There is an American teacher who has lived in Amoy for over twenty years, and published many English guide books about Amoy. The most famous one was published in 2000, called "Amoy Magic", and is supposed to be a good guide to the city and its history and culture. What gets on my nerves is that he has a section called "Mad about Mandarin" in which he encoourages visitors to learn Mandarin and gives a short introduction to the language.
His website is the same:
http://www.amoymagic.com/index.php?study-mandarin,75
"If you're staying in Xiamen awhile, I recommend you try to pick up a little Mandarin."
Why not recommend people to pick up a little Hokkien instead? There are loads of books around for people to learn Mandarin, and he could have done a great service to Hokkien by devoting ten pages to it as an introduction that every visitor to Amoy could read.
This has been getting on my nerves for a while...
Re: This has been getting on my nerves for a while...
Just like:
1. Singapore's indoctrination of Mandarin as the "mother-tongue of the local Chinese" and a "way to preserve culture" (an offshoot of this was an obviously well-indoctrinated (if highly mis-informed) MP suggesting that (paraphrasing) "Mandarin allows the young Chinese to communicate with their elders" - which, to me, is a crock of political b*ll).
2. Malaysia's official tourist guidebooks on Penang making no (or cursory, at best) mention of Penang Hokkien as a (if not the) major spoken language on the island
this one appears to be yet another example of the need to maintain political-correctness (which, paradoxically, is a dirty-word in my vocabulary).
It is most tragic that by a series of historical turns and ensuing vicious cycles, Hokkien and the other non-Mandarin southern dialects (the exception being Cantonese) are looked upon with contempt as some inferior patois. Interesting how re-writing history has the effect of ethnic cleansing.
Now look what you've done, Ah-bin... you got me all riled up.
1. Singapore's indoctrination of Mandarin as the "mother-tongue of the local Chinese" and a "way to preserve culture" (an offshoot of this was an obviously well-indoctrinated (if highly mis-informed) MP suggesting that (paraphrasing) "Mandarin allows the young Chinese to communicate with their elders" - which, to me, is a crock of political b*ll).
2. Malaysia's official tourist guidebooks on Penang making no (or cursory, at best) mention of Penang Hokkien as a (if not the) major spoken language on the island
this one appears to be yet another example of the need to maintain political-correctness (which, paradoxically, is a dirty-word in my vocabulary).
It is most tragic that by a series of historical turns and ensuing vicious cycles, Hokkien and the other non-Mandarin southern dialects (the exception being Cantonese) are looked upon with contempt as some inferior patois. Interesting how re-writing history has the effect of ethnic cleansing.
Now look what you've done, Ah-bin... you got me all riled up.
Re: This has been getting on my nerves for a while...
If I get enough people riled up we might attract the attention of the author...
Re: This has been getting on my nerves for a while...
I know Bill myself. Do you want me to take you to church when you're here, and you speak to him personally ? And, he speaks Hokkien himself !
Re: This has been getting on my nerves for a while...
If that's the case, then he's extra naughty for not putting it in his book! Hmmm, I would like to at least ask him.
Re: This has been getting on my nerves for a while...
I liked to read amoymagic too. Ah-bin is right that Bill has not put enough about Hokkien language there. I remember he does have a page about Minnan/Hokkien proverbs, but nothing more. Glad to know that he speaks Hokkien too! Aokh & Ah-bin, when you meet him, please ask him to promote Hokkien in his website 