Do U Speak a Dialect and a Standard language at the Same Time?
By sallyforward
@sallyforward (17)
China
August 6, 2010 1:22am CST
Dialects are common in every country and the uniformed language is very important to the united status of the country. So almost all the countries have its only one sound authorized by the government. In China, 56 peoples, despite their own languages and dialects, can communicate with each other in Putonghua.
However, Putonghua is man-made while dialects are rooted in communities. The most powerful proof of being one member of another community is to speak like they do.
Do you have any problem in get fully involved in the community where you stay? Do you have any experience of learning another dialect? Are you successful?
1 response
@OrangJuice (687)
• China
6 Aug 10
Hi, sally, yes, I do speak a dialet, mixing Mandarin together. Frankly speaking, it's so common now. It's a little difficult to speak in pure dialect.
It's great to popularize Mandarin in China indeed. Mandarin makes communication easier, especially people from different regions. However, it's also a pity that more and more dialects are disappearing now.
Some minority youth cannot speak even understand their own languages.
Lucky, dialect in my hometown is still living, but many kids only can understand instead of speaking. Even if they speak, it sounds quite strange.
Now I'm attracted by HK shows, maybe I should learn Cantonese
@sallyforward (17)
• China
7 Aug 10
I totally agree with you. Sometimes you have to expose yourself to communication with some elder folks who stay in hometown for long in order to regain the feel of speaking the mother tongue. And the mother tongue itself can never return to the situation when we are young, thanks to the popularization of Putonghua. That's one of the reasons that I admire people who speak Cantonese.
I meet a lot of children with parents from different rigions speaking Putonghua with their parents. What a pity! So I suggest couples from different places try to understand each other's dialect so that they can use their own mother tongue to make daily communication.
You mean HK dramas by shows? It's really a very good start of learning Cantonese.
