A Lexical Pragmatic Study of Network Buzzwords: Taking Rock & Roast 5 as an Example

Abstract

Network buzzwords and stand-up comedies have been analyzed by linguists separately from different aspects. But few studies explored network buzzwords from the perspective of lexical pragmatics. Inspired by Wilson’s theory of Lexical Pragmatics, this study investigated the application of network buzzwords in Rock & Roast 5 to explore the distribution of pragmatic narrowing and broadening and further analyzing some classical examples while trying to draw the conclusion regarding the shared value and knowledge needed in the process of understanding these words. Specially, the case study selected 50 network buzzwords and both quantitative and qualitative methods have been adopted to analyze these words. The study found that, in network buzzwords, nouns and metaphors are the most common types in pragmatic narrowing and broadening respectively. Meanwhile, it identifies the general functions and the shared knowledge required for different forms of pragmatic enrichment in stand-up comedies. Implications are manifold that this study helps enrich the practice of lexical pragmatic theory and facilitates people to learn more about the process of understanding network buzzwords combining with relevance theory. It also sheds light on how to involve in the shared value embedded in buzzwords among the young group and how to avoid misinterpretation.