[Wikipedia-l] Individual Wikipedias for different Sinitic vernaculars (Cantonese debate) - update

Sat Jan 29 03:40:25 UTC 2005

Hello,

Sheng Jiong wrote:
> You are discussing an extreme example. Look at all the broadsheets in
> Hong Kong(where most people only know how to speak Cantonese, not
> Mandarin), and their newspapers can still be understood by mainland
> Chinese.

That's because we *are* trying to write in Mandarin baihua (since 
"formal" and "proper" writing demands so).

> Of course some tabloids would use distinctive "Cantonese
> characters", but there are really not the standard.

No, they aren't the standard, but we're now talking about the 
differences between the Mandarin and Cantonese, not the value (or lack 
thereof) of tabloids. The tabloids write in the Cantonese vernacular. 
Unless you can say there's no difference between how the tabloids write 
and Mandarin baihua, then please, don't use how us HKers write as an 
example.

Just because we HKers have accepted the Northerners' monopoly on what's 
"proper" and "formal" writing doesn't mean there's no difference.

> And really what is the use of setting up a Wikipedia if only *one*
> user is interested?

I used not to be interested, but seriously, the more I listen to you 
guys, the more I think a Cantonese/Yue wikipedia should be set up. I 
have yet to hear any argument other than "it's going to take away the 
resources from the zh.wikipedia" and "there's no difference between yue 
and Mandarin".

little Alex