Shanghai lawmakers propose statute restricting written usage

More from Shanghai:

Some Shanghai lawmakers think the Internet is pulling a PK on the Chinese language and fear that Mandarin will no longer shine like an MM.

Translation: Cyber argot and other languages are polluting standard Chinese, and if a draft law is passed by Shanghai People’s Congress, they will no longer be allowed in schools, official documents and business transactions.

So, Shanghai residents may soon be saying goodbye to Player Killer, which means competitor in online gaming parlance, and Mei Mei, or pretty girl.

“The new law aims to further standardize the use of the Chinese language and achieve better communication among people from different parts of the country,” Xia Xiurong, a member of the Standing Committee of Shanghai People’s Congress, said yesterday.

In her view, new phrases that haven’t been given an official definition by the language authority can lead to ambiguity, causing problems in school and at work.

The committee, which comprises the city’s top legislators, began discussing the draft law yesterday. It is expected to be adopted in the next two to three months.

If passed, schools, Chinese publishing houses and government departments will not be allowed to use non-standard phrases or abbreviations.

In addition, dialects and languages other than Mandarin cannot be used as the sole language employed by any city government department, school, social group or domestic company.

“Designating a foreign language or dialect as the only language deprives citizens of the right to learn and use the country’s language,” said Zhang Weijiang, director of the Shanghai Education Commission.

The draft also requires advertising companies to use only standard Chinese in their Mandarin promotions.

Standard Chinese constitutes the simplified characters that are found in official dictionaries, the draft said.

Offenders won’t be hauled off to jail, or even fined, however. The measure provides only that the government will seek an immediate correction.

source: City set to PK those who mess with lingo, Shanghai Daily, September 24, 2005

meeting in Kunming on ‘national minority languages’

The Yunnan Ribao (Yúnnán Rìbào) reported on Wednesday that a gathering related to what in China are called “national minority languages” (i.e., non-Sinitic languages) recently concluded in Kunming.

Zuórì, quánguó shǎoshù mínzú wénzì jiàocái biānyì, shěnchá hé chūbǎn guǎnlǐ gōngzuò jīngyàn jiāoliú huì zài Kūnmíng jǔxíng. Láizì Xīnjiāng, Nèiměnggǔ, Qīnghǎi, Sìchuān děngděng 10 yú ge shěng, shì, zìzhìqū de mín wén jiàocái zhuānjiā xiānghù jiāoliú jīngyàn, wèi zhìdìng mín wén jiàocái “十一五” guīhuà jísīguǎngyì.

Jù liǎojiě, quánguó bāokuò Nèiměnggǔ, Xīnjiāng, Xīzàng jí Yúnnán děngděng 10 yú ge shǎoshù mínzú bǐjiào jízhōng de shěng jí zìzhìqū, réng zài shíxíng bùtóng chéngdu de shuāngyǔ jiàoxué, fùgài dà zhōng, xiǎo xuésheng dàyuē 600 duō wàn rén. Yǐ biānjí chūbǎn le 10 duō ge mínzú de 20 yú ge yǔzhǒng de mín wén jiàocái, měi nián chūbǎn de zhōng-xiǎoxué mín wén jiàocái yuē yǒu 3,000 duōzhǒng, zǒng yìnshù dá 1 yì duō cè. Zì 2001 nián zhì 2004 nián yǐlái, wǒ shěng cēn shěn mín wén jiàocái yǔzhǒng zhúnián zēngjiā, shěndìng zhìliàng zhúnián tígāo, gòng shěndìng 11 ge mínzú 14 ge yǔzhǒng de 151 běn mín wén jiàocái, chūbǎn 14 ge yǔzhǒng de 150 duō wàn cè mín wén jiàocái. Jīnnián, shěng Jiàoyùtīng hái jiāng duì 12 ge mínzú 15 ge yǔzhǒng de sānniánjí yǔwén xīnkè gǎi mín wén jiàocái jìnxíng biānshěn chūbǎn fāxíng. Mùqián, wǒ shěng yǐ shǐyòng yí, bái, Wǎ děng 14 ge mínzú 21 zhǒng mínzú wénzì zài mínzú dìqū zhōng-xiǎoxué kāizhǎn shuāngyǔ jiàoxué, yǒu 14 ge mínzú yòng 22 zhǒng mínzú wénzì huò pīnyīn fāng’àn jìnxíng sǎománg.

