What do you think? "Numbers" have become "numbers"... Homophonic characters are frequently used in public places, and "business formats" have become "night formats". | Citizens | Homophonic characters
Recently, Mr. Xue, a citizen, was passing by a well-known commercial district in Shanghai with his son when he discovered a promotional slogan for an event that was displayed on a large screen. One of the sentences was: "Share a New Night State.". The organizers have intentionally enlarged and bolded the characters "night state" to achieve a prominent effect. Mr. Xue's 8-year-old son stared at the word "night state" and asked, "What does it mean?" Mr. Xue explained, "It's probably a homophonic sound of" business form, "and may be trying to express the existence of a commercial form at night." However, the child couldn't understand the meaning. He believed that "night state" was written incorrectly and said, "It's embarrassing to write the wrong word on the big screen.". Mr. Xue believes that homophoning "night mode" as "business mode" is unclear and very far fetched, and may also subtly help children learn incorrect word combinations. "As parents of children, I really dislike seeing such homophonic expressions in public," Mr. Xue said.
The homophonic promotional slogans encountered by Mr. Xue are not isolated cases. A recent investigation by reporters has found that homophonic words are widely used in some public places and events in Shanghai. For example, at a coffee culture event, the slogan "Dream Qifei" was proposed, and "Qifei" is a homophonic sound of "Qifei"; At a science and technology innovation promotion event, it was proposed to create a "smart city", where "smart city" is a homophone for "digital" and "city" is a homophone for "new city"; The slogan of a credit behavior promotion activity is "coffee is ordinary", and "coffee is similar" is a homophonic sound of "different". These public slogans with homophonic words often appear in official occasions where government agencies, streets and towns participate.
Homophonic characters originated on the internet and were first used in corporate advertising. Later, due to the popularity of "homophonic memes" in actor stage performances, they were widely spread offline. "In the process of dissemination, homophonic characters have gradually formed their own stylistic characteristics and are more entertaining. However, unlike the 'pun' rhetoric, most homophonic characters are replaced with completely unrelated Chinese characters. Once used improperly, it is considered a typo from the perspective of language norms." said Xu Mofan, Associate Professor of the Chinese Department at East China Normal University.
Although it is a Chinese character mismatch, some government agencies frequently use it in public due to the entertainment and catchy nature of homophonic characters. The relevant staff admitted to the reporter that they all hoped that the slogan and theme would be unique and eye-catching during the promotional activities, so that they could be remembered immediately, which led to the use of "homophonic characters".
Experts believe that homophonic characters are not completely unusable, but they should be used appropriately. A properly used homophonic character should not only respect the expression of semantics, but also reflect the beauty of the text. However, currently, most public homophonic characters cannot achieve such an expression effect. For example, "Qi Fei" may make people feel inexplicable, "Shu Zhi Xin Cheng" is awkward and awkward, and "Ye Shi" may be misunderstood as a new term
"Government departments should be cautious in using homophonic words in official occasions," said several experts interviewed by the reporter. They believe that improper use of homophonic words is actually a typo, and the large number of homophonic words appearing in official occasions can easily mislead children and young students, and also affect the cultural taste of a place.
"The publicity of government agencies should not only pursue dissemination effectiveness, but also take on the responsibility of educating the public. For example, in public places such as posting posters, setting up large screens, and media reports, if homophones are widely spread, the public, especially young children who lack text resolution, will learn incorrect Chinese character combinations." Xu Mofan said.
Professor Zhu Weijue from the Department of Sociology at Tongji University believes that the activities organized by relevant government departments have to some extent showcased the image of Shanghai, and the extensive use of homophonic characters in promoting the region is counterproductive. "The cultural level of a city needs to reach a higher level and cannot rely on creating 'eye-catching' cultural phenomena."
Experts such as Zhu Weijue and Xu Mofan, as well as some citizens, suggest that government departments at all levels should standardize the use of Chinese characters in their propaganda. Firstly, use homophones with caution in official public occasions. If using homophones, make sure to use them properly. Secondly, homophones should not be used in activities with international friends. Chinese culture has a long and rich history, and characters not only play a role in expressing meaning, but also have a beautiful arrangement. Many international friends may not necessarily understand the meaning of Chinese characters, but they can appreciate the beauty of arrangement. The combination of homophonic characters can destroy this aesthetic and may also transmit incorrect Chinese expressions overseas.
