从符号学角度审视网络语言

Web Language as Viewed from the Angles of Semiotics 从符号学角度审视网络语言
By
Xiao Feng
A Thesis Submitted to the School of Foreign Languages
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts
University of Jinan
Jinan, China
June 8, 2014
Abstract
Computer became the third powerful tool which is used for symbol-creation and symbol-transmission after the invention of letter and printing[1]. At the same time, web language, the new style of the language came into being. Semiotics, the study of signs, began to become a major approach to cultural studies in the late 1960s. Now with the improvement of this subject, the theories of semiotics are playing a vital role in studying the web language. This thesis will explain what web language is and then analyze the meaning of web language from the angles of semiotics with theories of many famous linguists and finally conclude the impacts to the traditional language culture. In a nutshell, being aware of the various modern language forms and trying to avoid polluting the traditional language environment, everyone now has to take the responsibility for the next generation and practice it in daily life.
Key words: computer; web language; semiotics; impact
摘要
自文字和印刷术发明以后，电脑成为用来符号创造和符号传播的第三大有力工具。

同时，网络语言作为一项新的语言方式应时而生。

二十世纪六十年代晚期，符号学，研究符号的科学，正式成为研究文化的重要方法。

符号学的不断发展，使其在研究网络语言方面发挥着巨大作用。

本文将要对什么是网络语言、什么是符号学理论做出解释，并且根据著名语言学家的符号理论从符号学角度分析网络语言含义及特点，最后概括网络语言对传统文化的影响。

总之，了解现在多样的语言形式，为了下一代，试着去避免污染传统的语言环境，需要我们每个人从日常点滴做起，从现在做起。

关键词：电脑；网络语言；符号学；影响
Contents
1.0 Introduction (1)
2.0 A Simple Introduction to Web Language and Semiotics (2)
2.1 Definition of the Web Language (2)
2.2 The Meaning of Signs (3)
2.3 Semiotic Theories (3)
3.0 An overview to Web language in Semiotics (5)
3.1 verbal communication sign (5)
3.1.1 Arbitrariness and Conventionality (6)
3.1.2 Richness and Simplicity (6)
3.1.3 Evolutive (7)
3.2 Nonverbal communication sign (7)
3.2.1 Auxiliary (8)
3.2.2 Interesting and Worldwide (8)
4.0 Language and Culture (9)
4.1 Positive effects (10)
4.2 Negative influence (10)
5.0 Conclusion (11)
Bibliography (12)
Acknowledgements (14)
“Web Language” as Viewed from
the Angles of Semiotics
1.0 Introduction
As the forth media followed newspaper, broadcast and television, Internet is now infusive in the world[12]. The Internet facilitates human communication and at the same time it is now more convenient for people to touch each other through the interaction and participation of the modern media. The different information-transmission style of computer in a new interpersonal space creates a totally new symbolic world and a special language[1]. This new language enriches communication skills in a way, and eventually affects people’s lives. Semiotics is to explain all the research concerned about the sign or symbol in the history, to analyze the content, character, origin and function. [9] Theories of semiotics can help us know how the Internet achieves the purpose of social intercourse. This paper consists of four chapters. The main contents are stated as follows: Chapter one opens with a brief introduction. This part illustrates the structure of this thesis in detail. We are about to have an integral view to the content of this material. It really benefits us in a way.
Chapter two is mainly an interpretation to web language, signs and semiotic theories. Firstly it tells us what is web language, what web language is about, how and why it is created. Then it is followed with the meaning of signs and famous theories of great linguists. It provides direction for the author and the reader so that we could go forward along a right road.
Chapter three serves as the head that is the most important content and the most exciting part of this thesis. This part profoundly analyses language from different features in semiotics. We understand web language through overview and details of this part.
Chapter four introduces the relationship between language and culture. Concretely speaking, it is a matter of impact. As we know, language is a carrier and a tool for culture transmission. It could reflect and affect culture and vice versa. In this part the thesis
illustrates the complicated influence of web language to culture so that it may catch our attention.
The rest of this paper is a conclusion. According to Ernst Cassirer’s cultural and philosophical system, human beings have the ability of creating ideal world [13]. The world we are living in today is more and more like a global village, thus whatever happens in a country can be spread to every corner of the world quickly. So knowing the development tendency of language forms and paying attention to the effects of language is necessary for us to realize our goal of developing native culture harmoniously.
