The Revival of Traditional Characters is Coming?
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atitarev -
I also heard that foreign students in HK use simplified when learning Mandarin, must be different
when they learn Cantonese, not sure.
What is said before must be more relevant to Taiwan: see the 2nd section:
A quote from Wikipedia:
Quote:
Pro-Simplified characters
* Proponents argue that many minds link simplified characters with the idea of communism and
traditional characters with anticommunism or at least "non-communism". Thus the political
implications and affiliations of the writing systems are seen by some as the emotional impetus for
the debate. This view interprets most of the back-and-forth debate on the merits of the system,
ultimately, as rationalizations.
Pro-Traditional characters
* Some teachers in areas where traditional Chinese characters are used often scold students who
use simplified characters, even to the extent of calling them "uneducated". This, in addition to
other matters, has enforced a prejudice held by some traditional Chinese character users that
traditional Chinese is for the educated and cultured, while simplified Chinese is for the
illiterate, dumb, even the barbaric. In Taiwan, simplified characters have been regarded as
"Communist" and are studiously avoided.
Despite being a supporter of SC, I agree that there is a point in this. Wikipedia (an other free
of censorship sites) being blocked in China makes it closer to the truth - "Free content -
traditional, censored - simplified". It's not always the case but you see my point. This also
works against the simplified characters - you want to read uncensored Chinese - must know the
traditional script.
Quote:
...The black-or-white dichotomy doesn't apply so well in this issue.
The divide is still quite clear and is more political rather than pure linguistic.
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southerner -
It's sad indeed, that simplified characters have to come to be associated with meanings, made of
the Beijing dictatorship regime. I'm not in favour of traditional characters, as I believe in the
philosophy of simplicity being beautiful. Don't argue with me over this. That's the way it is.
It's also a myth, that Chinese culture is better preserved in Taiwan, in evidence with the use of
traditional characters. It may be true, when they revive the very earliest form of characters,
which is, I don't know, 甲骨文, perhaps. Boy, it would be fun if it can be done though.
Xi'Er Dun -
I definately agree with those in favour of Traditional Characters Fantizi 繁體字, as
Traditional Characters have a history of about four thousand years I'm told, as most Simpflified
Characters Jiantizi 简体字 only have a history of about fifty years. Traditional Characters
especially in Classical Chinese give much better clused to their stories of being, their meainings
and origins and are culturally significant. However, quite a few Simplified Characterd used today
in the PRC have their origins as several hundred year old variant forms used in handwriting.
Also, aren't Mainland Chinese school students taught how to read and recognise Traditional
Characters but not how to write them, and at in high school and university levels they can study
Classical Chinese and texts in which their learn to read and write Traditional Characters as well
as when they take classes in calligraphy Shufa. However, Taiwanese students are only taught the
true Traditional Characters and must learn to read Simplified at a higher level of education. A
Comparison can be drawn in Japan and North and South Korea, in Japan, school students are taught
to use the Japanese post-war simplifications, the Shinjitai 新字体, (which some of these
simpflications even then were used in pre-war writings or even hundreds of years earlier) but also
I believe to read and recognise the pre-war more complex or Traditional Kanji Kyuujitai 舊字體
which are pure Traditional Chinese Characters like used in Taiwan. In South Korea, students are
taught pure Traditional Characters known as Hanja 漢字, and like in Japan, are taught about just
over 2000 of them. (Pre-war Japanese used about 6000 Kanji Characters 漢字 for daily use.) (I've
heard that some mainland Chinese students by university level can write and recognise about 7000
maybe if they have studied Chinese Classics, when all that is needed for daily use is just over
3000) Rarely known, are variant simplified forms of Korean Hanja 漢字 which also exist in rare
writing. In North Korea, they supposedly have abandoned the use of Chinese Characters, but some
sources still suggest that they still teach them in schools.
imron -
Quote:
as Traditional Characters have a history of about four thousand years I'm told
You've been told wrong. They have a history of about two thousand years, and if you want to claim
that seal script and and oracle bone characters should be included as part of the history of
Traditional characters, then same is equally true of Simplified characters. Simplified characters
were officially standardised by the PRC in 1956, however discussion on simplification had been
going on in Chinese society since the end of the Qing dynasty.
Some simplified characters date back as early as the Qin dynasty (i.e. over 2,000 years).
I don't think Mainland students are explicitly taught to read Traditional characters, however it's
not too difficult to pick them up, especially due to exposure to Hong Kong/Taiwanese music and
films. Personally, I've never learnt Traditional characters, but I can usually read them easily
enough.
Also, why label them "pure" or "true" Traditional characters? Are there also un-pure Traditional
ones? Or is your meaning that Simplifed characters are somehow not pure Chinese? In which case
surely the same is true of Traditional characters which were not the first form of Chinese writing
either
skylee -
I think a main point of Xi'Er Dun's post is to bring out "A Comparison can be drawn in Japan and
North and South Korea" ......
renzhe -
The main reason for the simplification was to increase literacy within the population, which was
(and still is) largely rural. This has worked really well, though it is difficult to determine how
much of it was due to the simplification itself and how much due to improved schooling.
It is true that those people who want to read classical literature have more characters to read,
but these people already know over 5000 characters and are highly literal anyway so it's not that
difficult for them. The goal was to make it easier for the illiterate population (much of which is
not even Chinese and learns Chinese as a second language) to reach a basic standard of literacy.
mxian -
Learning Chinese is extremely difficult. Yet a foreigner still manages to learn BOTH traditional
and simplified characters in order to read them in Taiwan and on mainland, in old literature and
newspapers. If foreigners can do this, for a native Chinese who already knows the language, this
is a piece of cake! I don't see any problems there.
I think this issue is raised with more political intention than cultural goodwill. It will help
people to have something to think about, to argue, to debate on, and forget for a while about oil
prices, inflation, high food costs, low income, pollution, etc.
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