The origin, features and evaluation of the May Fourth new vernacular

Abstract

The new vernacular, a literary language that narrows the gap between written and oral language, has played a vital role in the past more than four score years since its birth in the May Fourth new literature. However, the evaluation towards the new vernacular is still controversial and uncertain due to the constraints of research documents that can be available or because of the prejudice and stereotyped opinions held by scholars. This paper is written to explore the origin, features and some debates concerning the new vernacular and propose my personal views for the purpose of furthering this study in this field.

摘要

新体白话是五四文学革命后诞生的一种使书面语与口头语相接**的文学语言, 在**最**八十多年社会实际生活中发挥了重大作用。 但对于它的具体评价, 学术界至今众说纷纭。 笔者分析了新体白话与文言、 与古代白话、 与**代白话、 与欧化白话的诸般关系, 并对各种形态的简单化论点作了剖析, 以就**于方家。