外来词本土化现象与“OK”的语用变义

Localization of OK in China and its Semantic Deviation

随着我国对外交往的增多,大量外来词进入了我们的日常生活。外来词进入汉语词汇一般有一个本土化过程。这一过程主要体现在语音、词形、语义三个层面。在所有外来词中,"OK"在国人中的使用率相当高,而且该词的语用意义与其本义发生了明显的偏差。这一语用变义并不是外来词语义本土化的结果,这一现象值得进一步研究。

Along with the development of Sino-foreign exchanges, an increasing number of foreign words have entered the Chinese language. Generally speaking, loan words have to go through a process of localization before they are fully adopted. This localization operates on phonetic, morphological, and semantic levels. Among the many foreign terms, OK is probably used most frequently and the pragmatic meaning of the word has deviated from its original definition. This paper argues that this shift of meaning does not result from semantic localization and further studies should be carried out to explore the underlying reasons.