Does technology pose a threat to the purity of the Chinese
language?
Many Chinese use instant messenger tools such as MSN or QQ,
listen to music on MP3 players and log on the Internet using ADSL -
most without knowing the literal Chinese translation of the
abbreviations.
But they don't have to, as many English letters have become part
of the local lexicon.
A dozen abbreviations including GDP, NBA, IT, MP3, QQ, DVD and
CEO are among the 5,000 most-frequently used words in the
Chinese-language media last year, according to a report on the 2006
Language Situation in China, which was released yesterday in
Beijing.
The report said some parents are so keen on English letters that
a couple tried to name their baby "@", claiming the character used
in email addresses reflects their love for the child.
While the "@" is obviously familiar to Chinese e-mail users,
they often use the English word "at" to pronounce it - which with a
drawn out "T" sounds something like ai ta, or "love him", to
Putonghua speakers.
The study collected more than 1 billion language samples from
newspapers, magazines, TV, radio and websites last year. The annual
report is jointly compiled by the Ministry of Education and the
State Language Commission.
"Nowadays, more and more English abbreviations are being used in
Chinese, making them an important part of the contemporary
language," said Hou Min, a professor at Communication University of
China.
"The abbreviations have gained popularity because of the ease of
usage," Hou said.
For example, DNA is much simpler to use than its Chinese version
tuoyang hetang hesuan, and T xingtai (T-stage or fashion catwalk)
combines the English letter with Chinese characters to give readers
a visual meaning.
"As more Chinese people learn foreign languages, especially
English, in recent years, using abbreviations has become a trend
among educated people," she said.
Some language scholars fear such usage will contaminate the
purity of Chinese and cause confusion in communication.
But Li Yuming, deputy director of the State Language Commission,
said: "Chinese is a tolerant language which can absorb every
advantage from other languages.
"We are trying to build a linguistically-harmonious society," Li
said. "It is ideal that people speak some foreign languages besides
their mother tongue."
Most of the abbreviations are used in the IT, medical, auto,
economic and chemical fields.
However, excessive use of foreign letters might cause reading
obstacles, especially for ordinary people, said Wang Tiekun, deputy
director of the language information management department
affiliated to the Ministry of Education.
"Misspelled and misused words can be seen in the media and need
to be corrected," Wang said.
(China Daily August 17, 2007)