved through the means of addition,deletion,and substitution of certain elements.Neologisms come from the new context,retaining the original form of the word but changing its meaning.Therefore,recontextualization theory is not an effective theoretical basis to analyze the words or sentences which occur in the discourses like family,legal,and political discourse,also the change of metaphorical newly-added meanings of old words in Chinese cyber buzzwords.Secondly,the understanding of old words with newly-added meaning in Chinese cyber buzzwords is impossible without metaphor.Mapping is essential in the process of understanding newly-added meaning,allowing people to master the unfamiliar concepts with familiar and concrete concepts.Thirdly,the characteristics of established and newly-added meanings of network buzzwords are derivation,coexistence,contingency,emotional tendency and entertainment.Most words generate new meanings on the basis of the original meaning.Both the new and established meanings of words are used in communication,but the meaning changes into different contexts.Contingency means that some cases happen by accident.Besides,some words with new meaning are utilized to reveal netizens’ emotion on certain things and some are jocular for entertainment.Fourthly,linguistic,social,and psychological factors of recontextualization affect the meaning change of online buzzwords,including the laws of language development,the rapid development of science,technology,and society,the thought of seeking differences and the influence of cognitive psychology.This research has significance on the theoretical and practical levels,expanding the scope of the recontextualization theory and proving that metaphor provides understanding mechanisms for people to understand the new metaphorical meaning of Chinese cyber buzzwords.It is hoped that the findings of the research can provide effective guidance for future related researches. |
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