Dialects

There’s an old joke among linguists that a “language” is just a dialect with a navy. Dutch and German, for example, are distinct mostly because of political identity rather than because of any sharp linguistic differences.

Chinese has two major dialects: Mandarin and Cantonese. However, they share a common written language. (A Mandarin speaker can still order at a Cantonese restaurant if they write their order down.)

In the 1950s, in an attempt to eradicate illiteracy among its citizenry, the People’s Republic of China mandated a simplification of the written language which had evolved (and grown rococo) over thousands of years. But some communities continue using the traditional characters.

It’s complicated. I made a chart:

For my stay here in Shanghai, I’ve been studying Mandarin and simplified Chinese chracters. None of which helped me in Hong Kong. But — armed with my meager knowledge — I still had fun figuring out the following just from subway maps and signs on the Peak.

Yes, so, that’s the kind of thing I do in my free time. In case you were wondering.