A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Cross-Border E-Commerce Livestream Discourse: A Case Study of Mother’s Day Product-Selection Livestream on Amazon Live

Main Article Content

Manxue Zhang
Qufu Normal University, Jining, Shandong, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.70267/jlce.2026.v3n3.114126

Keywords

cross-border e-commerce livestream, lexical richness, syntactic complexity, cross-cultural communication

Abstract

Against the backdrop of global digital transformation and the rapid growth of cross-border e-commerce, English-language livestreaming has become an important channel for reaching international consumers. However, its discourse structure and cross-cultural adaptation remain underexplored. This study takes a Mother’s Day selection livestream on Amazon Live as its corpus and adopts a corpus-based mixed-method approach. Using LCA and L2SCA, it analyzes lexical richness and syntactic complexity and then interprets the findings through Hall’s high- and low-context theory [1]. The findings indicate that the conversation exhibits intermediate lexical sophistication together with significant lexical density and diversity. Short clauses, low subordination, restricted coordination, and condensed noun phrases are its syntactic characteristics. Overall, the livestream discourse follows a low-context cross-cultural communication strategy. This study enriches empirical research on English cross-border e-commerce livestream discourse and offers a linguistic reference for cross-cultural business communication.

Abstract 13 | PDF Downloads 6

References

  • [1] Hall ET. Beyond Culture. New York: Anchor Press; 1976.
  • [2] Guo J, Li Y, Xu Y, Zeng K. How Live Streaming Features Impact Consumers’ Purchase Intention in the Context of Cross-Border E-Commerce? A Research Based on SOR Theory. Frontiers in Psychology. 2021;12:767876.
  • [3] Luo H, Cheng S, Zhou W, Yu S, Lin X. A Study on the Impact of Linguistic Persuasive Styles on the Sales Volume of Live Streaming Products in Social E-Commerce Environment. Mathematics. 2021;9(21):2832.
  • [4] Li, M, Wang, Q, Cao, Y. Understanding Consumer Online Impulse Buying in Live Streaming E-Commerce: A Stimulus-Organism-Response Framework. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022;19(7):4378.
  • [5] Tedjakusuma A P, Silalahi A D K, Eunike I J, Phuong D T T, Riantama D. The Trust-Driven Path to Consumer Engagement Behaviors: Exploring the Role of Streamer and Platform Characteristics in Live-Streaming E-commerce. Digital Business. 2025;5:100115.
  • [6] Liu, Z, Yap, T T, Zhang, X, Sinayah, M. What Do We Know about E-commerce Live Streaming Discourse from Five Years of Research? A Systematic Review (2019–2023). Forum for Linguistic Studies. 2024;6(6):767-784.
  • [7] Xu, Y., Jiang, W., Li, Y., Guo, J. The Influences of Live Streaming Affordance in Cross-Border E-Commerce Platforms: An Information Transparency Perspective. Journal of Global Information Management. 2022;30:1-24.
  • [8] Wang Y, Zeng X. Spoken Discourse Design and Cross-Cultural Awareness Cultivation for English Live Streaming in Cross-Border E-Commerce. Education Insights. 2025;2(10):43-51.
  • [9] Lin W, Cheng Y. Enhancing Cross-Border E-Commerce through Speech Act Theory in Live-streaming Discourse. International Theory and Practice in Humanities and Social Sciences. 2024;1(1):191-203.
  • [10] Lu X. Automatic Analysis of Syntactic Complexity in Second Language Writing. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics. 2010;15:474-496.
  • [11] Lu X. The Relationship of Lexical Richness to the Quality of ESL Learners’ Oral Narratives. 2012;96:190-208.
  • [12] Luo X, Xu Q. A Syntactic Complexity Analyzer for Second Language and Its Application in L2 Writing Research. Foreign Language Teaching and Research. 2016;48(3):409-420,479-480.
  • [13] Kim M, Lu X. L2 English Speaking Syntactic Complexity: Data Preprocessing Issues, Reliability of Automated Analysis, and the Effects of Proficiency, L1 Background, and Topic. The Modern Language Journal. 2024;108:270-296.
  • [14] Jiang, F, Li X. Lexical Richness and Syntactic Complexity in AI-Generated Texts: A Comparison of ChatGPT and Native English University Student’s Writing. Journal of Foreign Languages. 2026;49(2):43-51.
  • [15] Bulté B, Housen A. Defining and measuring L2 complexity. In: Gass S M, Mackey A. The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition. London: Routledge; 2012:199-215.
  • [16] Ortega L. Interlanguage complexity. In: Kortmann B, Szmrecsanyi B. Linguistic Complexity. Berlin: De Gruyter; 2012:127-155.