2.0 A Simple Introduction to Web Language and Semiotics
2.1 Definition of the Web Language
In the 1990s, along with the development of the modern technologies, computer has became a very important communicative method since the appearance of cellphone and television. It has also profoundly changed the thinking style, action style and value orientation of the people. Web language, a newly emerging and fashionable phenomenon occurred in network communication field, refers to a kind of special language, which is based on modern social language lexical and grammar forms but distinguishes from modern social language forms[15]. Actually web language can be divided into three types including professional terms related with Internet such as “LAN”, terminology related with electronic computer or online activities such as “the fourth media”, some special information symbols created by the cyber citizens such as “Icu”. However, this thesis will focus on the third type of symbol instead of concentrating on every detailed part. Web language is created and used by the cyber citizens when they communicate with each other by the use of Internet.[15] People creates some new words and signs for some different purposes. Symboling a new type of culture, permeating the reality, and influencing people’s life greatly, it is widely used in many different fields such as BBS, Chat-Room and so forth. Its development also depends on many great events such as innovation, disaster, war and so on that really shock society seriously. For example, both a film and an earthquake can produce many famous and popular web languages.
2.2 The Meaning of Signs
Symbolic thought and behaviour are the most representative characteristic in human life[11].We are living in a world of signs, with our way of thinking, language and communication closely related to signs. What do you mean by a sign? The kinds of signs that are likely to spring immediately to mind are those which we routinely refer to as 'signs' in everyday life, such as road signs, pub signs and star signs. If you were to agree with them that semiotics can include the study of all these and more, people will probably assume that semiotics is about 'visual signs'. But if you tell them that it also includes words, sounds and 'body language' they may reasonably wonder what all these things have in common and how anyone could possibly study such disparate phenomena. If you get this far they've probably already 'read the signs' which suggest that you are either eccentric or insane and communication may have ceased. As the media used to know things, sign is a tool storing information and memory and also a material method for expressing emotions. For example, we will easily find the information we need when we are on highway with the help of these road signs.
Most of linguists think that the material quality and the ideological properties of sign should be considered together. That is to say, signs are the material carrier in the modern information society. As Wang Mingyu said, symbol contains three properties: (1) symbol must be material; (2) symbol conveys the information that in essence is different from itself but refers to other things; (3) symbol needs to convey a social information rather than the meaning given by himself, or it will be meaningless.[16]
2.3 Semiotic Theories
In the present semiotic study, the application of semiotic theory is only confined to some fields. Semiotics could be anywhere. The shortest definition is that it is the study of signs. But that doesn't leave enquirers much wiser. You would confirm their hunch if you said that signs can also be drawings, paintings and photographs, and by now they'd be keen to direct you to the art and photography sections. To be more specific, semiotics is to explain all the research concerned about the sign or symbol in the history, to analyze the content, character, origin and function. “Semiotics is a subject that systematically studies language
and nonlanguage signs” [8]. Semiotics also studies types of symbolic communication and restraining rules of symbol use[10]. Being a new discipline in modern social science, semiotics provides some meaningful thought and methodology for the development of other theoretical studies. It began to become a major approach to cultural studies after International Association for Semiotics Studies was founded in the late 1960s. Ferdinand de Saussure(1857-1913) and Charles Sanders Peirce(1839-1914) are most closely related with the development of semiotics thought in modern times. Since then semiotics as a separate discipline has played an increasingly important role in studying all things used to communicate such as letters, words, traffic signs, flowers, music and so forth. The in-depth study of semiotics will strengthen the recognition of the world, thinking and human beings.
Modern linguistic began from the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure(1857-1913), who is often described as “father of modern linguistics”and “a master of a discipline which he made modern”(Culler, 1976: 7). Saussure’s ideas were developed along three lines: linguistics, sociology, and psychology. In linguistics, he was greatly influenced by the American linguist W. D, Whitney(1827-1894), who raised the question of the sign. By insisting on the concept of Arbitrariness of the sign to emphasis that language is an institution, Whitney brought linguistics onto a new track. Saussure saw human language as an extremely complex and heterogeneous phenomenon. He believed that language is a system of sign[2]. From the point of view of Saussure, this sign is the union of a form and an idea, which Saussure called the signifier and the signified. That sign consists of the signifier and the signified is the core of his theory. Though we may speak of the signifier and the signified as if they were separate entities, they exist only as components of the sign. The sign is the central fact of language, and therefore in trying to separate what is essential from what is secondary or incidental we must start from the nature of the sign itself. Connection between the signifier and the signified is built through signification. Signification is a process which connects the signifier and the signified then produces symbol[11]. For example, as everybody knows, rose symbolizes love. In essence rose is just a flower. So when we discuss the flower, we get to know that rose equals the signifier. But as you send it to a girl or woman they realize the signified. There are lots of examples like this. In a word, during the process of spread, web language realizes the second
interpretation of the signifier. Through cultivation of the Internet soil, web language began to expand, entered the public language and then got involved to the real context.
