[Wikipedia-l] Wikipedia in Chinese dialects

[Alex Kwan]

Hello,

Stirling Newberry wrote:
> Mandrin? This should be something which is documentable. Are there 
> schools being set up to teach written vernaculars as opposed to standard 
> Mandrin,

No, but I know plenty of HKers can write in Cantonese (with Hanzi) 
without having been taught.

> are there novels, dictionaries etc. being published in large 
> numbers, is there a movement.

How large is large? Does net forums count? Especially when wikipedia 
started as a Internet project? Many HKers in HK net forums/boards/bbs 
write in Cantonese.

> In short, has someone shown a notable and 
> documentable desire to separate dialects from Chinese?

I don't view it as a separation from Chinese, but a separation from 
Mandarin.

> some degree of linguistic separationism in progress. However, a stronger 
> case could be made for a desire to incorporate vernacular idioms into 
> standard mandrin, or as an important cultural dialect within the whole, 
> as there are many culturally significant dialects in English which,

The differences aren't as minimal as the differences among dialects in 
English. And while incorporating slang words, etc. from different 
"dialects" into Mandarin is possible, that doesn't stop Cantonese/Yue 
from being something completely different from Mandarin.

> Instead of arguing with each other about what "we" would like, it seems 
> better to spend time finding out what the readers want, and then finding 
> a means to provide that.

Well, a wikipedia is a new enough concept to the potential users that I 
doubt they would be unhappy to learn that there's a Cantonese/Yue 
wikipedia, in addition to the "traditional" Mandarin vernacular one.

little Alex