It is becoming more and more difficult to ＂turn positive＂. Are online buzzwords drifting away from the real world？

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　　Nowadays, there is a huge gap between the languages of the real world and the online world. No one can accurately predict whether this gap will widen further. However, compared with before, the recognition of network slang (some of which are also called "network slang") in the real world is decreasing, and it seems that "network slang" is gradually drifting away from the real world, and it is increasingly difficult to "turn positive" network slang.

　　What do you mean by "yyds" and "Juejuezi"? In the online world, users get the message, "only words can be understood"; In real life, many people are puzzled and confused.

　　This is also reflected in this year’s "Top Ten Catchwords" selection. On December 8th, the editorial department of Chewing on Words magazine published "Top Ten Catchwords in 2021", and "yyds" and "Juejuezi" were excluded.

　　When explaining the selection criteria, Huang Anjing, editor-in-chief of Chewing on Words, said that this involves "sociological value" and "linguistic value".

　　Not just "popular"

　　This year’s "Top Ten Catchwords" is a selection that goes beyond "popularity".

　　The top ten buzzwords released on the 8th include: "Great Change in a Hundred Years", Well-off Society, Taking the Exam, Double Reduction, "peak carbon dioxide emissions, Carbon Neutralization", Wild Consumption, Breaking Defense, Chicken Baby, Lying Flat and Metauniverse.

　　The selection criteria mentioned by Huang Anjing are embodied in three aspects: reflecting the annual characteristics, adhering to the value principle and adhering to the normative concept.

　　Therefore, based on the principle of value, three social organizations such as "social arrogance", "social phobia" and "social death" were eliminated because of the publisher’s consideration of "curbing the spread of vulgar and violent language", while "small town writers" were rejected because of their suspicion of "discrimination" against a certain group of people. Based on adhering to the normative concept, "yyds", "Juezi" and "Grab Bamboo Shoots" were eliminated.

　　For the word "lying flat" with a negative color, the publisher said that he had made positive guidance in the interpretation of the entry, clearly pointing out: "Young people should look at competition rationally, face pressure with a positive attitude, never give up, and work hard for their ideals and future."

　　Earlier this year, an article that caused great discussion also conveyed a similar attitude towards network terms. This article, entitled "What can I do to save the" wordless person "who is trapped by the" stalk ",puts" except ‘ yyds’ I can’t find other words of praise, and everything can be ‘ Juejuezi ’ " This kind of people who can’t put their thoughts into words and can’t speak without their stems are called "aphasia patients" and prescribe the right medicine for them.

　　Say your own words.

　　On December 9th, a linguistics major in a domestic university talked about this year’s "Top Ten Catchwords" in class discussion. There are two main viewpoints: one is in favor of the selection criteria of publishers and recognizes the selection results; The other believes that language is established and "use is reasonable".

　　This is also a portrayal of different attitudes towards online language. Just after the article "What can I do to save the" wordless person "who is stuck in the" stalk "was released by the authoritative media, it was interpreted as" official media approval ‘ Network slang ’ " .

　　In the online discussion, many people don’t agree with the views of the article. Some netizens even found out that during the Tokyo Olympic Games more than a month ago, after Yang Qian and Yang Hao won the gold medal, the media used "yyds" to express the meaning of "Yangyang wins" and created a new "homophonic stalk".

　　The original meaning of "yyds" on the Internet is "Eternal God", which means admiration and is also a homophonic stalk. It was borrowed by the media on the network platform more than once. Therefore, many netizens questioned the media’s disapproval of netizens’ use of "yyds" and their own use.

　　"Is very can express your emotions, than ‘ Great ’ ‘ That’s amazing ’ It’s much more vivid and convenient. However, people still don’t say that in life. " Yang Xu, a post-00 college student, thinks that people don’t need to make a fuss about the use of online language.

　　Whether it is rejection or acceptance, supporters of both views can find theoretical basis. Saussure, a famous linguist, put forward the idea of immutability and variability of symbols in his famous book A Course in General Linguistics. In the professional field, the standardization, development and variation of language and the attitude towards language derived from it often show the characteristics of "speaking their own words".

　　Let the Bullets Fly

　　In the selection of buzzwords, Chewing on Words excluded the online terms such as "yyds", and also showed its own point of view: it is not against some netizens to use them, but it is definitely not in favor of letting them enter the annual list of buzzwords.

　　This has been recognized by linguists. "The life of language lies among users, and the selection can be based on their own values and criteria, but it does not determine the survival of language." Some linguists told the reporter of Workers Daily.

　　There is a metaphor in linguistics: language is a river, with old dregs constantly sinking at the bottom of the river and eventually dying out, and new rivers constantly flowing in to keep the river alive. This metaphor is used to describe the emergence and disappearance of old and new language phenomena.

　　This can explain the phenomenon of "turning positive" in network language. On November 10th, 2010, the headline of People’s Daily appeared the online term "Geili", which became a landmark event. Since then, many network terms have begun to appear in the mainstream media. At that time, the Green Paper on Language Life in China "Report on Language Life in China 2009" issued by the Ministry of Education and the State Language Commission also stated that online hot words have continuously enriched people’s language life.

　　A careful study of the network words that have been recognized and "turned positive" shows that they all have such characteristics: they conform to the rules of Chinese structure and Chinese grammatical norms. This also explains why even if there are many users, it is increasingly difficult to "turn positive" some network terms nowadays.

　　Language norms are not only the inherent requirements of each language, but also those elements that are accurate, distinctive, vivid and universal in the national language have the opportunity to maintain long-term vitality in the long river of language. This is the reason for the disappearance of network terms such as "You are OUT", "886" and "Fahai you don’t know love". I believe that words like "yyds" and "Juejuezi", which can’t be seen in Chinese with ideographic system, will certainly disappear, for the same reason.

　　Bao Yuanyuan, a teacher of the Department of International Culture and Communication in beijing city university, believes that even for the good purpose of purity and standardization of mother tongue, we don’t have to "kill with one stick" in our attitude towards online language. The norms of the norms and the guidance of the guidance, but in the online world, the bullets can fly for a while. "We should believe that Chinese has survived for thousands of years and has its own powerful self-purification and development functions, and will take its essence and discard its dross."