1. Introduction; 2. Theoretical foundations; 3. Methodology; 4. Elastic language used in Chinese; 5. Elastic language used in English; 6. Comparison between Chinese and English in regarding elastic language use; 7. Perceptions of and attitudes towards the use of elastic language in Chinese; 8. Perceptions of and attitudes towards the use of elastic language in English; 9. Comparison between Chinese and English regarding participants' feedback; 10. General discussion; Conclusions and implications; Appendix: English questionnaire used in Perth, Australia; Appendix: Chinese questionnaire used in Taiwan.