Knowledge Bank

This paper analyzes the frequency distribution of the Cantonese sentence-final particle lo1 in a set of YouTube videos. Studies of the sentence-final particle lo1 in terms of its semantic and pragmatic functions have been well documented. Although some scholars have noted that lo1 is commonly used by the younger generation and is associated with the impatient attitude of a speaker, no further investigation with respect to such an association has been conducted. The data from this study of the YouTube videos suggests that high frequency occurrence of lo1 is linked to the speaker’s feelings of irritation and exasperation.