Netizens sued "Xinhua Dictionary" (source: Jimu News).
Recently, a netizen officially sued "Xinhua Dictionary", which aroused widespread concern in the society. According to the netizen, when he used the 12th edition of the "Xinhua Dictionary", he found that there were many problems in it, which was suspected of violating relevant laws and regulations. The specific questions are as follows:
The annotated compound word "**sex" of the word "play" is suspected of violating Article 25, Item 9 of the "Regulations on the Administration of Publications";The annotation of the word "don't" "a pistol pinned to his waist" violates Article 26 of the Regulations on the Administration of Publications;"Tired" and "cumbersome" form sentences, and "children become cumbersome when they are young" is suspected of violating Article 25, Item 6 of the "Regulations on the Administration of Publications";In the 12th edition of the Xinhua Dictionary, there is no "倭寇" under the entry for the word "倭", which is suspected of violating the provisions of Article 37, Paragraph 3 of the "Patriotic Education Law".
Netizens questioned that the word "倭" does not have the phrase "倭寇" (Source: Kandu News).
In response to these doubts, netizens listed the relevant legal basis and sent the prosecution materials to the Yuhang District People's Court of Hangzhou City.
It is understood that "Xinhua Dictionary", as a commonly used reference book, has always been loved by readers. However, this incident has raised questions about the dictionary. Are netizens' doubts reasonable?Is there a problem with the Xinhua Dictionary?These problems have aroused widespread concern from all walks of life.
Xinhua Dictionary" 1957 edition of the text "倭" (source: China Publishing and Marketing Weekly).
In response to netizens' questions, the publisher of "Xinhua Dictionary" has responded. They said that the "Xinhua Dictionary", as a small dictionary, focuses on the collection of words, and from the 50s of the last century to the present, all editions have not included the word "倭寇" under the word "倭", so the so-called "new version of the deletion" of the word is not true. The related "Modern Chinese Dictionary" and "Xinhua Dictionary", as medium-sized "dictionaries", have always included the word "倭寇" in various editions.
Netizens questioned the inappropriate use of the word "**sex" (Source: Kandu News).
However, this incident still raises questions about the inclusion of words in reference books. A teacher of the Chinese Department of Wuhan University said that dictionaries are commonly used reference books, and whether reference books can cite derogatory use cases depends on the nature of reference books and the objects of use. Some dictionaries are mainly used to record standardized Chinese characters and Mandarin words, so the words used by people in social life may be included in reference books. Jiang Lansheng, a well-known linguist, also said, "The reason why a dictionary needs to be revised is because the language has changed. The development and change of society prompts the variation of language, and dictionaries reflect the life of language. ”
In any case, as an important reference book, the accuracy and standardization of the content of Xinhua Dictionary should be valued. It is hoped that the relevant departments can conduct an in-depth investigation into this matter and give a reasonable explanation and handling results. At the same time, it is also hoped that readers can remain vigilant when using the reference book and pay attention to whether the content in it meets the norms and standards.