昨日,全国少数民族文字教材编译、审查和出版管理工作经验交流会在昆明举行。来自新疆、内蒙古、青海、四川等10余个省市自治区的民文教材专家相互交流经验,为制定民文教材“十一五”规划集思广益。

据了解,全国包括内蒙古、新疆、西藏及云南等10余个少数民族比较集中的省及自治区,仍在实行不同程度的双语教学,覆盖大中小学生大约600多万人。已编辑出版了10多个民族的20余个语种的民文教材,每年出版的中小学民文教材约有3000多种,总印数达1亿多册。自2001年至2004年以来,我省参审民文教材语种逐年增加,审定质量逐年提高,共审定11个民族14个语种的151本民文教材,出版14个语种的150多万册民文教材。今年,省教育厅还将对12个民族15个语种的三年级语文新课改民文教材进行编审出版发行。目前,我省已使用彝、白、佤等14个民族21种民族文字在民族地区中小学开展双语教学,有14个民族用22种民族文字或拼音方案进行扫盲。

source: Mínzú wénzì jiàocái zhuānjiā jù Kūnmíng jiāoliú (民族文字教材专家聚昆交流)

Presbyterian Church in Taiwan

For many years, the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan has been an important voice for human rights in Taiwan, including the right of people to speak and worship in their native language.

Probably the best-established romanization system for writing Taiwanese (Hoklo, Hokkien, Minnan, etc.) is known as the “church system,” having been developed by Presbyterian missionaries. Publications are still being issued in this, as I intend to discuss in a later edition of Pinyin News.

Through the efforts of David Alexander, many writings and news releases from the church are available in English.

Articles that might be of interest to readers of Pinyin News include:

Taiwan naturalization and language exams

The Taipei Times reports that Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior has drafted amendments to the regulations for acquiring ROC citizenship.

The amendments, which are still under discussion, would require naturalization applicants to possess basic language ability in either Mandarin, Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese), Hakka or any of the nation’s Aboriginal languages. I’m very glad of the inclusiveness of this test, which contrasts well with what is being done in China. (I’ll post about Beijing’s actions in Shanghai later.)

An exam on citizen rights and responsibilities, such as in regard to taxation and education, will be offered in any one of the above languages in both written and oral format. Applicants may choose either format, which will feature 20 questions. [emphasis added]

Those who have studied in private or public schools in Taiwan for more than a year or who have taken government-recognized classes for more than 200 hours will not need to take the exam.

Sample exam questions and answers should be available in about six weeks, with the final version of the proposal to be ready by the beginning of next year.

It may be too much to hope for a version of the test in romanization, but I’ll try to keep abreast of the progress of this.

source: Ministry floats draft changes to naturalization law

Addendum: The China Post, a much less reliable newspaper (in large part because it frequently relies on bad translations of badly written stories from the local Mandarin Chinese papers), reports this somewhat differently.

Beijing Olympics slogan

Professor Victor H. Mair of the University of Pennsylvania has just released an interesting piece analyzing the somewhat odd choice of wording for the slogan for the 2008 Olympics in China:
Remarks on the slogan for the Beijing Olympics.

Mair is also editor of Sino-Platonic Papers.

pro-Hanyu Pinyin Taipei mayor elected head of KMT

On July 16 Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou was elected KMT chairman by a wide margin. Ma was behind Taipei’s welcome switch from bastardized Wade-Giles to Hanyu Pinyin.

Most advocates of Tongyong Pinyin, which Taiwan’s central government has adopted but not made mandatory throughout the country, like to tout the made-in-Taiwan aspect of their system. This is simply another way to oppose China. And perhaps the KMT of today, with its relatively cozy good relations with Beijing, would indeed generally favor Hanyu Pinyin. But it’s important to remember that the KMT in the past opposed Hanyu Pinyin. The KMT government’s decision back in 1986 to come up with a new romanization system was a direct result of the growing popularity of Hanyu Pinyin elsewhere and an increased understanding in Taiwan of the failure — at least in implementation — of Gwoyeu Romatzyh. So MPS2 was devised in reaction to Hanyu Pinyin. Predictably, it received little attention or support despite its nominally official status. In the end MPS2 was used basically nowhere but on some street signs. And so Tongyong Pinyin replaced another system that was already made in Taiwan.

