"Dui4 wai4 yong4 Han4yu3" you3 gan3

Thoughts on "using Chinese to foreigners"

Lin2 Pei2rui4

Perry Link

Yao4shi {Mei3guo2 Zhi1 Yin1 de} ting1zhong4 peng2you3men ting1guo ben3ren2 {guo4qu4 dui4 shi2shi4 de} yi4xie1 guang3bo1 ping2lun4 If listeners ["audience friends"] {to the Voice of America} have heard some of my broadcast commentaries {on current affairs in the past},
ke3neng2 hui4 de2=dao4 yi2ge cuo4wu4 de yin4xiang4, they may have gotten an erroneous impression,
ren4wei2 wo3 {dui4 Zhong1guo2 zheng4fu3 de yi2qie4} yi2gai4 fan3dui4, and believe that I oppose {everything about the Chinese government} without exception;
zhi3 yao4shi Gong4chan3dang3 shuo1 de, Lin2 Pei2rui4 jiu4 yi2ding4 fan3dui4. that whatever the Communist Party says, Perry Link is definitely against it.
Qi2shi2 bing4 bu4ran2. Actually it's not that way at all.
Wo3 xi3huan1 [jiu4-shi4-lun4-shi4]. I like to [consider each issue on its own].
{Ji2quan2 zheng4fu3 de zhu3zhang1 li3mian4} yao4shi fa1xian4 {you3 dao4li3 de} dong1xi, If {among the views of a totalitarian government} I discover something {reasonable},
na4 wo3 yuan4yi [jie1shou4]. then I'm willing [to accept it].
{Zhi1chi2 de} [shi4?] nei4 tiao2 dao4li3, bu2shi ba4dao4 zheng4quan2 ben3shen1. {What I'm supporting} is that reasonable principle, not the tyrannical rule itself.

Ju3 ge li4zi. [I'll] give an example.
{Qian2 bu4jiu3} Zhong1guo2 Wai4jiao1 Bu4 {zai4 Bei3jing1} fa1biao3 le yi2ge sheng1ming2, {Not long ago,} the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued an announcement {in Bei3jing1},
xu3duo1 wai4guo2 ren2 {ting1 le} you3 fan3gan3, and many foreigners had a negative reaction {when they heard it};
wo3 jiu4 mei2you3, wo3 zan4cheng2. but I didn't; I support it.
Wai4jiao1 Bu4 shuo1 {mei3tian1 gei3 guo2ji4 xin1wen2 ji4zhe3 de} jian3-kuang4 jie4shao4, The Foreign Ministry said that {as for} the news summaries {given every day to the international press},
cong2ci3 jiu4 bu2 yong4 Zhong1-Ying1 liang3 zhong3 yu3yan2, from now on they would not use both Chinese and English,
guang1 yong4 Han4yu3. but would only use Chinese.
{Xi1fang1 ji4zhe3 yi4 ting1} jue2de [zhe4 shi4 hen3 qi2guai4 de shi4qing2]. {When the Western reporters heard this,} they felt [that it was a very strange thing].
Ying1wen2 shi4 guo2ji4 yu3yan2, English is the international language;
wo3men {xiang4lai2 ting1 de, xie3 de} dou1 shi4 Ying1wen2, in the past, {what we've listened to and written} has all been English;
zen3mo ke3neng2 zhi3 shuo1 Han4yu3 ne? How can [you] just use Chinese?
Wai4jiao1 Bu4 de ren2 jie3shi4 shuo1, The person from the Foreign Ministry explained,
{Mei3guo2 zheng4fu3 {zai4 Hua2sheng4dun4} fa1-yan2,} zhi3 yong4 Ying1wen2, {when the U.S. government issues a statement {in Washington},} they only use English;
bing4 bu4 kao3lü4 [yong4 bie2 zhong3 yu3yan2]. They don't even consider [using any other language].
[Zun1zhong4 di4zhu3 guo2] shi4 zi4ran2 de shi4qing, [To respect the host country] is a natural thing;
{zai4 Hua2sheng4dun4} shi4 zi4ran2 de, it's natural {in Washington},
{zai4 Bei3jing1} ye3 shi4 zi4ran2 de. and it's also natural {in Beijing}.

