Author(s)

Xing Zeng

Affiliation(s)

Department of Statistics, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541006, Guangxi, China.

Corresponding Author

Xing Zeng

ABSTRACT

In contemporary society, the phenomenon of lexical poverty is becoming increasingly prominent, as reported by the Chinese Youth Daily,  which highlighted the lexical poverty issue among young people. Survey data indicates that over half of the interviewed youth feel their language expr ession abilities are gradually declining. Additionally,  47.1% of the interviewed youth believe they have a limited vocabulary and exhibit repetitive expressions. They often experience cognitive difficulties  during speech, such as mental blockages, forgetting words while writing, and experiencing linguistic lapses. For university students,  proficient language expression is one of their essential competencies. However,  the research on lexical poverty among university students in China is currently limited, necessitating a deeper exploration of this phenomenon. This study employed a questionnaire survey method to investigate the lexical poverty status and influencing factors among university students in four r egions of Guangxi. A total of 925 questionnaire responses were collected,  of which 772 were deemed valid after removing invalid responses. Basic descriptive analysis of the data provided insights into its distribution. Subse quently,  differential analysis and multiple response analysis were conducted to explore the association between respondent characteristics and research questio ns. Finally, a structural equation model was constructed to explore the complex relationship between university students' understanding of lexical poverty and their behaviors. The research findings reveal that lexical poverty is widespread among university students,  posing a significant challenge to their language expression abilities. The main reasons include inadequate reading habits, internet usage patterns,  and limited face-to-face communication. Additionally,  educational background and academic disciplines also influence the occurrence of lexical poverty. Students with higher educational levels experience r elatively fewer instances of lexical poverty compared to their counterparts, with students in STEM fields being more susceptible than those in humanities. Moreover, the frequency of lexical poverty increases significantly with the growing reliance on the internet, declining reading habits, intensified fragmented reading patterns,  reduced face-to-face communication, and decreased participation in organized communication activities at universities.In light of these findings,  it is recommended to strengthen guidance and regulation on internet information, conduct vocabulary education and language training activities,  and actively encourage and support students to engage in debate, public speaking, writing, and other practical activities to alleviate lexical poverty among university students.

KEYWORDS

University students; Lexical poverty; Differential analysis; Multiple response; Structural equation

CITE THIS PAPER

Xing Zeng. Breaking the "word poverty" and making the language lively —— investigation and analysis on the current situation of college students' word poverty and its influencing factors. AI and Data Science Journal. 2025, 2(1): 48-75. DOI: https://doi.org/10.61784/adsj3015.

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