模因论视阈下网络流行语词汇阻遏现象的语言学研究

本文是一篇语言学论文，本文将选取《咬文嚼字》中近五年(2013-2017)的 50 个网络流行语为语料从模因论视角对网络流行语的词汇阻遏现象进行全新的阐释，试图揭示哪些语言单位能够成为阻遏项，哪些语言单位会变成被阻遏项和为什么一些语言单位会成为阻遏项，而一些会成为被阻遏项。

Chapter One Literature Review

1.1 Network Catchwords
The network language is a rather ambiguous concept. Mr. Yu Genyuan (2001) said in theChina Network Dictionary that “network language = number + symbol + other”. Broadlyspeaking, network language refers to all the languages that are applied or touched in networkcommunication. They can be roughly pided into two categories: first, computer andnetwork-related terminology, such as software, viruses, broadband, login and online etc. This isthe most basic component of the web language. The second is special terms related to thephenomenon of network culture, such as hackers, blogs, QQ and MSN. The third is the specialterms and symbols used in chat rooms such as forums, QQ and MSN etc., such as Brick, Top andHalo. The narrowly defined network language refers only to the third category (Crystal, 2001:18). The network catchwords studied in this thesis refer to the narrowly defined networklanguage, that is, the network language that people use frequently when communicating throughnetwork media. It is a symbol, word and sentence that netizen have established to express specialmeanings.
This part includes two aspects, one is the foreign research status of network catchwords,and the other is the status of domestic research.
1.1.1 Research Abroad of Network Catchwords
The rise of computer technology in Western countries is relatively early, which also has afurther study on network catchwords. The University of Hartford that is the World LanguageResearch and Information Center in the United States hosted a “Network and language” seminarin 1997, and invited some famous experts in language and computer technology. They discussedthe status of English as a network lingua, as well as network-based language application issues inthe meeting. Research discourses or related comments on online language and networkcatchword research have frequently appeared in the Language and ELT Journal magazines in2002 and 2003. The famous linguist David Crystal, editor of the Cambridge Encyclopedia ofEncyclopedia, who published Language and the Internet in 2001, became the leading figure inWestern language research.
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1.2 Lexical Blocking
The term “blocking” was first used by Aronoff (1976: 41) to mean “only one form does notappear because of one form of existence”. Poser (1986) used “morphological blocking” andHudson (1983) used “priority to the particular” to explain this phenomenon . And then Clark(1987) used “ principle of contrast” to describe this phenomenon. Here, we adopt the term“lexical blocking” used by Hofmann (1982, 1984). Lexical blocking is the existence of a termthat prevents another term created or used in accordance with a certain productivity rule.(ChenXinren, 2007: 80)
As a new branch of linguistics, lexical pragmatics began in the late 20th century, and lexicalblocking was one of its important research topics, which has been studied by scholars at homeand abroad, who devoted themselves to the study of lexical blocking in order to explain thephenomenon in a scientific way. Blutner (1996) made a definition of lexical blocking that is aphenomenon in which the existence of a vocabulary form hinders the appearance of anothervocabulary. After that, there appeared some blocking theories to explain lexical blocking. Athome, the study of lexical blocking was later than that abroad and it is currently in the preheatingphase. On the basis of rethinking the research on foreign lexical blocking, and examining lexicalblocking from a persified perspective, this thesis will explain this phenomenon fromperspectives of memetics.
This part consists of two aspects. One is lexical blocking research abroad and the other islexical blocking research at home.
1.2.1 Lexical Blocking Research Abroad
Paul discovered lexical blocking in 1896, but the specific study of this linguisticphenomenon were in the past few decades. After discovering this phenomenon and proposingblocking terminology, from 1976 to the present, many theories, principles and explanations oflexical blocking have been proposed in different research fields. However, a systematic andcomprehensive theory about lexical blocking has not yet been established. Foreign scholars havebasically studied and analyzed lexical blocking in the fields of morphology, language acquisitionand pragmatics.
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Chapter Two Theoretical Framework