{Qian2 ji3 nian2} wo3 ting1=dao4 yi2ge {you3 yi4si de} tong3ji4. {A few years ago} I heard an {interesting} statistic.
Ba1shi2 nian2dai4 chu1, zai4 [quan2 Zhong1guo2 xue2 Ying1wen2] re4 de shi2hou, In the early eighties, at the time of the fad when [all China was studying English],
ju4 tong3ji4 Zhong1guo2 you3 wu3 qian1 wan4 zhong1xue2sheng1 nian4 Ying1wen2. according to statistics, there were 50,000,000 middle school students in China studying English.
You3de shi4 {zai4 xue2xiao4} nian4, Some were studying {in school},
you3de shi4 {zai4 jia1li3 ting1 guang3bo1} nian4, some were studying {by listening to the radio [lit.: "broadcasts"] at home};
ye3 bu4 yi2ding4 dou1 neng2 [xue2 de {hen3 hao3}], they weren't necessarily all able [to study it {very well}],
dan4shi zhei4ge zong3shu4 {jia1=qi3lai2} jiu4 tai4 ke3guan1 le. but the total, {when you add it up}, is quite considerable.
Zhei4ge shu4zi4 bie2 shuo1 bi3 {zai4 Mei3guo2 nian4 Han4yu3 de} xue2sheng1 duo1, [As for] this figure, never mind that it's more than the number of students {studying Chinese in the U.S.};
ju1ran2 bi3 {zai4 Mei3guo2 nian4 Ying1wen2 de} xue2sheng1 ye3 hai2 duo1. it's even more than the number of students {studying English in the U.S.}.
Quan2 Mei3guo2 de zhong1xue2sheng1 de zong3shu4 | cai2 liang3 qian1 wan4, In the whole U.S., the total number of middle-school students | is only 20,000,000;
li3mian4 {xue2 Han4yu3 de} zhi3 you3 qu1qu1 wu3 qian1 shang4-xia4. those among them {studying Chinese} are only about 5,000.
Zhei4yang4 suan4=xia4lai2, If we figure this way,
{Zhong1-Mei3 xue2sheng1 xue2 dui4fang1 yu3yan2 de} bi3li4 the ratio {of Chinese to American students studying the other side's language}
shi4 yi2 wan4 bi3 yi1, is 10,000 to 1;*

*I.e., 50,000,000 to 5,000.
shi2zai4 shi4 jing1ren2 de zhuang4kuang4. this really is a startling situation.

Zhei4 zhong3 xian4xiang4 dang1ran2 you3 ta1 de li4shi3 yuan2yin1. Naturally, there are historical reasons for this phenomenon.
Shi2jiu3 shi4ji4 Xi1fang1 guo2jia1 dao4 Zhong1guo2 yan2hai3 di4qu1, In the 19th century, Western countries went to the coastal regions of China;
you3 {lun2chuan2, da4 pao4, bu4qiang1 deng3} xu3duo1 xian4dai4 gong1ye4hua4 de chan3pin3. they had many modern industrial products {such as steamships, artillery, and rifles}.
Zhong1guo2 ren2 zi4ran2 ye3 yao4 zhei4xie dong1xi, Naturally, the Chinese wanted these things too,
yin1ci3 yi2bu4-yi2bu4 de yan2jiu1 xian4dai4 gong1cheng2xue2, so, step by step, they studied modern engineering,
cai3na4 ke1xue2 jiao4yu4, adopted scientific education,
nai3zhi4 xue2=hui4 Xi1fang1 yu3yan2. and even went so far as to study Western languages.
Hen3 xian3ran2, {xue2 Ying1wen2 de} lang4chao2 zhi1 suo3yi3 neng2 fa1sheng1 Quite obviously, the reason that the wave {of studying English} could happen
shi4 yin1wei4 [Zhong1-wai4 ke1-ji4 zhi1shi {yi4 shi2} {bu4 ping2heng2} fa1zhan3], was because [Chinese and foreign scientific and technical knowledge developed {unevenly} {for a time}];
bing4 bu2shi yin1wei4 {Ying1wen2 he2 Zhong1wen2 ben3shen1 de} ren4he2 te4dian3. it was by no means because of any special features {of the English and Chinese languages themselves}.
Xian4zai4 wo3men dao4 le er4shi2 shi4ji4 mo4, Now we have reached the late twentieth century,
Dong1fang1 he2 Xi1fang1 de ke1-ji4 bu4 ping2heng2 and the imbalance of science and technology between East and West
yi3jing1 kai1shi3 [xiao1shi1] le, has already begun [to disappear];
zai4 guo4 ji3 nian2, shi4-yi4-shi2-yi2, after a few more years, as things continue to change,
{Ying1wen2 yi4shi2 de} "you1xian1" di4wei4 ye3 hui4 [gen1zhe xiao1shi1]. the "superior" position {which English had for a time} will also accordingly disappear.
[Mei3guo2ren2 xue2 Zhong1wen2] he2 [Zhong1guo2ren2 xue2 Ying1wen2] de bu4 ping2heng2 bi3lü4 The uneven ratio of [Americans studying Chinese] and [Chinese studying English]
ye3 hui4 [bian4 de geng4 he2li3 yi4dian3]. is also likely [to become a little more reasonable].
Zhe shi4 {zi4ran2 de, jian4kang1 de} fa1zhan3, This is a {natural, healthy} development;
Zhong1guo2 he2 Mei3guo2 dou1 ying1gai1 [huan1ying2]. both China and the U.S. should [welcome it.

