Word: pinyin
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...realize, is a living organism; languages have always grown, evolved, and eventually died out and will doubtless continue to do so. Today’s French, Italian and Spanish effectively “killed off” Latin. In mainland China, a simplified script and the phonetic system pinyin have replaced the traditional script. Modern English includes “you,” but rarely Shakespeare’s “thee” or “thou...
...Students of putonghua, or Mandarin Chinese, need to learn not just a romanization system like pinyin but also simplified and complex Chinese characters. While conversational Mandarin can help you get around town, only fluent literacy can lead to an understanding of the Chinese people. Shortly after beginning my study of the language in the U.S. 27 years ago, I discovered that knowing which restroom to use and how to read a menu, a newspaper or (much later) postings on the Internet are critical to fully participating in another culture. And that's not all. Language alone is not enough...
...longer. Shenzhen (the new spelling under the Pinyin system) is now a vast building site. Construction crews stir dust as they dig sewers, build roads and prepare foundations for factories and apartment buildings. Local women wearing skintight jeans made in Hong Kong sell U.S. and British cigarettes and cans of Coca-Cola from roadside stalls. Hackies hustle bewildered visitors, demanding as much as $65 an hour for riding in their dilapidated Japanese-made taxis...
Congratulations on adopting the Pinyin spelling of Chinese words [March 26]. I never did know how to pronounce an apostrophe...
...English-speaking world is groaning about the adoption of Pinyin. Having been raised with a language that contains such combinations as "rhythm," "syzygy" and "gnathic," and in which gh, ph and ff can all sound alike, I don't see what the fuss is about. But then, conversion to the metric system hasn't progressed well, even though it too is easier...