“后真相”成为牛津词典年度词汇以来,相关研究盘亘政治、新闻传播等领域。语言作为传播真相和传递意识形态的重要媒介,是后真相研究的一个重要向度。本文回溯了“后真相”何以成为热词,分析了其词语内涵,并梳理了其在现实中的话语形态,认为公共话语者对语言修辞的滥用、社交媒体对主观情感的放大,加剧了“后真相”的蔓延,也导致了人们对语言的失信。语言信任危机背后是“说话者”对语言的操控、大众媒体对语言的扭曲,以及语言自身在新旧媒体更迭时经历的裂变与阵痛。作为说话主体的人,只有恢复语言使用的严谨,保持对语言文明的尊重与谦卑,才可能更好地维护语言的真理与美学意义。

The word“post-truth”has remained its popularity in fields of politics and communication since it became word of the year of Oxford Dictionary. Language constitutes an important dimension of post-truth research given its use as a medium for spreading truth and ideology. The article traces how “post-truth” came into being as a buzzword and evaluates the role language plays in presenting or misinterpreting “truth”. The overuse of rhetoric by public speakers and the powerful effect of media on our emotions lead to the spread of post-truth and the declining of confidence in language. Attributing to the crisis is the manipulation of language in communication, the abuse of it in mass media, and the generational language gap brought by new media. The author holds that the truth and aesthetic value of language can be maintained only with a genuine commitment to language itself and the proper use of it.