If the KMT had backed Hanyu Pinyin a long time ago, the romanization situation in Taiwan wouldn’t be such a mess.

I believe Ma’s support for Hanyu Pinyin is not the result of politics but a recognition that the system is what the majority of Taiwan’s foreign population wants.

A note here on Ma’s preferred spelling of his name. In hanzi it is 馬英九. In Hanyu Pinyin it would be Mǎ Yīngjiǔ. But the standard romanization of his name is “Ma Ying-jeou.” The “jeou” certainly evokes the Gwoyeu Romatzyh tonal spelling system. But in GR Ma’s name would be Maa Ingjeou. Very curious.

Singapore to begin new Mandarin curriculum

SINGAPORE : 25 primary schools will introduce the new [Mandarin] Chinese language curriculum from January next year.

The pilot programme will involve all students in Primary 1 and 2.

Anglo-Chinese Junior (ACS) hopes to be among the first to try out the new approach to learning Mandarin where emphasis will be on character recognition and oral skills.

All students will take a core module which makes up about 70% of the curriculum, with bridging modules for weak students and enrichment classes for those with ability and interest.

But the majority will take on, what the Ministry calls, a school-based module.

“Teachers can use part of the enrichment or bridging modules provided. They can also design their own school-based materials. This helps bring about better customization,” said Yue Lip Sin, Deputy Director of the Education Ministry.

Schools can break up the classes, so students can attend a separate [Mandarin] Chinese class with those of the same abilities through the year.

They can also teach the core curriculum as per normal and put certain students in the add-on modules for certain lessons each week.

Primary 1 students will be banded by their teachers only after they have finished learning “Hanyu Pinyin”.

Teachers at ACS expect about 20% to take up the bridging module and 10% for the enrichment class.

They add that the concept of ability banding is not new to them.

“When we group the pupils of similar abilities together, the teachers are able to design lessons that cater to their needs. They will be able to spark their interest in the learning of [Mandarin] Chinese,” said Lye Choon Hwan, Head of the Mother Tongue Department at ACS

Students will be assessed based on the core syllabus and schools have the autonomy to decide on the methods of assessment.

But the ministry emphasized that what is more important is helping students develop a love for the language, without making it unchallenging.

The ministry will announce the schools in the pilot scheme later this year and implement the new curriculum in all primary schools by 2007.

source: Channel News Asia

Taiwan’s minister of education on language teaching

Dù Zhèng-shèng: xiāngtǔ yǔ jiàoxué pīnyīn xìtǒng jiāng xuǎn [róng]yì xué, [róng]yì yòng bǎn

Guózhōng xiǎoxué shǐyòng de xiāngtǔ yǔyán jiàocái méiyǒu biāozhǔn běn, cǎiyòng de pīnyīn xìtǒng yě bù yīzhì, yīxiē tiáojiào huò zhuǎnxué de jiàoshī yǔ xuésheng xiāngdāng kùnrǎo, jiàoyù bùzhǎng Dù Zhèng-shèng jīntiān biǎoshì, Jiàoyùbù Guóyǔ tuīxíng wěiyuánhuì tǎolùn guo jǐ cì, jiànlì yǐ “róngyì xué, róngyì yòng” zuòwéi pīnyīn xìtǒng zéyī de gòngshí, xīwàng bā, Jiǔyuè quèdìng.

Jiàoyùbù Guóyǔ tuīxíng wěiyuánhuì zhǔrèn wěiyuán Liáng Róng-mào biǎoshì, Huáyǔ, Kèjiāhuà de pīnyīn fúhào xìtǒng, zài Mínguó jiǔshí’èr niánchū tōngguò cǎiyòng tōngyòng pīnyīn xìtǒng, Mǐnnányǔ pīnyīn xìtǒng dào xiànzài hái méiyǒu quèdìng, tōngyòng, jiàohuì Luómǎ, TLPA sān zhǒng dōu yǒurén yòng, Guóyǔ huì zhèng diàochá xuéxiào jiàoshī rènwéi nà yī zhǒng pīnyīn xìtǒng bǐjiào hǎoxué, hǎo jiāo, zài tǎolùn juédìng.

