tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097293516411888153.post1178179787044996401..comments2023-12-04T10:02:29.445-06:00Comments on Mark's China Blog: Mandarin Taking Over the StatesMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967364257656897151noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097293516411888153.post-37490754013742038662009-08-17T22:32:27.033-05:002009-08-17T22:32:27.033-05:00Hey buddy! Blogspot had been blocked in China, Im ...Hey buddy! Blogspot had been blocked in China, Im not sure if you could see my comment! <br />Feel free to contact me via email, ebuyesell@gmail.com<br /><br />we could converse either in English or Chinese<br /><br />Justin ChenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097293516411888153.post-61481754117242165832009-03-02T11:45:00.000-06:002009-03-02T11:45:00.000-06:00There will be some increase in Mandarin study as C...There will be some increase in Mandarin study as China becomes more important on the world stage. English, though, still dominates as the universal language of business. I wouldn't even be surprised if 50 years from now English was the official language of government in China. Characters are a very inefficient way to communicate and actually hold back the Chinese from participating in the world stage.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097293516411888153.post-37634810971422524882009-03-01T20:44:00.000-06:002009-03-01T20:44:00.000-06:00Before I left HK, I read an article in the SCMP wh...Before I left HK, I read an article in the SCMP which discussed Shanghai's proposes loosening of its residency permits for those non-residents who had the skills and education needed by the city. But one of the negatives brought up by those "outsiders" was the pervasive use of Shanghainese in business and social settings, which made those not from Shanghai felt excluded. I guess even in China, regional dialects trumps the National Languages in many ways, even in its financial capital.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097293516411888153.post-2325796919841972982009-02-28T16:57:00.000-06:002009-02-28T16:57:00.000-06:00I'm sure Cantonese won't be dying any time soon. B...I'm sure Cantonese won't be dying any time soon. But going forward, I have to believe that Mandarin will be increasing its prevalence abroad.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00967364257656897151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097293516411888153.post-79473753660375353722009-02-28T08:53:00.000-06:002009-02-28T08:53:00.000-06:00According to the map, no one in Taiwan speaks Mand...According to the map, no one in Taiwan speaks Mandarin?? <BR/><BR/>Don has a point regarding the impending irrelevance of Cantonese. I just came back from Hong Kong, and while it's not unusual to hear Mandarin spoken on the street, the language there is still overwhelmingly Cantonese. Many of the recent Chinese immigrants to Canada came from Hong Kong travel back and forth regularly (I saw many Canadian passports on the flight back from HK to SFO). Bottom line is that if you want to do business and live in work in Hong Kong, you'll still need to speak Cantonese despite what many Mandarin speakers will tell you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4097293516411888153.post-63732339506827976752009-02-27T00:18:00.000-06:002009-02-27T00:18:00.000-06:00We have large numbers of Cantonese and Mandarin sp...We have large numbers of Cantonese and Mandarin speakers here in Toronto. We also have Saturday Chinese schools offered in both, and any Toronto resident can send their child to either, or to many other language classes.<BR/><BR/>I just don't see that many Cantonese speakers learning Mandarin. I also don't see many non-Chinese families learning Mandarin either. Some of the Mandarin schools here are actually dropping in enrollment. No matter that Mandarin is more widely spoken in China, here in Toronto both are equal in popularity. It more depends on what dialect your parents speak.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com