Using Corpus-Based Analysis of Neologisms on China’s New Media for Teaching Chinese as a Second or Foreign Language

Abstract

As a mirror of present-day China, Chinese neologisms on new media are useful not only for linguistic analysis but also for teaching advanced learners of Chinese as a foreign language. Through analysing the word-formation mechanisms or strategies of Chinese neologisms on new media, learners can not only reinforce their understanding about the unique linguistic features of the Chinese language that they acquired before but also obtain a better understanding of the social and cultural soil that nurtures and shapes the Chinese language and its development. Using a small corpus that consists of authentic usage samples of 50 neologisms originated from Chinese new media, we attempt to explain how information about neologism formation strategies can be utilized in teaching Chinese as a second or foreign language.