Acceso usuarios
Songqing Li
Drawing on the notion of scale as an analytical lens, this study aims to advance the work of studying multiple accents of English in sociolinguistics by way of examining netizens’ (meta)commentary on Chinese English accent (CEA) in cyberspace. Questions to be addressed include what scalar possibilities are often produced and mobilised for orienting to different spatiotemporal configurations in the online interaction of (meta)commentary, and how the dominant metadiscursive regimes surrounding English accents are metapragmatically challenged and reshaped by these scalar possibilities. Through a close analysis of postings and comments attached to them collected from YouTube and Xiaohongshu, this article mainly presents two major findings relating to the consequences of netizens’ scalar practices: (1) the definition of translingual as the norm of English accent, and (2) the constitution and construction of CEA as equally teachable and learnable. The article highlights the productivity of scale in analysis and how its application may contribute to a deeper understanding of metapragmatic regimentation by unpacking the dynamics of scalar practices acted on CEA.
