NEOLOGISMS AS NEW STANDARDS MARKERS OF INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS (ОN THE MATERIAL OF RUSSIAN AND CHINESE INTERNET SLANG)

Abstract

The article presents a comparative study of neologisms in Russian and Chinese Internet slang as indicators of the transformation of value orientations and standards of interpersonal relations in the digital age. The objective of the paper is to identify the specifics of axiological adaptations, social ideals and cultural narratives fixed in the Internet lexicon of the two linguocultures. The relevant research task becomes the following: to observe similarities and differences in the descriptions of attitudes and traits of ideal choices in the two linguocultural systems. The author uses the comparative-comparative analysis, the statistical method, network monitoring of platforms and a questionnaire survey of native speakers. The scientific novelty lies in the systematisation of the newest loanwords and semantic neologisms of the Chinese Internet environment, as well as in the first comprehensive comparison of Russian and Chinese slang units in the context of value transformations. The paper investigated 47 lexical units, including comparisons of 20 neologisms (13 Russian and 7 Chinese), highlighting their connotative and culture-specific features. The results revealed key differences: Russian neologisms (‘kripovo’, ‘stroke’, ‘tube’, etc.) emphasis pragmatism, emotional security and critical evaluation of the partner, whereas Chinese ones (‘pu xin nan’, ‘hun lü’, ‘dan shen gou’, etc.) reflect scepticism in attitudes related to socio-economic pressures and gender stereotypes. A universal factor for both cultures was the influence of mass media and memes integrating borrowings into localized contexts. The study confirms that Internet slang serves as an indicator of social shifts, shaping new narratives of interpersonal relationships in the digital age. These words, as well as their new derivatives, are actively used in the communication process to reflect the social emotions and values they carry. In the new environment resulting from the peculiarities of intercultural communication and multimodal discourse, the expression and perception of important concepts such as ‘Love’ are also changing along with the transition to new values.