Editorials

Shared identity

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-07-30 07:54

Citizens of Guangdong province in South China are steadfastly defending their local Cantonese dialect after a politician proposed earlier this month that a local TV station broadcast Asian Games related events in Mandarin.

The suggestion by Ji Kekuang, a member of the People's Political Consultative Conference - a political advisory body to the Communist Party of China - in Guangzhou, the provincial capital, was aimed at aiding the large number of Mandarin-speaking visitors from other provinces who are expected to throng the capital in Nov for the extravaganza.

Related readings:  Cantonese set to carry on as officials quash rumors  Putonghua no threat to Cantonese  I am proud to speak Cantonese

While the rest of China is required to popularize the use of standard Chinese or Mandarin, Guangdong - which abuts Hong Kong with a large population of Cantonese speakers - is allowed to broadcast TV programs in the local dialect.

Regional dialects are deeply ingrained in people's psyches.

Speaking the local dialect may also be a sub-conscious gesture aimed at beating back the forces of globalization, with its attendant uniformity in clothing, cuisine and media content.

This sense of identity helps people belong to a particular place and time, and feel a sense of bonding with their families and neighbors.

Yet, in a modernized world, it is more efficient if people speak a common language. A shared dialect is helpful in understanding people from diverse regions and cultural milieus.

More than 2,000 years ago, the first Chinese emperor Qinshihuang discarded the multiple dialects within his dominion in favor of a common language. Yet, China's 1.3 billion citizens continue to face communication barriers, even with people from the adjacent village.

(China Daily 07/30/2010 page8)