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English protects languages | ||
 Language Learning Forum : Esperanto | ( Topic Closed) |  |
| Darobat Diglot Senior Member Joined 7192 days ago 754 posts - 770 votes  Speaks: English*, Russian Studies: Latin | Message 9 of 46 11 August 2005 at 9:49am | IP Logged | |||||
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| Socrates Groupie United Kingdom Joined 7065 days ago 40 posts - 40 votes | Message 10 of 46 11 August 2005 at 10:12am | IP Logged | |||||
Yes indeed Darobat but note I said "from the heart". Can Esperanto be on the same level and compete as a first native human language ? 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Shusaku Senior Member United States Joined 7104 days ago 145 posts - 157 votes 1 sounds Speaks: English* Studies: Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese | Message 11 of 46 11 August 2005 at 10:13am | IP Logged | |||||
You may very well be right, but the impression I've gotten from younger Chinese is that English is just cooler than Mandarin. The level of English in China is still low but improving quickly. Of course they will continue to speak their local dialect to each other wherever possible, and maybe speak Mandarin when talking to a native speaker from the north, but what if a person from Fujian wants to speak to someone from Guangdong? Edited by Shusaku on 11 August 2005 at 10:14am 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| vincenthychow Tetraglot Senior Member Hong Kong Joined 7108 days ago 136 posts - 145 votes Speaks: Cantonese, English, GermanB1, Japanese Studies: French | Message 12 of 46 11 August 2005 at 11:31am | IP Logged | |||||
Madarin, of course~! Those who can speak English are educated. Schools in China are using Madarin as a medium of instruction, it is also true in the schools which are located in the very rural area. So, anyone who can speak English, will be able to speak Madarin as well. We may not be able to speak very fluent Madarin, but we definitely will not communicate, with another languages, among us. They feel that English is cooler than Madarin, is just because of the "Chic factor". It is also true for the Japanese. For them, being able to speak Japanese is of course nothing to be proud of. Yet, being able to speak English is very cool~! Madarin, as the only national dialects, is taught all over the country. If a person cannot speak Madarin, he/she cannot speak English neither. In no way is it possible that Chinese, nor Madarin, be replaced by any other languages. The reason is, our language is not only a tool for communication, it is also a piece of evidence of our long history in these thousands of years. Our language is one of our most treasured culture. 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| Darobat Diglot Senior Member Joined 7192 days ago 754 posts - 770 votes Speaks: English*, Russian Studies: Latin | Message 13 of 46 11 August 2005 at 11:43am | IP Logged | |||||
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| Shusaku Senior Member United States Joined 7104 days ago 145 posts - 157 votes 1 sounds Speaks: English* Studies: Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese | Message 14 of 46 11 August 2005 at 12:01pm | IP Logged | |||||
But my point was, several Chinese people I've talked to consider Mandarin to be a foreign language.
The Chinese language will always be an integral part of the culture, and that is a Good Thing. I never said that Chinese or Mandarin would die. The point was that if a person perceives both English and Mandarin as foreign languages (but English being the cooler one) people may naturally gravitate toward the use of English when trying to communicate with those who don't speak the local dialect. Of course this would take many years but it could happen. Moreover, there could be a backlash against the forced use of Mandarin in the schools. Just a theory, I could be completely wrong :) 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| vincenthychow Tetraglot Senior Member Hong Kong Joined 7108 days ago 136 posts - 145 votes Speaks: Cantonese, English, GermanB1, Japanese Studies: French | Message 15 of 46 11 August 2005 at 12:17pm | IP Logged | |||||
Yes, you are right that we usually consider Madarin as foreign language, but not as "foriegn" as English. Madarin is foreign, becuase it is not our mother tongue and we have to learn it with extra effort. English is foreign, becuase it is a language of another country. However, the importance of Madarin is much higher than English. Just as I have mentioned before, in the mainland China, those who can't speak Mandarin should not able to speak English neither. English is cool, because it is a sign of being educated. However, a educated person should AT LEAST being able to speak Madarin. Being able to speak English but not Madarin is just a violation of the teaching sequence. If one can speak Madarin, I just can't imagine a person may speak English just because it is "cool". Is French cool in the United States? When two persons, who can speak French, are communicating, will they speak French just becuase it is cool? Another example is that, literacy rate in China is still low because of the complicated writing system. It is cool to be able to write. So, are we going to write, instead of speak during daily communication? Using Madarin as a medium of instruction is widely accepted all over the country. Becuase we understand that our dialects are dialects ONLY and worth no national value, nor English. Edited by vincenthychow on 11 August 2005 at 12:26pm 1 person has voted this message useful | ||||||
| randy310 Senior Member United States Joined 7069 days ago 117 posts - 117 votes Speaks: English* | Message 16 of 46 11 August 2005 at 12:26pm | IP Logged | |||||
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Well said Socrates! In response to another, yes French was the lingua franca of diplomacy at one time...but to believe that it continues to do so is self deluding. I refer you to what the great polyglot Barry Farber has to say about it in his book of the same title as this web site! Denying reality does not negate it.
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