No Pun is a Winner After Chinese Governments Most Recent Edict The Chinese State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television has now declared an edict restricting the use of puns in television and advertisements because they may mislead young viewers and - this is not a joke - cause “cultural and linguistic chaos.” The trouble is the very structure of the Chinese language lends itself to punning, so many words sound very close to another that common phrases often only need slight alterations to create a very different message. This move to restrict punning follows a general tendency of Jinpings rule to attempt to reinforce traditional values which Chinese idioms represent as many have been used for generations. The fact that anyone can barely alter these idioms to make entirely new meanings is representative of the type of subversion that Jinpings China has fought tooth and nail. Does Xi Jinping really think he can prevent the Internet from poking fun at authority? Which raises the question - if its a battle you will never win, Wi-Fight it?
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 02:09:15 +0000
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