Jiǔshísān (2004) xuénián dù Jiàoyùbù tuīdòng de xiāngtǔ yǔyán jiàoxué zhèngzài píng jiàn, píng jiàn wěiyuán shídì fǎngshì gè xiàn-shì xuéxiào hòu, zhè jǐ tiān zài guólì biānyìguǎn jìnxíng xiàn-shì shūmiàn zīliào jízhōng shěnchá, Dù Zhèng-shèng jīntiān guānkàn gè xiàn-shì zīliào, wèiwèn shěnchá wěiyuán, zhēnduì xiāngtǔ yǔyán jiàoxué jiàocái pīnyīn xìtǒng zhēngyì, tíchū qiánshù shuōmíng.

Dù Zhèng-shèng shuō, xiāngtǔ jiàoxué jiàocái bùlùn Héluò huà Mǐnnánhuà, Kèjiāhuà, yuánzhùmín yǔ, dōu shìyǐ yǔyán zuò jīchǔ, yǔyán zhīwài, háiyǒu wénhuà, lìshǐ, dìlǐ, zhěnggè xiāngtǔ jiàoxué nèiróng shì bǎ xiāngtǔ yǔyán yǔ xiāngtǔ jiāocái nèiróng jiéhé, wàijiè bǎ jiāodiǎn fàng zài pīnyīn xìtǒng, duì dì-yī xiàn gōngzuò de jiàoshī bìngbù zhòngyào.

Bùguò, Dù Zhèng-shèng biǎoshì, Jiàoyùbù Guóyǔ huì kāi guo jǐ cì huì, huòdé jīběn gòngshí, jiùshì yǐ “róngyì xué, róngyì yòng” wéizhǔ, cóng xuéxí zhě de jiǎodù chūfā, xīwàng tǎolùn chū yī tào dàjiā kě jiēshòu de pīnyīn xìtǒng.

杜正勝:鄉土語教學拼音系統將選易學易用版
中央社 2005-06-14 19:44

國中小學使用的鄉土語言教材沒有標準本,採用的拼音系統也不一致,一些調校或轉學的教師與學生相當困擾,教育部長杜正勝今天表示,教育部國語推行委員會討論過幾次,建立以﹁易學易用﹂作為拼音系統擇一的共識,希望八、九月確定。

教育部國語推行委員會主任委員梁榮茂表示,華語、客家話的拼音符號系統,在民國九十二年初通過採用通用拼音系統,閩南語拼音系統到現在還沒有確定,通用、教會羅馬、TLPA三種都有人用,國語會正調查學校教師認為那一種拼音系統比較好學、好教,再討論決定。

九十三學年度教育部推動的鄉土語言教學正在評鑑,評鑑委員實地訪視各縣市學校後,這幾天在國立編譯館進行縣市書面資料集中審查,杜正勝今天觀看各縣市資料,慰問審查委員,針對鄉土語言教學教材拼音系統爭議,提出前述說明。

杜正勝說,鄉土教學教材不論河洛話閩南話、客家話、原住民語,都是以語言做基礎,語言之外,還有文化、歷史、地理,整個鄉土教學內容是把鄉土語言與鄉土教材內容結合,外界把焦點放在拼音系統,對第一線工作的教師並不重要。

不過,杜正勝表示,教育部國語會開過幾次會,獲得基本共識,就是以﹁易學易用﹂為主,從學習者的角度出發,希望討論出一套大家可接受的拼音系統。

Another story on the same topic:

