Tag Archives: language

How to deal with other people’s verbal violence – reflections on the use of language

This is the 1510 Digest, a weekly roundup of recent essays and articles published on the Chinese web, with links to translations on the Marco Polo Project. From weibo politeness to SMS abuse, this week’s digest brings together three pieces reflecting on … Continue reading

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The Chinese-Swahili Dictionary Project

Shen Yuning is a lexicographer working on a Chinese-Swahili dictionary.  He is currently studying African languages and cultures at the University of Hamburg and lives in Tanzania.  Completing a comprehensive dictionary can be a tedious task, but Shen sees it … Continue reading

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A national strategic language for China

An opinion piece from the Global Times (环球时报) argues for the importance of naming China’s national language correctly to preserve national unity.

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You say guoyu, I say putonghua

Dodolook, a girl from Guilin whose online videos became famous in China in 2006, is still around. In this new video, she compares Mandarin vocabulary as spoken in Taiwan with that of the Mainland.

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Annoying fake accents on Chinese TV

Movie and TV critic Meng Jing (孟静) writes for Xinmin Weekly about actors adopting dodgy accents for regional TV dramas.

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Too much dialect on the small screen

SARFT says TV characters should speak standard Mandarin. Even Mao and Deng?

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Singapore promotes Mandarin

In a campaign to increase Mandarin usage in Singapore, westerners kids are shown speaking fluent Chinese, and the public is given tough quiz questions in ‘The Chinese Challenge.’

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White Aussie from China: 1933

A 1993 newsreel clip about an Australian born in New South Wales, whose parents took him to China where they died. He was adopted by a Chinese family, growing up culturally and linguistically Chinese.

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China Quest: summer Chinese language program in Beijing

Danwei sponsor China Quest organizes study abroad programs in China.

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To hell with Suzhou dialect!

A multi-faceted blog by an American Muslim in China.

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