Jiang1lai2 geng4 duo1 de Mei3guo2ren2 shi4 bu2 shi4 zhen1de neng2 ba3 Zhong1wen2 xue2=hui4, As for whether in the future more Americans will really be able to learn Chinese,
zhe4 dang1ran2 zhu3yao4 dei3 kan4 Mei3guo2ren2 zi4ji3 de nu3li4. this naturally must depend mainly on the efforts of Americans themselves.
Neng2 bu4 neng2 ke4fu2 zi4ji3 de wen2hua4 zi4wo3 zhong1xin1 tai4du4? Can they overcome their own attitude of cultural egocentrism?
Neng2-fou3 chou1 shi2jian1 xue2 yi4 zhong3 yu3 Ying1wen2 zhen1zheng4 bu4tong2 de yu3yan2? Will they be able to find time to study a language which is truly different from English?
Da4 bu4fen Mei3guo2ren2 hai2 mei2you3 zu2gou4 de ren4shi=dao4 A large portion of Americans have not sufficiently realized
zhei4 liang3 ge wen4ti2 de zhong4yao4xing4. the importance of these two questions.

Qi2ci4, wai4guo2ren2 neng2-fou3 xue2=hui4 Han4yu3 Secondarily, whether foreigners will be able to learn Chinese
ye3 shi4 gen1 Zhong1guo2 ren2 de tai4du4 you3 guan1. is also related to the attitudes of the Chinese themselves.
Zhong1guo2 ren2 si4hu1 chang2chang2 jue2de Chinese people always seem to feel
Han4yu3 neng2li4 shi4 ji1yin1 yi2chuan2 de: that Chinese language ability is transmitted in the genes:
Han4zu2 zi4ran2 neng2 xue2, Han people can learn it, naturally,
fei1 Han4ren2 wu2lun4 zen3mo yang4 ye3 xue2=bu=tai4-hui4. but non-Han people can't quite learn it, no matter what.
Mei3guo2 Hua2yi4, zhi3 yao4 zhu4 zai4 Mei3guo2 liang3 dai4 yi3hou4, As for Chinese-Americans, after they have lived in America only two generations,
mu3yu3 jiu4 bian4=cheng2 Ying1wen2 le. their native language becomes English.
Yao4shi zhe4mo yi2 wei4 Hua2yi4 dao4 Zhong1guo2 qu4, If such a Chinese-American goes to China,
Zhong1guo2 ren2 ma3shang4 ba3 ta1 dang1zuo4 tong2bao1 kan4dai4, the Chinese immediately look upon him/her as a compatriot,
ren4wei2 ta1 dang1ran2 ying1gai1 hui4 shuo1 Han4yu3, and believe that s/he naturally should be able to speak Chinese;
shen4zhi4 fa1xian4 ta1 bu2 hui4 jiu4 ma4: and if they find out that s/he can't, they may go so far as to rebuke him/her:
"Ni3 Yan2 Huang2 zi3sun1 lian2 hua4 dou1 bu2 hui4 shuo1, "A descendant of Yan and Huang [legendary emperors and ancestors of the Chinese], and you can't even talk!
bu4 jue2de xiu1chi3 ma?" Aren't you ashamed?"
Dan4 ru2guo3 shi4 Mei3guo2 bai2ren2 huo4zhe3 hei1ren2, But if it's a white or black American,
jia1ting2 bei4jing3 gen1 nei4 wei4 Hua2yi4 yi2yang4 shi4 shuo1 Ying1wen2 de, whose family background is English-speaking, just like the Chinese-American,
dao4 le Zhong1guo2 bei4 jie1dai1 de fang1shi4 jiu4 wan2quan2 bu4tong2: when they go to China, the manner in which they are received is completely different:
Zhong1guo2ren2 dui4 ta1 yu3yan2 neng2li4 de yao1qiu2 bu4 yan2ge2, Chinese people's demands on their language ability are not strict,
biao1zhun3 hen3 di1. and the standard [they apply] is very low.
Bai2ren2 mian3qiang3 neng2 shuo1 yi2 ju4 fa1yin1 hen3 zao1gao1 de yu3 [hua4?], If a white person can manage to say one sentence, [even] with terrible pronunciation,
shen2mo "woe shee may gwoe wren ,woe hen gao shing wren she knee" something like "woe shee may gwoe wren ,woe hen gao shing wren she knee"
(wo3 shi4 Mei3guo2ren2, hen3 gao1xing4 ren4shi ni3) (I am an American, glad to meet you),
Zhong1guo2ren2 chang2chang2 ke4qi4, cheng1zan4 ta1 shuo1, Chinese people are always polite, and praise him/her:
"Pu3tong1hua4 shuo1 de hen3 hao3!" "You speak putonghua [standard Mandarin] very well!"
Zhong1guo2 ren2 dao4 Mei3guo2 lai2 zuo4 Han4yu3 lao3shi1, When Chinese people come to the U.S. to be Chinese language teachers,
zui4 da4 de mao2bing4 shi4 their greatest fault is
gai3 xue2sheng1 cuo4wu4 gai3 de bu2 gou4, that they don't correct their students' errors enough;
si4hu1 jue2de it's as if they felt,
"Ai4, fan3zheng4 shi4 wai4guo2 ren2, "Oh, they're just foreigners anyway,
ye3 jiu4 nei4yang4, that's just the way they are,
gai3 ye3 mei2 yong4." even if you corrected them it wouldn't be any use."

