NationStates Jolt Archive

Inspired by this post: http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=467224

Should the Chinese alphabet be taken and adapted to every language such that all can read the same written materials? It works for the 14+ different spoken Chinese languages!

I didn't think Chinese had an alphabet as such?

Nah..

I like the Greek alphabet.. fewer letters than English, and more fun to write.. at least, I think so.

I didn't think Chinese had an alphabet as such?

Their character system, I mean.

I didn't think Chinese had an alphabet as such?

I think that whole "kanji script" thing that the Japs used in WWII was stolen from the Chinese.. not entirely sure, though.

Their character system, I mean.

Well, then, good lord, no. We already have enough people who barely qualify as literate as it is.

I think that whole "kanji script" thing that the Japs used in WWII was stolen from the Chinese.. not entirely sure, though.

"Jap" is a racially derogotory term. Use "Japanese", please, thank you.

Kanji has been in use in Japan for over a millenia and, yes, it's directly ported from Chinese characters. That is what "Kanji" (basically) means.

"Jap" is a racially derogotory term.

Since when? It's just a shortened form of Japanese, like Brit is short for British, or USA is short for United States of America.

"Jap" is a racially derogotory term. Use "Japanese", please, thank you.


You're thinking - and I use that word in its loosest possible sense - of "nip". Nothing wrong with "jap." It's like "Brit" or "Yank."

Since when? It's just a shortened form of Japanese, like Brit is short for British, or USA is short for United States of America.

Jap ( P ) Pronunciation Key (jp)
n. Offensive Slang
Used as a disparaging term for a person of Japanese birth or descent

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=jap

Since when? It's just a shortened form of Japanese, like Brit is short for British, or USA is short for United States of America.
Since people started using it in a disrespectful manner. If you continue using the term "jap" people might take it the wrong way.

Copycat threads are bad.

The chinese alphabet has more than 3000+ letters and is still growing.
And plus, the chinese language looks like shit. Traditional Mandarin looks a lot better.

And for the record
the pronunciation key is NOT the alphabet.

Copycat threads are bad.

Immitation is the highest form of flattery.

Since people started using it in a disrespectful manner. If you continue using the term "jap" people might take it the wrong way.

I wasn't planning on using it, but I don't use Brit, either. I was just thinking that it's a silly thing to throw a tantrum over.

Jap ( P ) Pronunciation Key (jp)
n. Offensive Slang
Used as a disparaging term for a person of Japanese birth or descent

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=jap

The third entry on that page gives it as:

jap

n : a person of Japanese descent
Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University

While http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jap

refers to it as "usually disparaging", so I'm going to draw a consensus opinion that it doesn't really matter and it's not worth getting pissy over.

Certianly "chinified" could be viewed as disparaging.

Certianly "chinified" could be viewed as disparaging.

You come up with a less disparaging term and I'll use it.

You come up with a less disparaging term and I'll use it.

Sinofied would seem more accurate to me, although it's likely less people would understand it.

Sinofied would seem more accurate to me, although it's likely less people would understand it.

I don't see how that would be more accurate. The term "Sino-" is simply derived from the Latinization of "China".

Thank you, no. Memorizing all those kanji would not make anyone happy. :p

Inspired by this post: http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=467224

Should the Chinese alphabet be taken and adapted to every language such that all can read the same written materials? It works for the 14+ different spoken Chinese languages!
How nice of you to copy my thread. No the Chinese alphabet is far too complicated. However, I hath an idea for its use!

Immitation is the highest form of flattery.
Listening, not imitation, is the sincerest form of flattery.

the chinese "alphabet" is too tied to the chinese language for it to work for the rest of the world.

each character represents a different word. there are no declensions or tenses. you have to get those from the context. (like if youre talking about yesterday you know its past tense).

it just wont work for those languages that depend on word endings for meanings unless you want some kind of hybrid that adds an "ed" after a verb character....

Is anyone here ACTUALLY Chinese, or have they studied the Chinese language? In reality, the written language is NOT the same for everyone. My parents cannot read certain types of Chinese because it's in a different dialect, so if you want to "Chinify" things to be written in the same language, which dialect are you proposing? Mandarin? Cantonese? Taiwanese Aboriginal?

Not to mention I find the term "Chinify" kinda insulting, but not really. I'm actually from Taiwan, not China, and everyone here has probably heard about the tensions between those two countries recently.

No, because it is far easier to adapt a language to a phonetic alphabet than it is to adapt a language to a morphemic alphabet.

No because all the people who speak Chinise live in China

It would be better to try to make everyone speak Spanish or English.

No. Chinese is much to complicated.

No because all the people who speak Chinise live in China

It would be better to try to make everyone speak Spanish or English.
or polish.

No because all the people who speak Chinise live in China

It would be better to try to make everyone speak Spanish or English.

What about the people in the US who speak Chinese? ...like me? I think English is going to be the universal language someday. Not Spanish.

What about the people in the US who speak Chinese? ...like me? I think English is going to be the universal language someday. Not Spanish.
No, English will not become universal. Polish will. or spanish.

