港媒：中国应确保方言一席之地

Beijing should make sure nation retains its voice  

http://www.globaltimes.cn/www/en ... 2009-10/475762.html

A national language is necessary to ensure that a country's people can communicate effectively with one another. The mainland's official edicts and massive internal migration have diluted the prominence of dialects like Cantonese. Authorities would do well to remember, though, that the nation's linguistic heritage is one of its priceless assets.

The 1982 Constitution enshrined Putonghua as the official language. Beijing's resolve to ensure all Chinese speak it has extended to bans on dialects being broadcast on many radio and television stations.

China's rising global power has meant a rush outside the mainland to learn it. A growing number of people believe that Putonghua may one day rival the global dominance of English.

Beijing's policy has been successful; the only mainland Chinese who cannot speak Putonghua fluently are generally members of remote ethnic groups.

But the practice of banning the broadcasting of dialects has been gradually drifting, particularly in Guangdong Province. Culture, through the mediums of television, radio and music from Hong Kong, means that second-generation immigrants are even taking up the language. The central government should encourage, not scorn, the trend, as fears about the future of Cantonese remain.

Cantonese is rich with history. It is older than Putonghua and has its roots in ancient Chinese.

As with Shanghainese, Fujianese and the thousands of other dialects across the nation, it also represents culture. Within its words, idioms and phrases are a deep understanding of heritage and background as well as a sense of identity and values.
A common language helps China's people better understand one another. But being able to communicate does not mean the official language should negate the need for dialects. The government should do its utmost to preserve and promote regional variations. If it does otherwise, the nation will lose its voice.

Source: South China Morning Post, October 11



　　香港《南华早报》10月11日社论，原题：中国应确保方言一席之地要确保一个国家的人民能有效沟通，拥有民族共同语十分必要。随着中国内地推广普通话以及大规模人口流动，方言的重要性有所减弱。但中国政府应牢记，方言遗产是一笔无价之宝。

　　1982年宪法规定，国家推广全国通用的普通话。政府决心要让全体中国人说普通话，甚至连广播和电视台也禁止使用方言。随着中国的国际地位不断增强，全球掀起一股学习普通话的浪潮。越来越多的人认为,有朝一日普通话将同英语一决高下。

　　中国政府的政策十分成功；在中国内地，唯一不能流利使用普通话的大多是生活在偏远地区的少数民族。但广播电台不能说方言的禁令已渐渐解除，尤其在广东。随着香港的电视、广播和流行音乐的影响，第二代移民甚至开始重新说粤语。中央政府应当鼓励，而不是轻视这个趋势，因为这维系着现存粤语的未来。

　　粤语拥有悠久的历史。和上海话、闽南话以及成千上万种方言一样，它代表着文化。粤语的字词、习语以及词组无一不渗透着对传统和文化背景的理解，代表着广东人的自我认知和价值观。

　　一门共同语能帮助中国人更好地沟通。但对这共同语的需求并不意味着否认方言的重要性。政府应尽力保存并推广地区方言，否则，中国将失去原生态的语言。▲(赵亦周译。本文英文原文见10月12日环球时报英文版第15版，有删节。)