The vocabulary improvement is the work of reorganizing the vocabulary system into a system based on native words by removing old and useless vocabulary from the lexical structure of a language and sorting out difficult and complex foreign elements and uncivilized elements.
With a deep insight into the importance of the work, President
The first method of vocabulary improvement indicated by the President is to actively involve the masses into this work and give full play to their creative wisdom.
President
"Pooling the masses' wisdom can produce good results in refining our language. Those words which are difficult to change, like the terms used in the social and technical sciences, should be revised after widespread debate."
The masses are the creators of language and masters of developing language.
If the creative wisdom of the masses is reflected broadly in the vocabulary improvement, the improved language can be easily rooted and settled in the common language consciousness of all members of society.
If the opinion of the masses is not fully considered, the subjective view of individuals directly in charge of this work may affect it, and thus the masses may use the original vocabulary without accepting the terms which they are not unfamiliar with.
In order to give full play to the creative wisdom of the masses, it is necessary to hold a newspaper discussion.
The language-refining discussion should be held by means of newspapers and broadcasts to inform the public of the vocabulary to be improved and possible substitutes and make them widely offer opinions on them and thus confirm the vocabulary to be improved in the future.
The second method of vocabulary improvement indicated by the President is to carry out this work gradually by completely finishing one task at a time.
To improve vocabulary by the method of finishing one task at a time means that once a word has been improved, the words directly related to the first word should be corrected in succession until the extraneous word system itself, which includes the word, is completely eliminated.
The gradual improvement of vocabulary means that, instead of improving a large number of vocabulary at a time, a certain amount of vocabulary is improved first and when they are completely absorbed into the language of the public, another group of vocabulary is improved.
Only when the vocabulary is improved gradually, as silkworms eat mulberry leaves, can this work be successfully carried out without hindering the people's linguistic life.
Indeed, the theory on the methods of improving vocabulary clarified by President