Why Polish? Spanish is pretty popular, but really, you see English EVERYWHERE these days.

No, English will not become universal. Polish will. or spanish.
Depends on which countries have the most infulance. More people speak English in one form or another because it's the language used by the UK and US. The UK seeded it during the rule of the British Empire and if you want to do buisness with the largest economy on the planet, you have to speak English.

If China actually does manage to overtake the US one day, it may switch to Chinese and English will lose its status and become more like French is now.

Personally, I'm inclined to think that the Chinese language was one of those things that made it difficult to get computer technology up and running. At least, to me, it makes more sense to have a regular alphabet for typing. Not that I've had to work with double byte characters yet, but it seems a bit awkward to be able to allocate space for them.

Why Polish? Spanish is pretty popular, but really, you see English EVERYWHERE these days.
This what language will become widely used next thing is totally unpredictable. Also, with this english is everywhere, its not that common in central europe.

Personally, I'm inclined to think that the Chinese language was one of those things that made it difficult to get computer technology up and running. At least, to me, it makes more sense to have a regular alphabet for typing. Not that I've had to work with double byte characters yet, but it seems a bit awkward to be able to allocate space for them.
Actually, you have a standard QWERTY keyboard, then you just run a traslator program that takes the romanized words, then offers you a list of the kanji. The result is 面白いですね.

When I've visited my cousin, they have the Chinese "pin yin" on their keyboards, so they can type up Chinese characters easily.

Actually, you have a standard QWERTY keyboard, then you just run a traslator program that takes the romanized words, then offers you a list of the kanji. The result is 面白いですね.

Well, not too bad. Now, I could see kanji being used if we could get past a keyboard interface and go straight to a thought interface. Code would be more compact that way, but until then, a compact alphabet is the way to go.

Actually,then offers you a list of the kanji.
Actually kanji is japanese writing, not chinese.

Actually kanji is japanese writing, not chinese.
Kanji is Japanese for Chinese charaters. But as I don't feel like typing Chinese charaters all the time when I mention them, I'll just use the word kanji.

The actual Japanese phonetic alphabets (Japan having to be different uses 4 different writing systems) is known as kana. Kanji is the borrowed Chinese system.

Kanji is Japanese for Chinese charaters. But as I don't feel like typing Chinese charaters all the time when I mention them, I'll just use the word kanji.

The actual Japanese phonetic alphabets (Japan having to be different uses 4 different writing systems) is known as kana. Kanji is the borrowed Chinese system.
Why do some languages use more than one alpabet anway??

Kanji is the Japanese Character System.

--As said by others.

Hanzi is the Chinese Character System.

Hanja is the Korean-Chinese Character System.

Kanji is how you say Hanzi in Japanese, and Hanja (Used in Korea) is how you say Hanzi in Korean-Chinese.

That's direct, and pure, cultural diffusion.

-

Hanzi is used for "Han Writing" depicting the glorification of the Han Dynasty.

Also, you just need to know around 3,000 Hanzi characters to read Chinese (that's for the Simplified System).

Why do some languages use more than one alpabet anway??
Don't know about other languages, but with Japanese it was a matter of China introducing the concept of writing in the first place to Japan. It adopted Chinese to fit the Japanese language. To manage the parts of speech that are different, a phonetic script was developed (hiragana) then katakana was devloped for women. After Japan opened back up to the world, it also adopted the latin alphabet to romanize Japanese sounds. So today it's not weird to see all four in a single sentance, such as 私は波田中学校のAETのジェイソンです.

Don't know about other languages, but with Japanese it was a matter of China introducing the concept of writing in the first place to Japan. It adopted Chinese to fit the Japanese language. To manage the parts of speech that are different, a phonetic script was developed (hiragana) then katakana was devloped for women. After Japan opened back up to the world, it also adopted the latin alphabet to romanize Japanese sounds. So today it's not weird to see all four in a single sentance, such as 私は波田中学校のAETのジェイソンです.
weird.

Inspired by this post: http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=467224

Should the Chinese alphabet be taken and adapted to every language such that all can read the same written materials? It works for the 14+ different spoken Chinese languages!

I don't know. The Chinese and Japanese alphabets arent exactly small considering they actually simplified the current one from the original Chinese used by the Chinese Emperors.

Nice name BTW ... :)

Isn't the Latin alphabet used by 10 or 12 languages with just as much efficiency? What would be the benefit of teaching over a billion people a new alphabet that wouldn't really work with their spoken language?

No offence to any Asians, but fundamentally, the Asian word character systems are terrible. Sound character systems work so much better.

The Latin alphabet is more efficient for the Chinese language than is the current Chinese writing system....

The Latin alphabet is more efficient for the Chinese language than is the current Chinese writing system....

To be honest, the old Chinese writing was designed to be complex so commoners have trouble reading them. This handed power to the bureacracy who used paperwork (and pointy sticks) to control a large illiterate population. The current systems are simplified.

If you seem the really old Chinese writing, it's even harder to read.