Social Dimensions of Reduplicatives in Chinese Netspeak

In the Chinese internet context, netspeak is constantly being created, transformed, and disseminated in real time. Among various forms of netspeak, reduplicatives have emerged as a common and stylistically distinctive linguistic pattern. However, despite their widespread presence, the use of netspeak reduplicatives has rarely been examined through empirical research, particularly in terms of their usage patterns across different social groups. To address this gap, the present study investigates the use intention and patterns of ten selected netspeak reduplicatives from a multidimensional perspective, considering key demographic variables such as age, gender, and intensity of internet use. Data were collected through two structured questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS. The results indicate that among the examined social variables, only age had a statistically significant impact on the use intention of netspeak reduplicatives. Specifically, younger participants demonstrated a higher intention to use these forms, while older participants were less inclined to adopt them in their online communication. These findings highlight a generational divide in the acceptance and integration of evolving linguistic forms within the digital space.