its harder for chinese student from china to learn another dialect i guess? guangdong and guangxi had different dialect while fujian and fuzhou is totally different too. each of the dialect have many branches too. my mum went to our ancestor hakka village and yet she cant understand some of the hakka branches,too deep she said. in malaysia it is easier since there is lesser dialect. the major was cantonese,hokkien(not minnan) and hakka others minor was hainan,fuzhou(east malaysia) etc
the cantonese in HK and Guangzhou has slightly different accent. But it's hard to tell the difference.
hm.. Mainland Chinese students in HK hang out among themselves; they don't hang out with local HK people. Local HK students also do not hang out with Mainland Chinese students. HK people in general is not quite willing and able to hang out with people who do not speak Cantonese. The ability to speak English and Mandarin amongst local people is still wanting. Singapore and Malaysia are doing much better in this.
It is quite out of topic, but in some places in South China, one valley hardly understand the next valley. I know some cases from Jiangxi and from Guangxi. It must be the case for Fujian and Guangdong. Names like "min nan" or "hakka" are general names for related dialects. One interesting fact is that "guangdong hua" is used officially in Guangdong, in the radio, trains, in the cabs, etc. I for myself like the fact that HK people do not mix so easily with people not speaking their language. Quite healthy I think!
yes. when china 1st choosing the national language,cantonese lost by 1 vote to mandarin(which originally a north china mixed dialect ),that's really made a lots of different
Throughout Chinese history, the capitals were located within the Mandarin area which made the dialect spoken in that area influential. In around year 1720, an emperor order officials from non-mandarin speaking spoke a dialect that the emperor could understand which was the beginning of an unified language in China. Eventually, the Beijing dialect was selected in 1932 and the People's Republic of China made it official in 1949 when the current China was born. Cantonese was never in the running and never will.
The world has become a global village, thanks largely to the Internet, and not communicating with each other because of language barrier, worse still cultural differences, is the worse thing to happen to any people leading to misunderstanding and even conflicts, not to mention the inability to learn from one another and not benefiting from strength in diversity. As far as language is concerned, English has over several decades due to the English-speaking world's great superiority in science and technology as well as economic development become the de facto global language. However, there are pros and cons. The following link contains 19 well-written articles by various authors on the topic: English as a global language,a good or bad thing? http://www.helium.com/knowledge/29452-english-as-a-global-language-a-good-or-bad-thing Another article by Jacques Melitz for Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) titled "English as the Global Langauage:Good for Business, Bad for Literature". http://www.cepr.org/press/DP2055PR.htm I understand the French are very proud and protective of their language so much so that even tourists who don't speak French but any other language in France are not well entertained or shunned in many places. But, for me, it's best to learn another language, if you've the time and interest,as it opens new vistas to increased knowledge,a deeper understanding of the history,culture,beliefs and philosophy of diverse peoples, esp when you can read works in their original languages (as there's always something lost in translations), in addition to improved communication,meeting new people and interacting with them to forge a better relationship, widening your perspective, and just simply for the fun and enjoyment of it. Interestingly, Jim Rogers,the well-known American investor, advises all parents to teach their children Mandarin. http://www.thepreparationstation.com/2011/jim-rogers-advises-his-children/ - I urge you to watch the included video clip of Jim's interview. Another link http://www.slideshare.net/TutorChinese/jim-rogers-teach-your-children-chinese Apparently,Jim Rogers is a Sinophile, i.e. one who admires China,its people, or its culture, and just to cite a few notable, recent,modern Westerners who are too, namely, Jacques Chirac, ex-French President; Kevin Rudd,the 26th Australian Prime Minister;Jon Huntsman,the Republican US Presidential candidate in the 2012 Election;Jean Chretien, former Prime Minister of Canada. Those who love music would have heard of Wu-Tang Clan, a rap group from New York.
Maybe this wikipedia article may clarify matters http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Mandarin Another one http://www.omniglot.com/chinese/mandarin.htm
Coming back to topic, the poll result so far isn't quite what I expected, more than 60% think Lee CW won't win it?! I wonder if given a chance to re-vote now, would the outcome be any different?
i posted on pcll99 visitor wall well,do u know who is yuen tengfei 袁腾飞? i get the info from his books. the emperor u said in 1720 is manchurian,how can Kang Xi emperor order Han's officer speak manzhouhua?lol none of the manchurian speak manzhouhua now. They learned from Yuan dynasty mistake. Manchurian was totally absorbed into the culture of Han's and never ever speak manzhouhua anymore.
I think English became the lingua franca of the world today because of the following: (1) The British Empire dominated the world from 1815 to 1914 (Pax Britannica). (2) America dominated the world after 1945. Its only rival is USSR. (3) After the Cold War has ended, America has no rival. Maybe the American Century will end in 2046, and Hong Kong will rule the world then!!!