Zhei4 zhong3 xiang3fa3 shi4 bu4 ke1xue2 de. This kind of thinking is unscientific.
She2tou fa1-yin1, [when] the tongue makes sounds,
shou3 xie3 zi4, [when] the hand writes,
er3duo ting1 [when] the ears listen,
dou1 shi4 huan2jing4 xun1tao2 de jie2guo3, it's all the result of the influence of the environment;
bu2shi ji1yin1 jue2ding4 de. it's not determined by the genes.
Hua2yi4 Mei3guo2ren2 shuo1 Ying1wen2 mei2you3 Zhong1guo2 kou3yin1, When Americans of Chinese descent speak English they have no Chinese accent;
ting1=qi3lai2 gen1 bai2ren2 wan2quan2 yi2yang4. they sound exactly like a white person.
Han2 -- shi4 yi2ge zai4 Zhong1guo2 sheng1zhang3 de you3 jin1 tou2fa lan2 yan3jing1 de bai2ren2, Han X is a white person with golden hair and blue eyes who grew up in China;
qi1shi2 nian2dai4 chu1, ta1 gang1 dao4 Mei3guo2 lai2, in the early 70s, when she had just arrived in the U.S.,
Bei3jing1 hua4 shuo1 de gen1 Bei3jing1 ren2 yi2yang4 piao4liang, she spoke Beijing dialect [the basis of standard putonghua pronunciation] as beautifully as a person from Beijing,
Ying1wen2 fan3er2 you3 hen3 zhong4 de "Han4 ren2" kou3yin1. but in English she had a heavy "Chinese" accent.

Wo3 ge4ren2 de qing2kuang4 bu4 yi2yang4. My own situation is different.
Zai4 Mei3guo2 zhang3=da4, I grew up in the U.S.,
shang4 da4xue2 cai2 kai1shi3 xue2 Han4yu3 de yin1. and didn't start learning the Chinese sounds until I went to university.
Lao3shi1 Zhao4 Ru2lan2 shi4 Zhong1guo2 you3ming2 yu3yan2xue2jia1 Zhao4 Yuan2ren4 xian1sheng1 de nü3er. My teacher Rulan Chao was the daughter of the famous Chinese linguist Yuen Ren Chao.
Zhao4 Ru2lan2 lao3shi1 you3 du2te4 de ke1xue2 tai4du4; Professor Rulan Chao had a singularly scientific attitude:
ta1 bu2 kan4 ni3 de lian3 shi4 bai2 de, shi4 hei1 de, shi4 huang2 de, she paid no attention to whether your face was white, black, or yellow;
jiu4 xun4lian4 ni3 de she2tou neng2 fa1 biao1zhun3 de Bei3jing1 yin1. she just trained your tongue so that it could produce standard Beijing sounds.

Wo3 xi1wang4 geng4 duo1 de Zhong1guo2 peng2you3 neng2gou4 xiang4 Zhao4 Ru2lan2 lao3shi1 nei4yang4, I hope more Chinese friends can be like Professor Rulan Chao,
yong4 ke1xue2 tai4du4 ren4zhen1 de bang1zhu4 wai4guo2ren2 xue2=hui4 Zhong1guo2hua4. and, with a scientific attitude, earnestly help foreigners to learn Chinese.
Zhei4yang4 yi4lai2, That way,
bu2dan4 xin1wen2 ji4zhe3 neng2 yong4 Zhong1wen2 ting1 jian3-kuang4 jie4shao4, not only will reporters be able to listen to news summaries in Chinese,
er2qie3 zhi3 you3 zhei4yang4 but also, only in this way
Zhong1-Mei3 liang3 guo2 de lao3bai3xing4 cai2 neng2 zai4 er4shi2 yi1 shi4ji4 li3 da2=dao4 ming2-fu4-qi2-shi2 de hu4xiang1 liao3jie3. will the common people of China and the U.S. be able in the 21st century to attain what can truly be called mutual understanding.