A Sociolinguistic Examination of Multilingual Phenomena in Virtual Network Environments

Linguistics and English Language, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom

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Abstract

Against globalization and rapid advancements in information technology, social media has become a vital platform for multilingual users to construct identity and engage in cross-cultural communication. Adopting a sociolinguistic perspective, this study selects the Instagram comment section of a popular Chinese-American comedian as its research site, aiming to analyze the linguistic practices and social meanings of bilingual/multilingual users in virtual environments. Through qualitative analysis of over 200 comments, this study identifies four major linguistic features: code-mixing and cross-linguistic humor, the multimodal emotional functions of emojis, identity construction through narrative fragments, and multilingual expressions related to political stance and cultural identity. Findings reveal that users flexibly draw on diverse linguistic resources in online spaces not only to exchange information, but also to construct group belonging and cultural identity through language choices. This supports the applicability of the “translanguaging” theory in digital contexts and further uncovers the complex interplay among language, identity, and social platforms. The study offers a concrete case for understanding multilingual phenomena on digital platforms and provides new perspectives and analytical pathways for research in internet sociolinguistics and intercultural communication.