2.1 Meme
The definition of meme is that any information, as long as it can be “copied” by a processthat is broadly referred to as “imitation”(He Ziran, 2005: 55).
Memetics is a theory based on Darwinian theory of evolution that explains the rules ofcultural evolution. Its core concept is memes which first appeared in The Selfish Gene (1976)written by Richard Dawkins. Memes are defined as cultural replication factors that are proposedin the concept of genes and are the basic units of culture. (Dawkins, 1976)
Memes spread through imitation. Memes are like viruses and can be transmitted from one’sbrain to another brain. Once infected with this virus, anyone will become its host and continue topass on to others or the next generation. The formation of the meme definition is pided intotwo stages: the early stage is considered to be a cultural imitation unit, and its phenotype is atune melody, an idea, a fashionable language, a fashion dress, a house building, and an appliancemanufacturing, etc.; Seen as the unit of information in the brain, it is a replication factor thatexists in the brain. In the real world, the phenotype of memes can be words, music, images,costume styles, and even gestures or facial expressions. The meme is just a thought, and it has noclear goals or intentions, just as a gene is just a chemical and does not have a plan to take overthe whole world. What they have in common is that both genes and memes come fromreplication and are constantly being replicated. Another new Darwinist, Blackmore (1999: 66)points out that when an idea or a pattern of information emerges, it is not a meme before itcauses others to copy it or someone else repeats it. Only when this kind of thought orinformation model can be spread and prevented which has a meme. In short, any information, aslong as it can be “replicated” by a process that is “imitation” in a broad sense, can be called ameme (He Ziran, 2005: 55). The essence of the memes is a unit of imitation, which can be eithera cultural unit of imitation or a unit of information stored in the brain. Memes can only be calledmemes because they are constantly copied and imitated. In other words, any kind of information,ideas, practices, or arguments can become memes as long as they can be copied in the process ofimitation (Xie Zhaoqun & He Ziran, 2007). Memes and memes are mutually supportive andmutually exclusive. They can form closely related sets of memes and can compete with eachother, leading to the survival of the fittest—the propagation of memes is constrained by adaptivechoices. In the dissemination process, some memes remain while others disappear gradually orchange into another form.
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2.2 The Relationship between Meme and Lexical Blocking
The memes are pided into three types which are genotype meme and phenotype meme,useful meme and harmful meme, strong meme and weak meme according to the meme of thedissemination. Lexical blocking phenomenon is a kind of linguistic phenomenon, the blockingitems and the blocked items can all regard as the memes. We believe that lexical blocking is theresult of mutual competition between strong memes and weak memes. The strong meme willdefeat the weak meme that will transmit in the our daily life. In other words, the strong memewill block the weak meme and thus becomes the main part of the transmission. That is, if thememetic language unit is strong which will be selected, and it will become a strong meme,eventually becoming a blocking items. If the memetic language unit is weak when it is notselected, and it will become a weak meme that nobody use it and soon afterwards it will becomea blocked item. What determines the strength of meme? Obviously it is determined by theadaptability of the language unit. The more it adapts to the needs of communication, the moreopportunities are used. Each use is a copy, and each copy is an enhancement of the meme.
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Chapter Three Methodology.................................................30
3.1 Research Questions.................................30
3.2 Data Description.................................. 30
Chapter Four A Memetic Analysis of Lexical Blocking of Network Catchwords..................32
4.1 Categorizations of Network Catchword Memes...................................32
4.1.1 On Word Level.........................................33
4.1.2 On Phrasal Level.................................34

Chapter Four A Memetic Analysis of Lexical Blocking of NetworkCatchwords

4.1 Categorizations of Network Catchword Memes
The Internet has become an indispensable part of people’s work and life. As an importantmanifestation and basic carrier of network culture, network catchwords have not only beenhighly sought after by netizen, but also gained the attention of more and more mainstream mediaand professional language researchers. The narrow network catchwords refer to the languageexpressions on the Internet that are customary and widely circulated by netizen (Crystal, 2001:18), such as“重口味”、“土豪”、“女汉子”etc., and the sentences such as“我和我的小伙伴们都惊呆了”（我伙呆），“神马都是浮云”，“反正我信了”. From the perspective ofmemetics, network catchwords more prominently reflect the characteristics of memes thanmainstream languages, and thus can be copied, disseminated and popularized.
Any linguistic unit can be seen as a meme, so network catchwords are also seen as memes.Network catchwords memes are widely circulated in imitation, reproduction and duplication onword level, phrasal level and sentential level. In the next three section, the author will classifynetwork catchword memes into three types, including word level, phrasal level and sententiallevel.
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Conclusion

Major Findings

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