Yes, I have been waiting my whole life for an excuse to post that :)
Posted on 12/24/2010 5:55:44 AM PST by Pinkbell
BEIJING, Dec 23 (ANTARA) - Chinese newspapers, books and websites will no longer be allowed to use English words and phrases, the country`s publishing body has announced, saying the "purity" of the Chinese language is in peril.
The General Administration of Press and Publication, which announced the new rule on Monday, said the increasing use of English words and abbreviations in Chinese texts had caused confusion and was a means of "abusing the language".
Such practices "severely damaged the standard and purity of the Chinese language and disrupted the harmonious and healthy language and cultural environment, causing negative social impacts," the body said on its website.
"It is banned to mix at will foreign language phrases such as English words or abbreviations with Chinese publications, creating words of vague meaning that are not exactly Chinese or of any foreign language," it said.
GAPP said companies which violated the regulation would face "administrative punishment" without offering specifics.
English abbreviations such as NBA (National Basketball Association), GDP (gross domestic product), CPI (consumer price index) and WTO (World Trade Organization) are commonly used in Chinese publications.
The body left a small loophole, saying that "if necessary", English terms could be used but now must be followed by a direct translation of the abbreviation or an explanation in Chinese, according to the regulation.
The names of people or places in English also must be translated, the China Daily reported Wednesday.
One editor at a Beijing publishing house told the newspaper that the new GAPP regulation could actually result in reduced understanding.
"The intention of protecting the Chinese language is good. But in an age of globalisation, when some English acronyms like WTO have been widely accepted by readers, it might be too absolute to eliminate them," the editor said.
(Excerpt) Read more at thaivisa.com ...
Certainly more appropriate to the Season!
And personally,I DESPISE icons taking the place of clearly worder labels! I find it much easier to learn a new word ,even if it is not my native language,than try to remember or decipher some strange pictograph.
I wish we had done that with spanish
The French Government established the “Academie Francaise” about two hundred and fifty years ago. They stocked it with the leading intellectuals of the day, including Voltaire, Montesqieu, and even a few Americans. Their mission was to protect the purity of the French language.
There’s nothing new in history. The French have been uppity for centuries.
/English is a living language, made up of German, Latin, French, and Greek elements. Anglophones, people that speak primarily English, make up more new words each year than all other language-speakers combined. There are economic reasons for “English First,” but no historical/cultural ones beyond fear of change.
“China has already abused their language by using simplified characters.”
I’d imagine they had to; how do you make a keyboard or typewriter with 2,000 characters?
Good! Can we please go back to “Peking” and “Mao Tse Tung?”
Well, on Jan. 20, 2009, we took a “great leap” toward Maoism, at least!/sarcasm
It’s about time the Chinese stopped kowtowing to the West, they should have been more gung ho about this years ago.
There is a big difference between having an official language (nothing wrong with that) and declaring what phrases can be included in the the official language.
English is chock full of words and phrases from other languages. To try and prevent any more would be a futile task.
Le Big Mac is already a fait accompli!
I can’t believe I missed the meaning of what I wrote that badly. Thanks for pointing it out.
You misunderstood. The characters themselves are simplified -- they use fewer strokes. In Taiwan (I'm told) they use the original characters.
For typing they use a system called "pinyin", IIRC. I don't remember exactly how it works but it seems to involve typing up to three Latin characters then selecting the Chinese character from a menu of choices. Something like that.
You echoed my sentiments, before I could get them out.
The billion$ that France has spent in the last century to promote and protect French has done nothing to slow the march of the international adoption of English.
If the Chinese were smart, they’d look at how English was “created” and realize it was not created by the Celts of Britain protecting “the native tongue”, or by the Angles (English) of Britain protecting “the native tongue”, or by the Saxons of Britain protecting “the native tongue”, or by the Normans of Britain protecting “the native tongue”.
The English of today is a creation of constant adaptation, constant incorporation of “foreign” words into the common language of those using “English”, throughout the history of the English language.
And, English continues that always-evolving aspect today, which will likely keep it expanding in usage world-wide.
The Chinese language will die, like French, if adopting foreign words into the Chinese language is somehow made prohibitive. For a language to survive, it MUST adapt and adaptation includes adding words that originate (start out) outside that language’s usual speakers. English is what it is BECAUSE it was built that way, over time.
Thanks for your responses. Personally, I’m glad that I grew up with English as my native language. I have been interested in Asia lately as I’ve watched some Korean and Taiwanese dramas. In Asia, when they want to learn a second language, they (from what I’ve seen) learn English. In fact, in a lot of Korean pop, there is often English words mixed with the Korean in the songs.
in China, above 80% people can’t read/speaking english.and english word is used too much in china publication/tv, it’s necessory to ban it on some extent, eg the genaeral publication/TV
Yes, I have been waiting my whole life for an excuse to post that :)
The first time I went to Peking (Beijing) my native Chinese hosts took me to a fabulous old restaurant where the speciality was Peking Duck. We sat in an area near the musicians who played traditional Chinese musical instruments and a lady dressed in traditional garb was singing. I was the only Westerner in the entire restaurant.
It was September. I guess the musicians caught a glimpse of me because out of nowhere they started playing “Jingle Bells” as a treat for me. I was enormously amused and pleased. I tried to explain to my host about one-horse open sleighs but they had no idea what I was talking about. I also tried to explain that Christmas is not celebrated in September. I never could quite get them to understand so I just gave up.
Every time I see “Peking Duck” I remember that experience. It is one of those you cherish your whole life through. By the way, the duck was out of this world as you would expect. My hosts were popping cooked duck hearts into their mouths like popcorn and telling me how wonderful they are, but I declined.
What a great Christmas story! You couldn’t draw the sleigh on a napkin or something? And show them the calendar in your checkbook? :)
Besides being the language of science and business, English is attractive to the Koreans because they like us. And all the Koreans I’ve meet have been extremely nice people, if a little cranky. I like them, too. My Korean students, in particular, are friendly and very hard-working.
My Marine father fought in the war, and was stationed in Korea twice more in thirty years. He explains to everyone that the Koreans are exceedingly nice people, unless you’re fighting them. then look out!
As stupid Americans line up at Walmart to get those great Communist Chinese products!
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