An Examination of the Language Used by Women in Modern Chinese Literature Using the White Deer Plain as an Illustration

Abstract

The language of each sort of typical female character is analyzed in this paper using Chen Zhongshi's novel White Deer Plain as the research object. The linguistic perspective and the traditional classification of "silent, rebellious, and struggling" for female figures in the novel are used. Three key features of the female language in White Deer Plains are found to be rooted in the patriarchal rural society's power structure: a direct reaction to the male power field, a strong connection to one's own identity, and the language's "instrumentality" superseding its "expressiveness." The causes behind the development of women's linguistic traits are further examined in this research using the three dimensions of institutional suppression, economic reliance, and educational deficiency. Through a microscopic examination of language, it seeks to investigate the survival status of women in White Deer Plain.