Peirce presented triadic relation theory of sign at the same time. Charles Sanders Peirce(1839-1914), the initiator of pragmatism is an American philosopher and logist at the end of 19th century. Semiotics, according to Peirce, should target at all signs or symbols. The main content in his semiotic theory is the triadic combination of representamen, object and interpretant[5]. One element depends on the other two elements and people can’t understand the element if they ignore other elements. According to this theory, we can know that Peirce regards interpretant as a symbol produced by the other. That is to say, everything that could be felt, imagined can be seen as a sign or symbol if it can refer to an object, and the object can be interpreted and meaningful. As a result, interpretant itself is a sign too. As Ding Ersu pointed out, sign represents something, its referent, not in every aspects, but through a point in a way. Clearly, to a person, sign or symbol stands for something in some way, arises a related image or a more advanced sign, then the latter sign becomes the meaning of the former sign. Symbol shows two basic function—cognitive function and communicative function. On the one hand, symbol can free us from the constraint of sensory organs, symbolize abstract things, and grasp the essential features of things. On the other hand, based on an agreed foundation, symbol can be viewed as a carrier for information-transmission to realize exchange of idea and emotion among people.
3.0 An overview to Web language in Semiotics
Cyber language presents us not a signifier system whose material shell is sound, not a straight language, but a special language phenomenon recorded by word system. Web language is a unique mixed symbol system on semiotics, including verbal communication sign and nonverbal communication sign. The former belongs to the sign of verbal systematic and performs as writing systematic symbol with a type of phonetic form. The latter performs just as nonverbal systematic symbol.
3.1 verbal communication sign
Verbal communication sign mainly comes from four sign systems, namely, Chinese
character, Arabic numerals, English, and Bopomofo. Chinese character such as Jiangzi, Daxia, Konglong occupies the dominant status and then followed by English in the internet verbal communication sign system. Chinese character symbols consist of the homophonic expression, polysemy, and so forth. For example, when users want to express how ugly one girl is, he or she would use the word Konglong that actually means a kind of animal. Perhaps it is an unpredictable breakthrough for linguistics. There are lots of similar examples and expressions, but we can not list them one by one.
3.1.1 Arbitrariness and Conventionality
Web language belongs to linguistic sign of virtual world. According to Saussure, the forms of linguistic signs bear no relationship to their meaning. That is to say, there is no necessary relationship in essence between the signifier and the signified of signs. People communicate with each other online relaxed, which is different from communication in reality. They can express their opinions uncontrolled and make friends freely. Here the most important point is that creators of web language are mostly the younger who has passion, courage and creativity, pursues novelty and uniqueness. As a result, they would like to sacrifice the rules of language use and combine materials at random so that the new language online seems to be arbitrary. For example, for these reasons like saving time or humor, youngers would like to express “puzzle” with sign “-?”, and replace “rose”with “@ > > - - >”. If one is sleeping, he or she prefers to use “Zzzz……”. What then is the link between a cyber sign and its meaning? It is a matter of convention. Here we have to look at the other side of the coin of arbitrariness, namely, conventionality. As learners of English we are often told or sound logical. Arbitrariness of language makes it potentially creative and conventionality of language makes learning a language laborious. That may be why when we are burying ourselves in memorizing idioms, we feel nothing of the arbitrariness of the language but are somewhat tortured by its conventionality. So arbitrariness is just for the beginning, once the web signs was involved to social life and accepted by the public, then it possesses conventionality. When people online hear “Yi Meier”, they certainly know its meaning because of conventionality.
