Recently, the sentence formation problem of the 12th edition of the Xinhua Dictionary has become a hot topic among netizens, causing a storm of public opinion. In this turmoil, netizens directly challenged the authority and expressed strong dissatisfaction with the sentence formation of Xinhua Dictionary. This defiant trend is refreshing and draws more attention to the accuracy and inclusiveness of lexicography.
The most controversial is the formation of a phrase in the entry: "Playing with women". This sentence formation has caused a lot of people to be indignant, thinking that such example sentences are disrespectful to women. Netizens quickly organized and launched a series of discussions and protests, and some even announced a lawsuit against Xinhua Dictionary. This challenge to authority has aroused widespread resonance and attention.
Another controversial example is the entry "cumbersome". The sentence in the dictionary "The child is small and has become a burden" has aroused the anger and dissatisfaction of netizens. They think that such example sentences are demeaning to the child and give a bad impression. Netizens expressed their opinions one after another, asking the Xinhua Dictionary Editorial Committee to re-examine and correct such sentences.
In response to these controversies, the Xinhua Dictionary Editorial Board has also begun to respond. Acknowledging that sentence formation is a difficult and sensitive issue in lexicography, they indicated that they would re-examine the sentence formation of these controversial terms and revise and adjust them. They expressed their willingness to accept suggestions and guidance from all sectors of society to ensure that the dictionary more accurately and appropriately reflects linguistic diversity and cultural inclusion.
The controversy has sparked a comprehensive focus on the work of lexicography. On the one hand, it reminds us that we need to be more cautious and sensitive when forming sentences to avoid misunderstandings and negative influences on people. On the other hand, it also highlights society's re-examination of the authority of language and the expectation of more inclusive dictionaries.
In this era of information explosion, dictionaries, as a tool for maintaining and inheriting language and culture, should keep pace with the times, focusing on accurate, reasonable and inclusive explanations and sentence formation to meet the needs and expectations of society.
This controversy is not only a test of the work of lexicography, but also a reflection on our authority and our struggle for our own rights. It is hoped that the relevant departments can actively listen to the voice of the society, conduct in-depth dialogue and consultation with netizens, and jointly promote the development of dictionary compilation in a better direction, so as to provide people with more accurate, comprehensive and inclusive language guides.