As a native hokkien and cantonese speaker, I feel that speaking dialect to family members feels closer and more friendly than speaking mandarin

However, I also feel like dialects are outdated. In the past when a small river or mountain could separate communities dialects made sense as people rarely interacted with the outside world

However, now that transportation and media is so good, a common language ie: Mandarin seems to have replaced any need for dialects


Do you think dialects should be preserved? Do they deserve to be preserved? Or should we be like Qin Shi Huang eliminating different scripts in favour of unifying?

This post has been edited by AscMenhe: Jan 18 2020, 12:59 AM

Nah, leave the preservation works to pure Chineses in Tongsan.

We Malaysian Chineses sukati use rojak localised Chinese/dialects.

This post has been edited by msacras: Jan 18 2020, 01:00 AM

global warming. we cannot even preserve our lives.

Gong ma Kai gui

Kan ni lau mu chow chee bye. Pu ki nia Bu chow chee pek.

If u can translate or said it mandarin, Mandarin man sui man sui man man sui.

For me I think mandarin purpose is just a chinese formal communication way to communicate with other people with different dialect background. Dialect is a culture thing, culture can be beliefs, foods, language, customs, arts, knowledge etc. that have been bringing from generations to generations. Same idea like why we celebrate chinese new year, it is a culture thing. Culture is a way of life. So why don't we preserve dialect?

What you said make sense.

But let take that logic further. Why must we even use Mandarin then? Why not just use English, as English is already the lingua franca of the world?

If you say Mandarin is Chinese identity, many of our ancestor couldn't speak Mandarin. Mandarin is not their language. Their identity is the Chinese language/dialects.

This post has been edited by changejob: Jan 18 2020, 01:20 AM

Yes

Its cultural

if you dont want, then no one can force you right? you are an oxymoron.

Yes, people are mostly comfortable speaking in their native tongue. China Chinese would feel friendly speaking in Mandarin. This is a bias we can't avoid.


here's the problem: who wants to unify with you?
Brexit? Separation in Spain? HK protest? Taiwan independence? XinJiang??? We are in world where ppl want to be different, individualist... they only need 1 common language to get their message across. Other than that, they want to be different from you.

canto masta race !
DLLM

learn abit won't rugi punya. even if you don't like or want to use it as everyday communication tool.

Malay here. I think it should be preserved. Just like Malay also got different dialect, those are preserved and still in use

Yes.
I still my dialect when speaking outside.
As a customer I should not be forced to speak mandarin just because you cant speak dialect.
Thats how I preserve dialect.

Mandarin isnt superior than dialect.
The chinese school in its overzealous way of following PRC, has destroyed most local dialects.
The education ministry should look into this.

Unifying the people is the job of the Malay language.
Not Mandarin !

School should allow kids to speak in their dialects on certain time/period.
No mandain time period - for dialects. Use Malay if hokkien meet cantonese for example.
Only mandarin period - where no other dialects are allowed.

Stupid system is killing chinese dialects. Speaking about championing chinese, culture and heritage are bullshit.

This post has been edited by Newsray: Jan 18 2020, 04:28 AM

... dialects are outdated?!?!
First of all, you dun even know Mandarin or Putonghua is a dialect!
China has eight major dialect groups: Putonghua (Mandarin), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan and Hakka. The language spoken in Beijing is often referred to as Mandarin or Putonghua.

It officially became the national language for China in 1911 after Dr. Sun Yat Sen overthrew the Qing Dynasty.
Even if you are very competent in Mandarin you still will have a hard time understanding it when listening to Shanghai residents speaking mandarin!

FYI During Qin Shi Huang time, Old Chinese (上古漢語) was use and NOT Mandarin!
So you can see there is nothing to be preserve, language will evolve, so too will culture.
No such thing as preserve as long as humans are mortals.
Your life & lifestyle is so different from your father time as his from his father time.

We should haram Hokkien because I don’t understand it.

Mandarin and Cantonese is ok

Hell yes. Dialects are important

They should be preserved. Dialects should go side by side with Mandarin. Both our chinese cultural identity.

I don't think tongsan doing preservation to new gen.
Is up to family.

I watched a video on those road test on Cantonese... I founs my level is way above Guangdong people about 20-30 yrs old.

Dialect is hard to preserve because the words are rare. Not sure on Hokkien word. Cantonese word largely preserve in hkg but is in its path of dying.

+1