| The comments on “The Movement of Masses Language” are different in literary history. One of them insists that this movement is a failure because of its disordered theories, radical thoughts, simple and scanty creations. The other argues that this movement is very useful, because it has made positive effects on striking those thoughts of retrogressing to classical style of writing and has promoted the popularization of language. They also hold that this movement has made great contribution to the construction of written form of modern Chinese language. This language reformation in 1934 played an significant role in promoting Chinese language from classical Chinese and monopoly to vernacular and popularization, just had the same influence like those movements in literary history, such as the Chinese Alphabet Campaign in the late Qing Dynasty, May Fourth vernacular movement, the national language movement and so on. However, the academia insists that the investigative depth and achievements of this movement could not be mentioned in the same breath as those of Vernacular Movement. Because this movement lasted only for a short time, the contents of controversy were tanglesome and it emphasized theories than practices. This paper is based on Social Monthly, a famous magazine which was a bridge between the new literary writers and the common people during this movement. According to the literary debates in “special number of a periodical of masses language” and the presentation and changes of language in other kinds of articles, the author probes into the beginning and end of this movement and clears up the diverse views. At the end of this paper, the author focus on the decline of intellectuals’ subject consciousness in linguistic movements and their position from elites to the masses.This paper is divided into three parts:Part One: the overview of Social Monthly. This magazine has seldom been concerned by the academia, because it was hardly the main battlefield of new literature. The author has cleared up the diverse articles and category designs in this magazine, in order to introduce Chen Lingxi, the chief editor of Social Monthly, and the effects from Social Daily, Social Weekly to the literary world, newspaper industry and the common people in Shanghai at that time. By presenting and analyzing the main features of this magazine, the author probes into its participation and effects to the movement of masses language.Part Two: the masses language in debating. The debates of this movement were tanglesome at its time. And most researches of this movement in recent years still stayed at its surface without considering its temporal speeches and opinions deeply. In this chapter, the author starts from interpreting the concept of “ masses language”, then dwells on its purpose and significance by relying on those important historical materials,such as Social Monthly, Shendaily, Taibai, Debates on Masses Language, and so on. The author seeks the relationship between its historical background and the other linguistic movements by combining the current view and historical science.Part Three: the research on masses language in Social Monthly. As a participant in the new literary discussion, Social Monthly was popularized and its main readers were common people. Therefore, researches should pay more attention to the standpoint and viewpoint in the articles of masses language in this magazine. In this chapter, the author clears up the diverse opinions of all the factions at that time. The author also presents the style and features of the masses linguistic discussion by researching the writing form, creative subject, linguistic quality and practice methods of this movement. Then the author explores the positive significance of Social Monthly to the masses linguistic discussion. The procedure that the turning of intellectuals from elites to the masses in the revolution of modernization and political situation will be further discussed from the view of creative subject and linguistic quality. |
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