模因论与新闻流行语

A Memetics-based Study of Catchwords in News Headlines

新闻标题大量使用流行语的现象已引起语言学界的关注，但现有的研究大都是从修辞的角度进行描述和分析，未阐释其产生的原因及作用机制。本文借用文化进化和传播的模因论对此加以分析，认为流行语是一种强势模因，新闻标题使用捆绑策略依附其上，其目的在于借助流行语强化自身的感染力，增强吸引力和可接受性，延长在记忆中保持的时间，从而能够顺利通过模因复制的四个阶段，使自身得到复制和传播，以达到宣传自身及所在报刊的目的。

Most studies concerning catchwords in news headlines are done in terms of rhetoric without touching upon causes of this linguistic phenomenon or the question of how it works. The present study delves into the problem by employing memetics which originally deals with cultural evolution and spread. It regards catchwords as a type of＇strong meme which succeeds in competitions with other similar memes and possesses great ability of self-spread and self-replication. News headlines are bundled with catchwords so as to make themselves more contagious, and to increase their attraction, acceptability and their duration of being kept in the human memory. These catchword-bundled headlines have more chances to survive the four stages of meme replication, viz., assimilation, retention, expression and transmission. As a result, they are more likely to enter and retain in the human brain and thus get themselves replicated so as to achieve the aim of propagating themselves and the paper media carrying them.