This paper explores synchronic variations and diachronic changes in political discourses in Hong Kong (HK) and Mainland China (PRC). Using the Menzerath-Altmann (MA) law, the relationship between lengths of linguistic constructs and their constituents is analyzed. The study finds that fitted parameters of the MA law distinguish regional variants over time and capture language changes within the PRC. Regional variations and historical changes show varying salience at different constituency levels, with compounding effects between them. The results support the MA law as a model for language as a self-organizing complex system.

Renkui Hou, Chu-Ren Huang, Kathleen Ahrens