Society

Mandarin doesn't contradict local dialects

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-05-13 09:27

BEIJING - A senior official with China's Ministry of Education said Thursday that Mandarin Chinese "is in no way contradictory" to regional dialects, while calling for efforts to preserve endangered dialects in China.

Li Yuming, deputy director of the national language committee and chief of the language and information division of the Ministry of Education, made the remarks Thursday to address concerns that Cantonese, a dialect widely used in southern Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, would not be well preserved in the promoting of Mandarin.

"Mandarin is the general language across the country, while dialects are used in specific regions. They coexist and meet communication demands at different levels," Li said.

A two-year project in Shanghai kicked off in March to record the dialect widely used in the eastern metropolis. The project is the third of its kind to complete a nationwide vocal database, an ambitious move by China to better preserve its linguistic diversity.

Local residents who master the distinctive dialect of Shanghai were asked to recite local legends, recall old customs, and even sing operas using the dialect in front of language experts and recording equipment.

Li stressed that the goal of promoting Mandarin is to overcome communication barriers and is in no way to ban dialects.

"Dialects are in realistic existence. They have their own development patterns and values, and will exist for a very long time in certain areas," Li added.

China has eight major dialects, but the number may vary due to different classifications. It is usually difficult for those speaking one dialect to understand another one.