Abstract

In recent years, a kind of four-character internet buzzwords like Ren Jian Bu Chai appears as a main part of internet language which attracts the attention of the linguistic field. Based on Memetics, this study analyzes the motivation, periodicity and mechanism behind the wide imitation and transmission of Ren Jian Bu Chai as a language meme, which highlights the following three major findings: (1) the pragmatic uses of Ren Jian Bu Chai motivate its wide transmission and imitation; (2) Ren Jian Bu Chai as a meme undergoes four stages which are assimilation, retention, expression and transmission; (3) Ren Jian Bu Chai is widely transmitted and copied through two ways, namely the genotype and phenotype.

Key words: internet buzzword; Memetics; motivation; periodicity; mechanism 

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1 Introduction-1

1.1 Background of the study-1

1.2 Need for the study-1

1.3 Overall structure of the thesis-2

2 Literature Review-2

2.1 Definition of four-character internet buzzwords-2

2.2 Previous studies-3

2.3 Perspective of this thesis-4

3 Theoretical Foundation-5

3.1 Concepts of main terms of Memetics-5

3.1.1 Meme and Memetics-5

3.1.2 Language meme-6

3.2 Memetic Theories-6

3.2.1 The transmission process of a meme-6

3.2.2 Ways of transmission and imitation-6

4 A Memetic Study of Internet Buzzwords-7

4.1 Pragmatic motivation-8

4.2 Transmission periodicity-8

4.2.1 Assimilation-9

4.2.2 Retention-9

4.2.3 Expression-9

4.2.4 Transmission-10

4.3 Mechanism behind the transmission and imitation-10

4.3.1 The genotype way-10

4.3.2 The phenotype way-11

5 Conclusion-12

5.1 Major findings-12

5.2 Limitations-13

References-14