new term
1.漢語 Hanyu or Chinese (a singular term), the "Han Language" (linguistic term, Hanyu-yuyan 漢語語言) and a set of its dialects.
2.漢語 Hanyu (Han language, it means the Mandarin spoken-language writing system on "Beijing Phonetic System")
3.漢語 晉方言 Jin dialect of Han Language
4.漢語 吳方言 Wu dialect of Han Language
5.漢語 徽方言 Hui dialect of Han Language
6.漢語 湘方言 Xiang dialect of Han Language
7.漢語 客家方言 Hakka dialect of Han Language
8.漢語 粵方言 Yue dialect of Han Language
9.漢語 閩方言 Min dialect of Han Language
10.漢字 Hanzi (Chinese character)
Call me old-fashioned but I find the old terms making much more sense than the new one.
中文 Chinese (with emphasis on the written language)
國語/普通話 National language
廣州話 Cantonese language
I'm ware of the (mayby incorrect) use of 方言 for indication of the major languages in Chinese which cannot be avoided, but let us at least use the correct terminology in English. Reserve the use of dialects for the variants of a language. E.g. The mandarin language and it's dialects.
This makes it comparable to the rest of the world (languages).
Dylan Sung wrote:
>I find you use of "Han" eccentric, especially when for list 1 to 9 you use "Han language", but for 10 (Hanzi) you use "Chinese character" instead. Why not "Han character?" Doesn't work very well, if you're not a speaker of Chinese.
This list of old and new terms in Chinese character just provide some information which the beginning learners of Chinese languages could know the history of linguistic terms in the Chinese character before 1950s and after 1950s. Some speakers of Mandarin language always try to design the traps of language in Chinese character and make their propaganda which hope to confuse the thinking of popular people, try to change their concepts and ideas. Did you agree these definitions by the Mandarin speakers?
I am the Chinese but not a native Mandarin speaker.
Aru you the Mandarin Speaking People?
Dylan Sung wrote:
>Hanzi you use "Chinese character" instead. Why not "Han character?"
Han (漢) means Han dynasty, every Chinese people know the Chinese character was not invented in the Han dynasty. zi (字) means character.
According to your meaning. We can rewrite as following:
old term. 方塊字 (Fangkuaizi) Fangkuai character (square character, Chinese character)
new term. 漢字 (Hanzi) Han character (Chinese character)
Dylan Sung wrote:
>If you want to talk linguistics, and in English, I can recommend Jerry Norman's "Chinese", Cambridge University Press, 1988.
Thanks fou your information. Nobody want to argue the English terms with anybody.
Anonymous wrote:
Han (漢) means Han dynasty, every Chinese people know the Chinese character was not invented in the Han dynasty. zi (字) means character.
The Han (漢) part in Hanzi does not mean 'Han dynasty'. The meaning of (字) 'zi' is ok.
Anonymous wrote:Dylan Sung wrote:
>I find you use of "Han" eccentric, especially when for list 1 to 9 you use "Han language", but for 10 (Hanzi) you use "Chinese character" instead. Why not "Han character?" Doesn't work very well, if you're not a speaker of Chinese.
This list of old and new terms in Chinese character just provide some information which the beginning learners of Chinese languages could know the history of linguistic terms in the Chinese character before 1950s and after 1950s. Some speakers of Mandarin language always try to design the traps of language in Chinese character and make their propaganda which hope to confuse the thinking of popular people, try to change their concepts and ideas. Did you agree these definitions by the Mandarin speakers?
The terminology is standard Chinese, irrespective of the majority of a spoken form. It is quite plain that you have nothing but contempt for Mandarin, and I must disagree with your position. Now that we've established that you have an agenda to alter the terms, why should we accept your minority usage?
I am the Chinese but not a native Mandarin speaker.
Aru you the Mandarin Speaking People?
I am Chinese, and my mother tongue is not Mandarin.
Dylan Sung wrote:
>Hanzi you use "Chinese character" instead. Why not "Han character?"
Han (漢) means Han dynasty, every Chinese people know the Chinese character was not invented in the Han dynasty. zi (字) means character.
According to your meaning. We can rewrite as following:
old term. 方塊字 (Fangkuaizi) Fangkuai character (square character, Chinese character)
new term. 漢字 (Hanzi) Han character (Chinese character)
The meaning of Han (漢) I have been using is Chinese. It is a term which is independent of any of the sinitic language groups.
Dylan Sung wrote:
>Hanzi is "Chinese character", as Han is the ethnicity or identity of "Chinese".
(A). 1. 唐字 Tongji, in the Languages of Cantonese, Hokkian and Hakka means "Chinese character".
2. 方塊字 fangkuaizi (before 1980s, especially before 1950s) or 漢字 Hanzi (after 1950s, especially after 1980s), in the Mandarin language means "Chinese character".
(B). 1. 唐 Tong, in the languages of Cantonese, Hokkian and Hakka is the identity of "Chinese"
2. 漢 Han, in the Mandarin language is the identity of "Chinese"
(C). the ethnicity of "Chinese ethnics":
1. 廣東 Canton (the native Cantonese speaker) is the ethnicity of Cantonese speaking people.
2. 福建 Hokkian (the native Hokkian speaker) is the ethnicity of Hokkian speaking people.
3. 客家 Hakka (the native Hakka speaker) is the ethnicity of Hakka speaking people.
4. 漢 Han (the native Mandarin speaker) is the ethnicity of Mandarin speaking people.
5. etc...
There is a society of the multi-nations and multi-ethnics in the China from the ancient to present time. The different ethnics exist different ethnicity, as the Cantonese, Hokkian, Hakka, Wu, Gan, Xiang, Hui, Jin, Mandarin, etc... and their identity are
(1). 唐 tong which means the Chinese people (in the Southern Chinese Languages as Cantonese, Hokkian Hakka and etc...) or
(2). 漢 Han which means the Chinese people. (in the Northern Chinese Language as Mandarin and etc...)
some useful information for reference:
The terms of Cantonese, Hokkian and Hakka:
(1). 唐人 tongyan, Chinese
(2). 唐山 tongsan, China
(3). 唐字 tongji, Chinese character
(4). 唐 tong, the identity of "Chinese" (in southern chinese languages)
(5). 唐話 tongwa, Chinese Language (in southern chinese languages)
(6). 唐餐 tongchan, Chinese food
(7). 唐裝 tongjong, old style of Chinese cloth in the Qing dynasty
(8). 唐人街 tongyangai, China town
The terms of Mandarin:
(1). 漢人 hanren, Chinese
(2). 中國 zhongkuo, China
(3). 方塊字 fangkuaizi or 漢字 hanzi, Chinese character
(4). 漢 han, the identity of "Chinese" (in nothern chinese languages)
(5). 漢語 hanyu, Chinese Language (in nothern chinese languages)
(6). 中餐 zhongchan, Chinese food
(7). 漢裝 hanzhuang, old style of Chinese cloth in the Qing dynasty
(8). 中國城 zhongguocheng, China town
2005/7/18
World Chinese (Hanyu language or Mandarin language) Conferences
Really can't express my feelings when I heard the news: World Chinese (Hanyu language or Mandarin language) Conferences. You might be surprised to be told that the theme is "Development of Chinese in a multicultural world", which is out of the very government who spare no efforts suffocating the multicultural environment within its own country. The ad says: "學好 漢語(Hanyu or Mandarin), 了解 中國". What is Chinese? Mandarin of course! Let the whole of 15 hundred million people speak the same Mandarin...What a great idea??!! http://spaces.msn.com/members/gnudoyng/ ... c=blogpart