  • [17] Ding Y, Huang Y, Zhang M. Analysis of the Characteristics of Cross-Cultural Communication in Cross-Border E-Commerce Live Streaming Texts. Integration of Industry and Education Journal. 2025;4(2):22-28.
  • [18] Liu J, Li X. A Study on Pragmatic Empathy in Live-Streaming Sales Discourse. Business Culture. 2022;(5):136-138.
  • [19] Gao Y, Liu S. “Just Buy It!” The Discipling Force of Online Marketing: Discourse Analysis on Online Living Broadcasting. Journal of Central University of Finance and Economics. 2022;(12):134-147.
  • [20] Cheng X, Bao Y, Zarifis A, Gong W, Mou J. Exploring consumers’ response to text-based chatbots in e-commerce. Internet Research. 2022;32(2):496-519.
  • [21] Wang Y, Pan D. Multimodal Language Interaction in Taobao Live Streaming. Chinese Journal of Language Policy and Planning. 2022;7(3):34-46.
  • [22] Ji X, Li W. Discourse Analysis of Cross-Border E-Commerce Live Streaming from Multimodal Perspective. Overseas English. 2021;(20):92-93.
  • [23] Zhang X, Xia H, Zheng H. A Multimodal Discourse Analysis of Cross-Border E-Commerce Livestreaming. Open Journal of Modern Linguistics. 2025;15:707-719.
  • [24] Feng W. A Study on Linguistic Strategies in Cross-Border E-Commerce Livestreaming from the Perspective of Speech Act Theory. Journal of Harbin University. 2025;46(8):90-94.
  • [25] Laufer B, Nation P. Vocabulary Size and Use: Lexical Richness in L2 Written Production. Applied Linguistics. 1995;16(3):307-322.
  • [26] Read J. Assessing Vocabulary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2000.
  • [27] Ai H, Liu X. A Corpus-Based Comparison of Syntactic Complexity in NNS and NS University Students' Writing. In: Ballier N, Diaz-Negrillo A, Thompson P. Automatic Treatment and Analysis of Learner Corpus Data. Amsterdam: John Benjamins; 2013:249-264.
  • [28] Johansson V. Lexical Diversity and Lexical Density in Speech and Writing: A Developmental Perspective. Working Papers. 2008;(53):61-79.
  • [29] Covington M A, Mcfall J D. Cutting the Gordian Knot: The Moving-Average Type-Token Ratio (MATTR). Journal of Quantitative Linguistics. 2010;17(2):94-100.
  • [30] Ure J. Lexical Density and Register Differentiation. In: Perren G E, Trim J L E. Applications of Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 1971:443-452.
  • [31] Halliday M A K. Spoken and Written Language. Geelong, Vic: Deakin University Press; 1985.
  • [32] Khorina M, Handani W Z. Comparing the Lexical Density of Spoken and Written News. Linguistics and English Language Teaching Journal. 2022;10(2):17-24.
  • [33] Vercellotti M L. Finding Variation: Assessing the Development of Syntactic Complexity in ESL Speech. International Journal of Applied Linguistics. 2018;29(2):233-247.
  • [34] Biber D, Gray B. Challenging Stereotypes About Academic Writing: Complexity, Elaboration, Explicitness. Journal of English for Academic Purposes. 2010;9(1):2-20.
  • [35] Park S. A Corpus-Based Comparison of Syntactic Complexity in Spoken and Written Learner Language. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics. 2022;25(2):47-70.
  • [36] Song D, Chen X, Guo Z, Liu X, Jin R. What Should Streamers Communicate in Livestream E-Commerce? The Effects of Social Interactions on Live Streaming Performance. In: Proceedings of the 43rd International Conference on Information Systems. Copenhagen: [s.n.]; 2022.
  • [37] Ma E, Liu J, Li K. Exploring the Mechanism of Live Streaming E-Commerce Anchors’ Language Appeals on Users’ Purchase Intention. Frontiers in Psychology. 2023;14:1109092.
  • [38] Chen B, Wang L, Rasool H, Wang J. Research on the Impact of Marketing Strategy on Consumers’ Impulsive Purchase Behavior in Livestreaming E-Commerce. Frontiers in Psychology. 2022;13:905531.
  • [39] Ling S, Zheng C, Cho D, Kim Y, Dong Q. The Impact of Interpersonal Interaction on Purchase Intention in Livestreaming E-Commerce: A Moderated Mediation Model. Behavioral Sciences. 2024; 14(4): 320.
  • [40] Qu Y, Khan J, Su Y, Tong J, Zhao S. Impulse Buying Tendency in Live-Stream Commerce: The Role of Viewing Frequency and Anticipated Emotions Influencing Scarcity-Induced Purchase Decision. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services. 2023;75:103534.

Article Sidebar

PDF
Published
Jun 24, 2026
Issue
Vol. 3 No. 3 (2026)
Section
Research Articles
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Zhang, M. (2026). A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Cross-Border E-Commerce Livestream Discourse: A Case Study of Mother’s Day Product-Selection Livestream on Amazon Live. Journal of Language, Culture and Education, 3(3), 114-126. https://doi.org/10.70267/jlce.2026.v3n3.114126