Which is better? Simplified Chinese Character or Traditional Chinese?

Which is better? Simplified Chinese Character or Traditional Chinese?
Apr 22, 2007 05:01	#31
SANYACHINA Points: Join Date: Mar 26, 2007 Status: Offline	"It's only one step in the process of becoming literate. I can "read" any Russian text in that I can sound out the words, but that does not mean I understand any of it- and it's been so long since I studied Russian I probably wouldn't understand." But if you are a NATIVE Russian speaker it is ENOUGH. We are talking about the locals, not the foreigners like you or me. "Besides, I already agreed that it is more difficult to learn Chinese characters, but I don't see how this extra difficulty presents a real barrier to literacy." LOSING TIME. FOR EXAMPLE IF YOU ARE ABLE TO LEARN YOUR OWN LETTERS FOR 2 WEEKS , not for 20 years, you will have more time for the second foreign languages, geography, etc. It is so bad that MANY Chinese when read a book OFTEN do not understand some characters and EVEN can not get the meaning from the context...and just skip it...It is not good reading. "It takes more time to learn to read Chinese, but still, the majority of Chinese learn to read." They are learning but many of them do not learnt. "All other things (access to and quality of education, in particular) being equal, the statistics would probably be the same." I still think that the quality depends of the quantity. Not everyone is smart enough to be able to remember so huge number of characters. "Anyway, I still believe roughly 85% of Chinese people can understand roughly 90% of Renmin Ribao, I have never seen anything to cause me to doubt this, and you have offered no evidence that this is not true." 85 % and 90% is really not enough. By the way, when you have free time and you want to have some fun, ask some 18~22 years old Chinese to read and translate/explain EVERY character from "Renmin Ribao" /some column/ and have a good time :) "Everybody thinks their language is difficult." No. Some guys think it is so easy, because they are very ethnocentric people. "My experience suggests that all languages are equally difficult, the difference is only in the particular nature of the difficulties." "Difficult" here is subjective, because it is depends of who is studying the language. For example for an kyrgyzian the Kazakh will be easy, but for a Thai it will be not easy. BUT the writing system is OBJECTIVE. Because here we are talking mostly about numbers, quantities. For example it is easier to remember: - ^ * #, THAN - ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) _ + ~ `. , ' " \| \ > < / .

Apr 22, 2007 05:01

#31

SANYACHINA
Points:
Join Date: Mar 26, 2007
Status: Offline

"It's only one step in the process of becoming literate. I can "read" any Russian text in that I can sound out the words, but that does not mean I understand any of it- and it's been so long since I studied Russian I probably wouldn't understand."

But if you are a NATIVE Russian speaker it is ENOUGH. We are talking about the locals, not the foreigners like you or me.

"Besides, I already agreed that it is more difficult to learn Chinese characters, but I don't see how this extra difficulty presents a real barrier to literacy."

LOSING TIME. FOR EXAMPLE IF YOU ARE ABLE TO LEARN YOUR OWN LETTERS FOR 2 WEEKS , not for 20 years, you will have more time for the second foreign languages, geography, etc. It is so bad that MANY Chinese when read a book OFTEN do not understand some characters and EVEN can not get the meaning from the context...and just skip it...It is not good reading.

"It takes more time to learn to read Chinese, but still, the majority of Chinese learn to read."

They are learning but many of them do not learnt.

"All other things (access to and quality of education, in particular) being equal, the statistics would probably be the same."

I still think that the quality depends of the quantity. Not everyone is smart enough to be able to remember so huge number of characters.

"Anyway, I still believe roughly 85% of Chinese people can understand roughly 90% of Renmin Ribao, I have never seen anything to cause me to doubt this, and you have offered no evidence that this is not true."

85 % and 90% is really not enough. By the way, when you have free time and you want to have some fun, ask some 18~22 years old Chinese to read and translate/explain EVERY character from "Renmin Ribao" /some column/ and have a good time :)

"Everybody thinks their language is difficult."

No. Some guys think it is so easy, because they are very ethnocentric people.

"My experience suggests that all languages are equally difficult, the difference is only in the particular nature of the difficulties."

"Difficult" here is subjective, because it is depends of who is studying the language. For example for an kyrgyzian the Kazakh will be easy, but for a Thai it will be not easy. BUT the writing system is OBJECTIVE. Because here we are talking mostly about numbers, quantities. For example it is easier to remember:

- ^ * #,
THAN
- ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) _ + ~ `. , ' " | \ > < / .

Apr 22, 2007 05:05

#32

SANYACHINA
Points:
Join Date: Mar 26, 2007
Status: Offline

"I skip over three pages here to find place to say, I use simplified Chinese, but I like traditional Chinese also though I can not recognize some of them.

My opinion is that to master the two writting systems is a better way out. LOL"

My dear, the place is enough for everyone to post a topic here. You do not need to skip pages. Just read the first, the main topic, later press the answer - button and type your opinion. Then press the "submit"-button and it will be situated as the currently last opinion. THAT IS HOW MOST OF THE FORUMS WORK.
And to master 2 writting systems is very good, only if you can really master them.

Apr 22, 2007 21:31

#33

CHRISWAUGHBJ
Points:
Join Date: Feb 26, 2007
Status: Offline

Sanya, in my experience it's the ethnocentric people who are most likely to say their language is the most difficult. That confirms in their mind that their ethnicity is the best.

Well, we're obviously not going to reach an agreement on this, so let's call it a day. It seems from your last couple of posts that we pretty much agree on the evidence, but interpret it differently. Nothing wrong with that- it's these disagreements that keep life interesting.

Apr 24, 2007 23:57	#34
QQIAN0124 Points: Join Date: Apr 24, 2007 Status: Offline	i'm a chinese ,i love my country welcome you to learn chinese

Apr 24, 2007 23:58	#35
QQIAN0124 Points: Join Date: Apr 24, 2007 Status: Offline	please contact me if you have any questions when learning chinese no matter they are traditional chinese or simlified Chinese

Oct 26, 2007 09:52

#36

GUESTMAN

I also agree with SERENA07 that the traditional Chinese characters are better!!

I come from Hong Kong and we use traditional Chinese characters.
They are very pretty~
You can also see different meaning in one traditional Chinese character~
you can "know the formation process and the origin of them" (from SERENA07)
You know... you can never find simplified Chinese in Chinese penmanship (is this term correct?...)

I really wanna see foreigners learning traditional Chinese instead of the simplified~

Dec 22, 2007 01:47	#37
GUESTWHITE D...	I am a foreigner. I read and write traditional Chinese characters. Simplified characters are used in China because you need a simple system to educate a large number of people. Check out my website: www.wildmonks.com I sing in Chinese. Cheers!

Jan 29, 2008 02:10	#38
CARSOO Points: Join Date: Jan 29, 2008 Status: Offline	as a English learner, you could learn simplified Chinese at first.

Jan 29, 2008 11:06	#39
JENMARIE Points: Join Date: Jan 24, 2008 Status: Offline	For someone who is preparing to come to mainland China for the first time, would you recommend learning the essential words (bathroom, types of foods, roadsigns, etc.) in traditional characters or simplified characters? What type are displayed most often in public? Thanks

Jan 29, 2008 22:35	#40
CARSOO Points: Join Date: Jan 29, 2008 Status: Offline	as a chinese learner, you could learn simplified Chinese at first. for Chinese in mainland , they could recognize the traditional Chinese easily, though most of them never learn it. Taiwain, Hongkong, Macao still use traditional Chinese. If you went to these areas, it's necessary to know some traditional Chinese.

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