3.1.2 Richness and Simplicity
Web language sign is different from the general verbal communication language that
has sound, form and meaning. It only has form and meaning. Based on these sign resources provided by the Internet such as text symbols, digital symbols, mathematic symbols, and punctuation and so on, web language reorganizes in forms, innovates in contents, creates the new signifier and endows it with new signified. So you can use a simple combination “＊<): -)”to celebrate Christmas instead of Santa Claus. In addition, “7456”can show that you are very angry. During the process of creation, web language became more abundant and attractive. Communication in the easiest and fastest way appeals to the computer users. For example, if you want to type a Chinese character, you need to knock on the keyboard again and again and again. It spends some more minutes if you have lots of contents to input than substituting the complicated characters with letters or figures. Pursuing simplicity is common in web language. You could easily understand its meaning if you partner responds you with “88”. It is cool sometimes.
3.1.3 Evolutive
We are living a dynamic society where everything is changing to realize evolution. Symbolic thinking and behavior are the most representative feature in human life, said Cassirer. [13] We firstly see something and then we gradually get its name and spelling. Web language intensively reflects this feature. To meet various requirements of internet users, this new language form suffers innovation. Here web language signs break through the symbol system, disorder the former semiotic use fields, and pour emotion to express more complicated language contents. For example,“＊<):-)”means Santa Claus. “:”、“-”、“）”，this three simple signs can produce new meaning after reorganization. The appearance of web language inevitably encourages people’s creative language thought. You could say that these high-tech changed people’s innovative behavior, whereas our creativities did influenced the process of signs expansion.
3.2 Nonverbal communication sign
In oral communication people’s emotional activities such as smile, anger and frown can be felt through audio communication symbols by the listeners. However, in order to express some feelings that words can’t interpret online, some special signs have to be created. Nonverbal communication signs are condiments in network communication,
mainly including emotive icons and physical objects. Emotive icon is a kind of ideograph that takes advantage of signs to express these vivid and even complicated feelings. English punctuations are the most basic signs that consist of cyber emotive icons. “:-) ”is frequently used to indicate smile. Similarly, “(^-^) ”signifies ladies’smiling face, and “( ＊^-^＊) ”means excitement. Numerals are also used to make up emotive icons as well. “ 3:=9 ” symbolizes cattle or ox. “ 0 ” means cry. Physical object is an unusual sign type. Patterns of manifestation consist of graphic expression, animated expression, special typeface and chat background. If you want to express your adoration to a beautiful, charming girl, a simple image with a red heart will be alternative. What’s more, if you send a image with a smiling face to the one whom you are talking with, he or she will know you are happy now. Then we will discuss the features of each nonverbal communication sign. 3.2.1 Auxiliary
Nonverbal communication sign doesn’t include concrete words or phrases. That is to say, it is not an independent linguistic system. So sometimes a single nonverbal communication sign makes no sense. It is a special auxiliary means for network communication after given a semantic meaning through various combinations and changes. But you can’t show your intention clearly to the one with whom you are talking if you just send nonverbal communication signs. If that, the one will regards you as impolite and crazy. For instance, with the development of internet, many online schools begin to intrude into the horizons of the public. Students can easily get access to their online course for the same purpose of gaining knowledge. But the most important part is that they still need to go to school as usual. Online schools is just auxiliary like the topic we discuss in this part. It strengthens the efficiency of transmission of symbols, makes it more convenient, and most importantly increases the feeling of reality for visual world online. Although it plays an vital role in animating the indirect communication, it couldn’t be used without verbal communication signs.
3.2.2 Interesting and Worldwide
Nonverbal communication sign is a visual, vivid, and brief linguistic expression style. In fact, it is more intuitional than writing or Chinese character. These perfect ideas and designs construct an easy and humorous atmosphere for network communication.
Nowadays QQ is a popular software used by people to chat. When you are happy and also want to share with your happiness through teasing your friends, you can turn to these funny pictures or interesting signs. Compared with traditional language expression, it is more convenient and more interesting. Language and writing possess obvious national characteristic. Generally speaking, different countries have different language as well. However, like famous “one world one dream”, “one world one symbol” will be accepted. Nonverbal communication signs are worldwide. None would like to show sadness and despair with pictures fulling of smiling faces. Whether emotive icons or physical object, the situation of usage is alike. It is like ideograph having surpassed linguistic obstacles and become popular around the world.
