Liu Haiming's column
"Kant's Question" on the Phenomenon of Homophones on the Internet
Liu Haiming (Professor and Doctoral Supervisor of Chongqing University)
Philosophy, called wisdom, answers questions about the nature of all things.
In this regard, the most classic is "Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going?" In Kant's long philosophical career, he devoted himself to answering "what can I know" and "what should I do?" "What can I hope for", these three questions can also be called "Kant's question".
Philosophers' questions seem abstract, but they are everywhere.
On July 13, Sina Weibo issued a community announcement, and the site owner will conduct centralized rectification of violations that use homophonic words, variant words and other "typos" to publish and disseminate bad information on the site.
Around this announcement, some people agree with it, and some people disagree.
Facing the controversy of online public opinion, looking at it from the user's point of view, "Kant's Question" is no longer a metaphysical grand proposition, but an issue closely related to oneself.
Here, let’s borrow Kant’s way of thinking about the problem and look at “we” as social media users, “what can we know,” “should do,” and “what can be hoped for.”
The first question is that Weibo rectifies the phenomenon of homophonic and variant characters spreading bad information. What do “we” users need to know?
In the history of the development of human society, homophony and variation are language phenomena that exist objectively in every era. Without homophony and variation, a language will be in a stagnant state.
At the same time, it should also be recognized that the development of homonyms and variants needs to go through a process from random to normative.
In this process, a society needs to bear the local pain phenomenon of language development.
After the emergence of the Internet, the abuse of homophonic variants has become prominent. On social media, some users like to use alphabetic symbols to express meaning. For example, alphabetic symbols such as "yyds", "jiojio", "EMO lived" and "giegie" are regarded as Trendy Internet languages are competing to imitate.
The popularity of this alphabetic symbol creates a language barrier that runs counter to the mass media goals of social media.
It should also be recognized that the popularity of homophones and variants also facilitates the spread of sexually violent content.
Social media prohibits the dissemination of vulgar words such as pornography and violence. Homophones and variants are disguised to provide opportunities for the dissemination of vulgar content, which will damage the purity of Chinese in the long run.
For example, some users use homophonic stalks to abuse others on the Internet, and the victims often complain to no avail. The platform predicts some of these homophonic variant behaviors, which can naturally be understood by users.
In addition, it should be recognized that there is also a legal basis for the station side to say "no" to the homophonic variant phenomenon.
my country's "Law of the Common Language and Characters" emphasizes the standardization, standardization and healthy development of the common spoken and written language. Article 14 lists five types of words that should be standardized, including words used in media organizations and facilities in public places.
Social media platforms are typical "public places", and the terminology of social media is not standardized. When "money can't say money, say rice; kill can't say kill, say S; Renminbi or U.S. dollar say Mane", such a homophonic variant It is obvious that there is a need for normative guidance.
The second question, how should "we" as users deal with the phenomenon of dissemination of bad information by homophones and variant words on Weibo?
In the impression of Internet users, the significance of the Internet is to encourage the personalized development of users, and to communicate with personal favorite expressions, which should not be subject to too many restrictions.
However, in the face of the requirements of the site, users need to be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of homophonic variants, and consciously abide by the "General Language and Character Law". Both mean "publishing", so they should regulate their own language.
From the choice of words to the standardization of grammar, it reflects the social responsibility of citizens, and it is not appropriate to simply take the standardized management of the station as a shackle.
Social media platforms provide the possibility for citizens’ cultural creation, and the creation of language and characters should bear fruit in this fertile soil, provided that the creation of language and characters should follow the inherent laws of language development and basic moral laws (Wang Huanni, “New Media and the Public Cultural Creativity, Commercial Press, January 2022 edition).
In contrast to the current phenomenon of homophonic variants on the Internet, there are both objective reasons and subjective reasons for betraying moral laws and abusing rhetorical methods.
When "we" is fully aware of the relationship between homophone variants and vulgar content, users are required to consciously abandon indecent words and reduce the online stock of pornographic and violent words.
The third question is that Weibo rectifies the phenomenon of homophonic and variant characters spreading bad information. What can “we” as users hope for?
About ten years ago, a well-known online media claimed that in order to enhance the timeliness of online news, it would no longer be responsible for text errors in news, which once caused widespread controversy.
Today, it has long been a consensus of public opinion that online media should be responsible for their own writing.
The Weibo site attaches great importance to language norms and publishes governance announcements. As users, “we” not only hope that this measure will persist, but also hope that the site will fully implement the "Language and Character Law", taking into account the diverse expression needs of users and the content of the platform. quality.
To correct the phenomenon of homophonic variants, we hope that the site will be targeted, take homophonic variants of pornographic and violent content as the target of rectification, and directional rectification, while leaving a moderate space for users' creative language and rhetorical activities.
In the development of Chinese, there should be Cangjie-style characters in every era.
The contemporary "Cangjie" is not a myth or legend, but a living group.
The question that arises from this is how to protect the "Cangjie" in the new era in the process of regulating the homophonic variant phenomenon, which is obviously a practical problem before the management of the station.
After answering the "Question of Kant" about the phenomenon of homophones on the Internet, it is expected that the network practice of homophones and variant characters will be harmonious and interesting, change and compliance, innovation and order, governance and morality, so that homophones and variants can be used in harmony and interesting. Create and use pros and cons.
Although there is a long way to go to achieve this goal, as long as we work hard in this direction, we are handing over our answer to history.