Qn for chinese ppl: Should dialects be preserved? 
Jan 18 2020, 06:42 AM
QUOTE(AscMenhe @ Jan 18 2020, 12:56 AM)
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However, I also feel like dialects are outdated.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?
... dialects are outdated?!?! However, I also feel like dialects are outdated.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?
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.
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