Analysis,of,Chinese/English,Codeswitchingon,Network,Language,by,Figure/ground,Theory switching on

　　Abstract:With the rapid development of network language, more and more phenomena of Chinese/English Codeswitching appear in our daily communications. Codeswitching research of the network language is a new aspect in the linguistic field. The paper starts from cognitive perspective to discuss the process of Chinese/English Codeswitching by Figure/ground theory.
　　Keywords:Chinese/English Codeswitching Figure/ground Theory Network Language
　　0. Introduction
　　The internet, as one of the most important ways of communications in our daily life, influences people"s language greatly, so Chinese/English codeswitching has become an important topic to study. In the linguistic field, the previous researches mainly focus on the study of lexicon and syntax of the network language, few people have systematically studied "why network language is developing into what it is" from a cognitive perspective. Therefore, the present study focuses Chinese/English Codeswitching on network language from the angle of Figure/ground theory.
　　1. Figure/ground theory
　　The well-known face/vase illusion shows that the figure appears to lie in front of the ground and perceived to be more prominent. Koffka claims that the figure depends for its characteristics.
　　In Chinese/English codeswitching, "figure" refers to the prominent information with higher discourse weight, while "ground" refers to the background information with lower one, which help the figure information stand out prominently. When looking at an English word in a Chinese sentence, we single the English word out as a perceptually prominent figure standing out, and vice versa. Psychological research has shown that it is more likely to be identified and remembered, and to be associated with meaning, feeling and aesthetic values.
　　Our inability to see both the figure and ground at the same time is a phenomenon called figure/ground segregation. The figure has form or shape whereas the ground is formless. Most visual scenes which we encounter in our everyday lives are of a different kind called "figure/ground reversal".
　　2. Analysis from the perspective of Figure/ground theory
　　This paper puts Chinese/English codeswitching forward in two reversal environments, i.e. (i) Chinese is the background, in which almost everyone speaks their mother tongue all the time. (ii) English is the background, in which everyone speaks English as their second language.
　　2.1. Chinese as the background
　　Nowadays, since most of Chinese are more or less able to understand English, it"s very common and popular that Chinese people are unconscious to add some English words when they speak Chinese with each other in the internet environment.
　　Look at the following examples：
　　（1）发奋ing的pig（individual signature in one’s QQ）
　　（2）我受不了他，他简直太out了。（from chatting record）
　　（3） A.你看这张照片上的风景美吧？
　　B. Beautiful！但我猜测她已经被PS过了。（from chatting record）
　　Although both languages are appearing during Chinese/English Codeswitching production, they do not participate equally. In Chinese background, speakers use embedded language English as the figure, while Chinese is considered as the ground.All of the above sentences, Chinese is as the main language and English as the embedded language．With the Chinese/English Codeswitching, the English part become much salient, and are used to express the users" idea vividly .
　　Surfacely, these expressions are either disordered or wrong in grammar. The writers only want to express their feelings freely on QQ, BBS or on their own blogs. The moods transmitted by the writers are maybe more important than the concrete meaning of the article. They only built a special atmosphere the writers want to express by maximizing the meaning
　　2.2.English learning environment
　　Some learners try to improve or enjoy English on the internet by email and chatting, which presents great motivation and influence greatly on foreign language learning. They want to learn English well and immerse themselves in the English learning environment. However, they will go back to Chinese from time to time to get the exact meaning or to check whether the ideas are right or not. Look at the following examples：
　　（4）A. Have you ever seen the film “Peacock”?
　　B.孔雀？
　　A. Yeah. The major figure is “张静初”.
　　B. I haven’t seen it yet.
　　（5）A. Thank you very much!
　　B. No thanks.
　　The two examples are both from English chatting-room. In example (4), the major language is English, while Chinese is embedded in English sentences. However, in example (5), apparently, it is an English dialogue, in fact, the speaker replies to the appreciation in a Chinese way, which sounds irrelevantly, but makes fun to build a happy environment. While in English learning environment, Chinese embedded in English sentences is the figure, while English is considered as the ground. Either of the two examples aims at helping the other communicator to understand the idea easily and clearly.
　　Myers-Scotton said，‘rationality tells us why choices are made：Rationality directs actors to make choices that optimize their rewards.’ Therefore，when speaker chooses unmarked code，he/she will achieve the prominent part consciously or unconsciously．
　　3.Conclusion
　　Undoubtedly, it is a beneficial attempt to study Chinese/English codeswitching on network Language by Figure/ground theory, which is a new research approach on language codeswitching studies. This paper comes to the following findings：
　　(1)The Chinese／English codeswitching can be well interpreted by figure/ground theory.
　　(2)In different backgrounds, Chinese/English codeswitching on network Language is different.
　　(3) Chinese /English language codeswitching shows
　　people’s cognitive abilities to have a better understanding of everyday topics.
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