Xiāngtǔ yǔyán pīnyīn bùyī Guóyǔ huì yán yì

Jīn niándù (xiāngtǔ yǔyán jiàoxué píng jiàn) kāishǐ shěnchá, jiàoyù bùzhǎng Dù Zhèng-shèng jīntiān qiánwǎng guólì biānyìguǎn, liào jiě gè xiàn-shì xiāngtǔ yǔyán jiàoxué chéngguǒ. Dù Zhèng-shèng kěndìng gè xiàn-shì chuàngxīn jiàocái de yòngxīn, duìyú dāngjīn xiāngtǔ yǔyán pīnyīn xìtǒng bùyī de wèntí, dù bùzhǎng biǎoshì, jiāng jiāo yóu Guóyǔ tuīxíng wěiyuánhuì yán yì, bùguò wúlùn shì-fǒu cǎiqǔ tǒngyī pīnyīn xìtǒng, dōu yào yǐ xuéxí zhě jiǎodù chūfā, ràng lǎoshī hǎo jiāo, xuésheng hǎoxué cáihǎo.

Liào jiě gè xiàn-shì tuīdòng xiāngtǔ yǔyán jiàoxué chéngguǒ, Jiàoyùbù jīnnián dì-èr nián shíshī xiāngtǔ yǔyán jiàoxué píng jiàn, jiàoyù bùzhǎng Dù Zhèng-shèng Xīngqī’èr yě dào guólì biānyìguǎn shěncháhuì chǎng, qīnzì liào jiě gè xiàn-shì tuīdòng chéngjì. Dù Zhèng-shèng kěndìng xiànzài hěn duō xiàn-shì jiāo xiāngtǔ yǔyán de shíhou, bùzhǐ jiāo yǔyán, yě róngrù dāngdì lìshǐ wénhuà tèsè de yòngxīn, kàndào xǔduō xuéxiào dōu shànyòng duōméitǐ, wǎnglù děng kējì zì biān jiàocái, yě biǎoshì wèimiǎn, rènwéi cóng zhèxiē chéngguǒ lái kàn, yǐjing kěyǐ kàndào jiàogǎi de chéngjì. Zhìyú miànduì dāngjīn zuì ràngrén fánnǎo de gè dì pīnyīn xìtǒng bù yīzhì wèntí, Dù Zhèng-shèng biǎoshì, Jiàoyùbù yǐjing wēi tuō Guóyǔ tuīxíng wěiyuánhuì yán yì, huì cóng xuéxí zhě jiǎodù chūfā, zài zuò juédìng.

Jīn niándù xiāngtǔ yǔyán jiàoxué píng jiàn zhè jǐ tiān jìnxíng shūmiàn shěnchá, zhīhòu yóu gè xiàn-shì jìnxíng chéngguǒ jiǎnbào, xiàn-shì chéngjì zhīwài, Liùyuè dǐ yě jiāng xuǎnbá jì yōu jiàoshī, zuìhòu píng jiàn jì yōu xiàn-shì jiāng zài Qīyuè xiàxún bānjiǎng biǎoyáng.

鄉土語言拼音不一 國語會研議

今年度﹝鄉土語言教學評鑒﹞開始審查,教育部長杜正勝今天前往國立編譯館,瞭解各縣市鄉土語言教學成果。杜正勝肯定各縣市創新教材的用心,對於當今鄉土語言拼音系統不一的問題,杜部長表示,將交由國語推行委員會研議,不過無論是否採取統一拼音系統,都要以學習者角度出發,讓老師好教、學生好學才好。(羅皓恩報導)

瞭解各縣市推動鄉土語言教學成果,教育部今年第二年實施鄉土語言教學評鑑,教育部長杜正勝星期二也到國立編譯館審查會場,親自瞭解各縣市推動成績。杜正勝肯定現在很多縣市教鄉土語言的時候,不只教語言、也融入當地歷史文化特色的用心,看到許多學校都善用多媒體、網路等科技自編教材,也表示慰勉,認為從這些成果來看,已經可以看到教改的成績。至於面對當今最讓人煩惱的各地拼音系統不一致問題,杜正勝表示,教育部已經委託國語推行委員會研議,會從學習者角度出發,再做決定。

今年度鄉土語言教學評鑑這幾天進行書面審查,之後由各縣市進行成果簡報,縣市成績之外,六月底也將選拔績優教師,最後評鑑績優縣市將在七月下旬頒獎表揚。