How useful of Mandarin in Hong Kong?

Macaurelio   Thu Apr 01, 2010 3:16 pm GMT
Simple characters are for simple people.
Traditional characters are for intelligent people.
South Korean   Thu Apr 01, 2010 5:54 pm GMT
So are the books in Mandarin translated in Cantonese for the Hong Kong readers? Can you write your thesis in Cantonese?
yuman   Thu Apr 01, 2010 6:09 pm GMT
<<No. Mandarin is far from imperialisticly whiping every other Sintic language out, the Central government is encouraging its knowledge as a second language, as it serves as a good Chinese lingua franca, but I don't see any real push to replace other languages with Mandarin.>>

In the past, Mandarin was called Pu Tong Hua, the normal spoken language. Nowadays, the intention of Beijing is even more obvious, Mandarin is called Han yu, the language of Han. Why does Beijing call Mandarin as language of Han when even Han people need to learn them outside of home?

Hanyu smells like "Aryan" to me.


Mandarin is wiping a lots of languages inside the territory of China, not only Sinitic. Students are banned from speaking their own languages in schools. The teaching of Mandarin becomes earlier and earlier. In the past, teachers that only speak Mandarin were introduced in secondary school. In recent years, teachers that only speak Mandarin are introduced in kindergarten. Sinitic languages are easier to wipe out because the written standard is already based on the Mandarin grammar.
Yuman   Thu Apr 01, 2010 6:17 pm GMT
<<So are the books in Mandarin translated in Cantonese for the Hong Kong readers? Can you write your thesis in Cantonese?>>



Mandarin = spoken Mandarin + written Mandarin
Standard Chinese = written Mandarin
Cantonese = spoken Cantonese.

In official, Cantonese are not allowed to be written out.
Schools teach students to write in standard Chinese, that is based on Mandarin grammar. If student write in Cantonese grammar, his writing is called "problematic".

In serious writing, such as documents and newspaper, standard Chinese is the only thing that can be used.
In less serious writing, such as gossip magazine and forum chatting, written Cantonese can be seen.


That's why I really hate Mandarin promotion policy.
The writing standard is already in Mandarin. But that's not enough.
They have to overtake the spoken part.
South Korean   Thu Apr 01, 2010 6:46 pm GMT
What about traditional characters? Are they being threatened by simplified ones?
Yuwan   Thu Apr 01, 2010 6:54 pm GMT
<What about traditional characters? Are they being threatened by simplified ones?>

Yes.
Little Tadpole   Fri Apr 02, 2010 2:31 pm GMT
Guest111: "No. Mandarin is far from imperialisticly whiping every other Sintic language out... but I don't see any real push to replace other languages with Mandarin."

Ha, I am amazed how people can tell lies with a straight face. Why don't you come to http://www.pkucn.com/ and discuss your view point with the Chinese experts there, huh? Come on, please, don't be a chicken, now.

It takes decades and decades for people to become civilized about language issues. It took Taiwan 45 years to appreciate dialects and incorporate them into educational curriculum (which Mainland still does not have.) Even after that, it took another 15 years for people to realize what mother tongue means, when it comes to kids born to non-Chinese-speaking mothers (e.g: Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai.) It is only last week that the Taiwan ministry of education started to encourage incorporating foreig-mother-tongue classes in school.

http://www.pkucn.com/viewthread.php?tid=253467
Yuwan   Fri Apr 02, 2010 6:47 pm GMT
<Taiwan 45 years to appreciate dialects and incorporate them into educational curriculum (which Mainland still does not have.)>
China would never ever incorporate regional languages into curriculum.
Mandarin is called "Hanyu", the language of Han, now. The direction of promoting Mandarin is to wipe out languages and become the language of Han.


I don't like the term "dialects". It makes people think that all the other sinitic languages are the dialects of Mandarin.


I found a horrible picture of Mandarin promotion policy. It was taken from a Tibetan school. In just a small classroom, there are two posters that was about promoting Mandarin.
http://img.skitch.com/20100402-jb1b69ijcd84d6mjxh821j43ad.jpg
Little Tadpole   Sat Apr 03, 2010 8:42 pm GMT
Yuwan: "I found a horrible picture of Mandarin promotion policy. It was taken from a Tibetan school."

Man, what a contrast. Thanks for the picture.

In Taiwan you see a classroom sign saying: IKUTI NASEHAT ORANG TUA.
In Mainland you see a classroom sign saying: 依法推广普通话.

I guess that says it all. These two picture really should be put side-by-side.
Guest1111   Sat Apr 03, 2010 8:58 pm GMT
<<Yuwan: "I found a horrible picture of Mandarin promotion policy. It was taken from a Tibetan school." >>

In fairness the use of Welsh, Cornish and Scottish Gaelic isn't particularly encouraged in the UK, and up until 20-30 years ago it was down-right supressed.
Yuwan   Sun Apr 04, 2010 2:39 am GMT
<<In fairness the use of Welsh, Cornish and Scottish Gaelic isn't particularly encouraged in the UK, and up until 20-30 years ago it was down-right supressed.>>

What's the point of bringing the British to here?
Why does that justice the suppression of languages in China?

British people can vote, why can't Chinese do the same thing?
yuman   Sun Apr 04, 2010 2:40 am GMT
*justify
Shuimo   Sun Apr 04, 2010 3:03 am GMT
Yuwan Fri Apr 02, 2010 6:47 pm GMT
<Taiwan 45 years to appreciate dialects and incorporate them into educational curriculum (which Mainland still does not have.)>
China would never ever incorporate regional languages into curriculum.
Mandarin is called "Hanyu", the language of Han, now. The direction of promoting Mandarin is to wipe out languages and become the language of Han.


I don't like the term "dialects". It makes people think that all the other sinitic languages are the dialects of Mandarin.


I found a horrible picture of Mandarin promotion policy. It was taken from a Tibetan school. In just a small classroom, there are two posters that was about promoting Mandarin.
http://img.skitch.com/20100402-jb1b69ijcd84d6mjxh821j43ad.jpg

------------------

Of course, except the Beijing tongue,which is the common language of this nation, all other languages spoken in China are dialects!
Only the Beijing tongue is taught as a compulsory thing across China!

Mandarin promotion is one of the biggest down right things the CPC has ever done alongside all the evil deeds it has been committing to the Chinese people!
Yuwan   Sun Apr 04, 2010 3:15 am GMT
<Of course, except the Beijing tongue,which is the common language of this nation, all other languages spoken in China are dialects!
Only the Beijing tongue is taught as a compulsory thing across China! >

Not only Beijing language, recently, Beijing opera is taught across nation. There are other regional operas but only Beijing opera is introduced into schools.

<Mandarin promotion is one of the biggest down right things the CPC>
To be fair, it was the KMT's job. CPC just carry on.
But of course, CPC not only doesn't correct the problem, and they even promote Mandarin with more aggressive methods.
blanc   Sun Apr 04, 2010 7:52 am GMT
http://www.books4you.com.hk/31/pages/page9.html

A column by a Hong Kong professor. (in standard chinese)
He is very angry at the education policy that teaches Chinese literature in Mandarin. (used to teach with Cantonese) He is not happy that the government is suppressing Cantonese and worries that Cantonese will disappear eventually.