Calls to purify the Chinese language are misguided
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In recent years, it has become fashionable for young, well-educated Chinese to pepper their everyday speech with English words and acronyms. This has upset traditionalists and sparked a campaign to "purify" the Chinese language. As a result, this April, Chinese TV stations were ordered to stop using English acronyms such as NBA, GDP and WTO. The ban has caused controversy at home and abroad.
The prohibition apparently came from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT). But it seems to be based on a misunderstanding of what is meant by language purity.
It is generally acknowledged that languages form the basis of nations, which in turn are the basis of countries. The culture, politics, economy, military affairs and everything related to a country all without exception depend on a sustainable evolution of its language.
Everyday experience demonstrates the truth of the saying that man is born crying. Human beings are born with limitless desires. Mankind can never rest content, and the result is disputes and conflicts between nations and countries. The history of humanity is the history of war.
Today, voices for peace all over the world are still mercilessly drowned out by the sound of swords being sharpened. Super powers seeking hegemony and small countries trying to defend themselves use every means possible to maintain the purity of their languages and enhance national cohesion. It is of the utmost importance for a country to safeguard the purity of its linguistic culture.
But the key to linguistic unity and language purity is standard pronunciation, not preserving an exclusively native vocabulary. A unified language is the foundation of a nation, and standard pronunciation is the foundation of a language. New words, created in China and around the world, enter the language every day. But while Chinese characters can be easily simplified, the generally accepted pronunciation of the spoken language must be preserved.
Understanding the importance of a standard, generally accepted spoken language, the Chinese government has been promoting Mandarin since the founding of PRC. In 2001 it passed a law requiring the use of Mandarin in education, broadcasting and public services. This is a national strategic policy. To outsiders, it speaks volumes about our image as a unified nation; for Chinese people, it improves communication among people from different areas, boosts regional development, and helps reduce ethnic conflict.
The root cause of the recent violence in Tibet and Xinjiang was overstressing minority policies and neglecting the promotion of Mandarin. That caused difficulties in communication between different ethnic groups. Eventually, a small number of separatists exploited the situation and caused a disaster.
China is a big, multi-national family, and every region must follow a centralized national policy of promoting Mandarin, even at the cost of regional languages and cultures. People from Shanghai and Guangzhou once took pride in their local accents, but nowadays most of the post 90s generation no longer speak local dialects. This is a sign of progress and an unavoidable development.
Under the impact of the all-powerful Internet, few languages in the world remain immune from outside influence. Even English, the strongest language in the modern world, suffers from the invasion of foreign words. But in the English-speaking world we hear no calls for bans on the import of foreign words.
Japan's active assimilation of English words greatly facilitated its rapid economic development after the Second World War. English words account for over 40 percent of all new words entering the German language over the past decade. But German people are broadminded about language change.
A language that does not dare assimilate foreign words is doomed to suffocate and die. But as long as a language has a stable grammar and accepted pronunciation it will remain rich, energetic and attractive and need not fear imported words.
Although Chinese today ranks behind English, French, Spanish and even Japanese as a world language, within the foreseeable future, the battle for the title of top international language will surely be between English and Chinese. If China adheres to its opening-up policy, absorbs foreign words and acronyms, builds a sound and effective anti-corruption mechanism and accelerates progress to democracy, Chinese will surely replace English language as the top international language.
If acronyms like WTO, GDP and F1 become commonplace in everyday Chinese, it is no more than a sign of our improving educational level, and will help China embrace globalization. If internationally adopted English expressions like "Thank you", "Sorry" and "Excuse me" become daily conversational tags for Chinese people, it will contribute to the realization of a harmonious society.
It is understandable that some scholars feel upset about the invasion of foreign words, but it is surely over the top for SARFT to slap a ban on foreign acronyms. It not only disrespects the majority of Chinese people who have become accustomed to using these expressions over past decades, but it is also a slur on China's own deep-rooted linguistic culture. The ban implies that the 5000-year-old Chinese language is not strong enough to assimilate a few foreign acronyms. It also calls into question China's 30-year-old policy of reform and opening-up to the world.
Mr. Chunyu Jinzhang, president of a well-known stationary company in China, has been working as an amateur teacher of English for over 30 years and was the first man in China to promote the Queen's English.
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