Exploring The "X-gate" Social Language Phenomenon In The Media-from The Perspective Of The Adaptation Theory

In recent years, since the "Water-gate" event, a large number of "X-gates", such as "Irangate" "Prisoner gate" and so on, have appeared in the news media and even in people's everyday life. The study of this social language phenomenon mainly relates to word formation, semantic analysis, social linguistics, cognitive linguistics and memetics. "X-gate" phenomenon has become an extremely complex pragmatic phenomenon and come down to various linguistic levels, also involving quite a few factors such as societal, cognitive ones. Anyway, it is very hard to study this phenomenon from one aspect; this thesis tries to explain this phenomenon with a comprehensive theoretical framework, which is Adaptation Theory.Adaptation Theory, initiated by Verschueren, is a relatively new-born pragmatic theory. It states that language use is a process of continuous making of choices, consciously or unconsciously, for language-internal and/or language-external reasons. Variability, negotiability and adaptability are the three features of language. And adaptability is the core of the language using; people may explain language phenomenon from four interrelated angles:contextual correlates, structural objects, dynamics and salience of the adaptation process. It has been applied in field of translation, but seldom used in other fields.This research is intended to explain the "X-gate" social language phenomenon from the perspective of Adaptation Theory, trying to give answers to and explore the following puzzles:What is the "X-gate"? Why can "X-gate" be used so frequently in the news media or on the internet or even in people's daily life? How can "X-gate" phenomenon be spread so widely and profoundly and become so popular? Is it available to study this "X-gate" phenomenon form the adaptation theory? What has this thesis done in the research with the adaptation theory? The "X-gate" exhibits strong variability, negotiability and adaptability. Its occurrence. development and use result from the diachronic adaptation, which expands its meaning potential. Its wide use is the synchronic adaptation process to both the contextual correlates and structural objects. The adaptation is a dynamic process and produces a comparatively higher degree of salience, approaching the satisfaction of the communicative needs.