“掉头”还是“调头”?——论汉语同音词的选取方法

"U-Turn" or "Switching" ?——Discussion on How to Choose Homophones

在我们现实生活中,汉字同音现象大量存在。同音字误用、通用问题由来已久。"掉"与"调"在现代汉语使用当中,属于一对同音字。从语音、语义、语法、语值多个角度,仔细分析"掉"与"调",我们得出二者在掉转方向、更换、玩弄三种情况下可以通用。但二者语义倾向性有所不同。大多数情况下,"掉"倾向于摇摆;"调"倾向于位置发生变化。语言是社会成员约定俗成的交际工具,我们在对语言进行规范和选取过程中,应该遵循人们使用汉语的习惯和约定俗成性。

In our daily life,homophone word generally exists in Chinese language.The problem that they are easily misused has existed for a long time.＂Turn＂ and ＂switch＂ are a pair of homophones in Chinese.By analyzing them through pronunciation,meanings,grammar and value,we conclude that they can replace each other in three meanings,that is,＂turning direction＂,＂replacement＂,＂play＂.What＇s more,each of them has its inclination.＂turn＂ tend to ＂swing＂,while ＂switch＂ tend to ＂changing the position＂.Language is a conventional communication tool among community members.It is necessary to follow the rule that language is established by human communities during the process of standardizing it.