A Corpus-Based Study of Linguistic Features and Communicative Functions of English Abbreviations in Social Media

This study explores the linguistic features and communicative functions of English abbreviations in social media. Driven by the rapid development of digital communication, abbreviations have become a prominent linguistic phenomenon affecting online discourse. Using a mixed-methods approach combining corpus analysis and discourse analysis, the research analyzes data from the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) and the Social Media Corpus of WeChat (SCOW). It investigates the predominant types of abbreviations, their reflection of social interaction norms, and their roles in emotional expression. The results show that abbreviations mainly manifest as phonetic simplifications (e.g., "plz") and acronyms (e.g., "OMG"), serving functions such as enhancing communication efficiency, constructing group identity, and expressing humor. This study contributes to the understanding of digital language evolution and provides insights for corpus-based research on social media discourse.