Xinhua Dictionary is a popular reference book, a must-have for every student, and a must-have Xi for every student, as well as a childhood memory for many people. Recently, however, the dictionary has sparked controversy because of the definition of some entries, with some people arguing that some of the words are inappropriate, insulting women, violent tendencies, etc., and some procuratorates have even removed them from the shelves for rectification. In this regard, some linguistic experts said that the compilation of dictionaries should take into account the characteristics of users, not only to follow the norms of the language, but also to reflect the flexibility of the language, and not to generalize.
Controversial entries in the Xinhua Dictionary.
Controversial are some entries in the 11th and 12th editions of the Xinhua Dictionary, the most notable of which is the definition of the word "play". In both versions, the third meaning of the word "play" is "teasing", and the example of "**sex" is given. Some people believe that this example is discriminatory and insulting to women, which is not in line with social order and good customs, and is not suitable for children to learn Xi. Some parents said that their children were about to enter the first grade, and they specially bought a new "Xinhua Dictionary", and they were shocked to find this problem when they flipped through it, and they were worried that it would affect their children's three views.
In addition to the example of "**sex", there are some other entries that have also caused dissatisfaction, such as the second meaning of the word "waist" is "referring to a gun", and the example of "pistol in the waist" is given. Some people believe that this example has a violent tendency, is not suitable for use in reference books, and is not conducive to cultivating children's sense of peace. There are also entries such as "niu", "sister", "prostitute", etc., which are also considered vulgar terms and should not appear in the dictionary.
Xinhua Dictionary encountered "law enforcement".
These controversial entries have sparked heated discussions among netizens, with some supporting the rectification of the Xinhua Dictionary, while others believe that this is a misreading of the reference book and should not be over-interpreted. In this turmoil, the behavior of one procuratorate has attracted greater attention. On June 1, the People's Procuratorate of Quanzhou County, Guilin City, Guangxi Province, together with the county's Education Bureau, Press and Publication Bureau, and other administrative departments, conducted special inspections in schools and bookstores.
This behavior has aroused questions in society, and some people believe that the procuratorate has the right to "enforce the law" against reference books such as the Xinhua DictionaryIs there really vulgar content in reference books such as "Xinhua Dictionary"?Is there any suspicion that the procuratorial organs' "law enforcement" has exceeded their powers?In this regard, the Guilin Municipal People's Procuratorate issued a verification determination on June 3, believing that the Quanzhou County People's Procuratorate had misperformed its duties in jointly carrying out this special inspection, and instructed the procuratorate to carry out rectification. The Guilin Municipal People's Procuratorate said that when carrying out this special inspection, the Quanzhou County People's Procuratorate did not authorize, did not follow the procedures, did not clarify the basis, did not solicit opinions, did not form documents, and did not report, which was an ultra vires act, and the procuratorate has been seriously held accountable.
Response from experts.
Some linguistic experts have also given their own views on the controversial entries in the Xinhua Dictionary. A teacher in the Chinese department of a university in Wuhan believes that the users of reference books are different, and it is appropriate to give examples according to the characteristics of users. He said that the compilation of dictionaries should follow the normative nature of the language, but it should also reflect the flexibility of the language, and it should not be generalized. For example, he said that for the example of "**sex", if it is used by adults, it may not be too much of a problem, because it is a common phrase and also has a certain linguistic effect, but if it is used by primary school students, it may cause misunderstandings, because this phrase involves some sensitive topics and is not suitable for children to touch. He suggested that the compiler of the dictionary should take into account the actual needs of users of different ages, try to avoid using some phrases that may cause controversy, or add some hints after the phrases, such as "idioms", "colloquialisms", "pejoratives", etc., so that users can understand them correctly.
A professor of linguistics at a university in Beijing believes that the compilation of dictionaries should respect the language as it is, and should not be arbitrarily deleted or modified. He said that a dictionary is a tool book for recording language, and its purpose is to reflect the truth of the language, not to prescribe how the language should be used.