More and more slang terms derived from the Internet and television shows are finding their way into the mainstream media, sometimes even appearing in newspaper headlines. The draft Regulations of Shanghai on Implementing the Law on the National Use of Language and Script have recently been submitted to the Standing Committee of the Shanghai People's Congress for discussion. If passed, slang terms such as "PK" and "MM," which are popular with Chinese youth, will be restricted in use.

In order to better regulate Putonghua, also known as Chinese Mandarin, the draft demands that Putonghua and Chinese characters be used in all civil services, broadcasting, public services and important events. The regulators also want to ban slang terms from classrooms, official documents and publications produced in Shanghai.

Zhang Weijiang, director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Committee, said that authorities will consider each Internet term individually rather than simply banning them all. If invented, abbreviated and borrowed terms and symbols don't fit the regulations and the standard grammar of the modern Chinese language, they won't be allowed in formal occasions. Use of the terms popularized in cyberspace, such as "MM," meaning girl, "biao," short for "bu yao," meaning don't want and "konglong," or dinosaur, meaning an unattractive woman, would be restricted under the proposed regulations. Zhang indicated that they negatively affect the development of Putonghua.

"On the Web, Internet slang is convenient and satisfying, but the mainstream media have a responsibility to guide proper and standard language usage," said Xia Xiurong, chair of the Education, Science, Culture and Health Committee of the Shanghai People's Congress, quoted in the Shanghai Morning Post.

Despite the move, Xia said there was no reason why the terms shouldn't be used in other settings.

"Our nation's language needs to develop, but it also needs to be regulated," Xia added. She pointed out that not everyone understands these popular slang terms. When they appear in the mainstream media without explanation, many older people have a hard time understanding the true meaning.

But linguists say that people shouldn't worry too much about this new Internet slang. Li Xizong, a Chinese language professor at Fudan University, said the Chinese language is able to regulate itself. If people continue to use a term in everyday life it will eventually become a part of the language; however, if the frequency of its use decreases, it will perish on its own over time.

Another slang term singled out is "PK," which was popularized by the hit television program "Super Girl." Professor Lu Gusun, editor-in-chief of the English-Chinese Dictionary, was deeply puzzled when he first encountered the term. It was not until he asked some students did he realize "PK" is short for player killer. The term originated in the computer game world and has come to mean one-on-one competition. Lu said "PK" could be around for a while because computer games still exist. Furthermore, it simply and vividly expresses a complicated meaning and can be easily memorized by Chinese people, just like "WTO" for World Trade Organization, "ganbu" for cadre and "luoji" for logic. How long it lasts will depend on society.

As Xia Xiurong suggests, so long as proper regulations are made, the international metropolis of Shanghai should welcome and tolerate the introduction of "imported" language into Chinese culture.

(China.org.cn by Zhang Rui, October 6, 2005)