Language Reform Press And Language Reform Movement In Contemporary China

Since modern times,great changes have taken place in the use of Chinese language.The language reform movement in different periods is one of the main driving forces of this historic change.In any movement,publishing is a main method to promote reform.After the founding of the People’s Republic of China,Language Reform Committee was established immediately as the highest leading body to promote the Chinese language reform.In 1956,Language Reform Press was established under Language Reform Committee.As the official publishing house,it initiates,implements and disseminates the specific language policies under the leadership of Language Reform Committee through the publication of books and periodicals.This study looks into the interaction between the publishing house and the language reform movement in contemporary china with the formulation and promotion of "Chinese Phonetic System(Pinyin)" as the breakthrough point.Through published books and periodicals collected concerning Pinyin,combining with historical documents and published memoirs,this study analyzes the work done in 30 years by Language Reform Press from 1956 to 1985,in the process of formulating and promoting Pinyin.Through the analysis,the research clarifies the following questions:(1)The basic information of Language Reform Press,such as founding background,personnel component and highlights of the publications;(2)What had Language Reform Press done to popularize "Chinese Phonetic System(Pinyin)" ?(3)What role did the publishing of Language Reform Press play in the promotion of "Chinese Phonetic System(Pinyin)" ? It further summarizes the role of Language Reform Press in the contemporary China’s language reform movement.