A Morpho-pragmatic Study of Translanguaging Euphemismson Chinese Social Media

Abstract

This study purports to investigate the underexplored phenomenon of translanguaging euphemisms on Chinese social media with regard to their formation, comprehension and motivation. Based on typical cases of comment threads collected from Chinese media, it showcases the formational diversity of translanguaging euphemizing practices, explores the associations supporting their production and comprehension, and discusses some advantages characterizing their use. It is hoped that the study can contribute to existing research on euphemisms, not only by extending their scope to their translanguaging equivalents, but also by showing how their formation and advantages benefit from technological affordances.