4.0 Language and Culture
Nowadays globalization shortens the distance among countries in the world and at the same time web language becomes a passport for Internet users when they take part in activities through computer. As a result, this new language form is more vital than ever. It has long been recognized that language is an essential and important part of a given culture and that the impact of culture upon a given language is something intrinsic and indispensable[17]. As we’ll show below, though the endeavor in the pursuit of this inter-relationship has never been dominant in the development of linguistic science, “ this very embedding of language in society and culture has been the focus of intense and sustained research efforts since the 1960s”(Apte, 1994). It has become axiomatic to state that there exists a close relationship between language and culture. Language is an indispensable carrier of culture. Culture finds a better representation through language use.
A joint study of these two subject will definitely broaden the horizon of human language in general and enrich the research of these sciences in particular. This correlation highlights the pursuit of the relationship between the two and makes this practice something both fascinating and challenging.
As everybody knows that a coin has two sides. With the greater influence of the Internet and the increasing number of Internet users, the effect of these advanced technologies on contemporary culture has been a vigorously debated topic. Some thought
it’s just good. They said that we had witnessed the outcomes Internet brought to the public. Whereas other people held opposite opinions. Here comes my view. Web language has its advantages and contributions, but its negative effects could not be ignored.
4.1 Positive effects
Online information diffusion is a key to the spread of culture. There’s a natural relationship between web language and culture. Through this new media people could create colorful web languages to express special values and ideas, which may produce the unique cultural form. Following with happening of the true events, the web language appears at the same time and then spreads quickly like a snowball. When a good news or a noble information is spread, it will be helpful for us to imitate these great heroes. This phenomenon promotes the release of social energy. In addition, the popular and emerging web language fulfills the traditional vocabulary. Some words and expressions such as DaJiangyou, Qianshui, long time no see and so forth are accepted by the public gradually. Everything will be renewed apart from language. Here I have to point out “China Dream”. We often see a picture in the street which illustrates a little fat and cute girl. Almost everybody knows its meaning that symbolizes dream of Chinese people to build a harmonious society. The development of web language embodies wishes of pursuing equality and releasing repression. Internet is a visual world where people can hide their information when communicating with other users such as status, profession, fame, salary and so on so as to achieve mental balance. For the reason of traditional protocol, society would always protect the interest of the upper class and the older. However, people can freely express their opinions and tease the one whom he is talking with no matter who he or she is. Even he or she is an officer, people can “slap” him or her with a funny picture. Internet made it possible to live in a free world. All in all, web language did promoted the booming of Chinese culture in some ways.
4.2 Negative influence
Thinking in the way of intercultural communication, there may be conflicts between the web language on the internet and the national traditional culture showed ecological imbalance. To save time online computer users would like to use abbreviation or
homophonic, and because of this, the public especially these younger students followed their steps. This special language form arises inconvenience as some lexical obstacles when it brings to the public a newly exciting moment. Concretely speaking, web language seems to subvert all kinds of rules of modern language[16]. Some teenagers don’t even realize the serious result that they are proud of gaining plenty of popular but vulgar web languages. For example, many young students wrote “3ks” to replace “thank you” when they took examination. It hindered their healthy development seriously and irreversibly. To change this situation and to guide the right way of development need us to keep sensitive when faced with them in daily life. And in the meantime the standard of traditional Chinese character is faced with serious challenges as well. The soil of ancient culture is being polluted by complicated network language. These popular words attract people’s attention and influence their own value criteria. Faced up to the confrontation and conflicts between cyber culture and traditional culture, it’s important to open mind and be tolerant to the peculiarity, and make a harmonious environment.
5.0 Conclusion
The study of web language is a new field and also an urgent demand so that the exploring process is not easy when operated. Recently skimming the limited materials about language and culture, we had a fundamental understanding to the object of this thesis. There’s a huge gap between the new language form and the traditional type. That would not make a difference if we study its origin, development, maturity and booming with general methods. As we know, web language, with its special features, is created to facilitate internet communication. The result is that it really makes a significant contribution to connection among people. It belongs to a language established by usage, having its own living space with stable users, operating rules, and reasons for existence. In order to adjust itself to social change, whichever language reflecting people’s way of thinking and value of culture renews constantly.
Language is the core and the sedimentary deposits of culture and the carrier of thought[14]. Change of language is always an important feature of variation of cultural tradition. Influencing range and time of duration for web language are all blurry and。