A new software program developed by a university professor lets computer users type characters in the Shanghai dialect, one of China's three major dialects, the Shanghai-based news website eastday.com reported on Saturday.

A new software program developed by a university professor lets computer users type characters in the Shanghai dialect, one of China's three major dialects.

Qian Nairong, a professor at Shanghai University who developed the input system, said it would prevent the local dialect from being abandoned by fast-paced modern society.

The software program took Qian and his three student partners four years to develop and will be available on the Internet for downloading on August 1.

The project's greatest achievement is that it lets users input Chinese Pinyin according to the Shanghai dialect's pronunciation. It is a more advanced system than the standard computer input method in which users have to shift from the Shanghai dialect into Mandarin, Qian said in the report.

Some netizens oppose the system, arguing that it is unnecessary, because Mandarin is gaining popularity throughout the country as the most popular dialect. But Qian said protecting the Shanghai dialect is an essential job in a diversified society. Dialects, as witnesses of history, represent a nation's strength, he said.

Qian also offers a course on the Shanghai dialect at the university.

(CRI July 27, 2008)