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How does the National Law on the Standard Language and Script regulate the use of dialects?
  • Update:2007-04-19 15:49

Putonghua and dialects constitute the relationship between subjectivity and diversity. Putonghua is the national standard language, and is commonly used nationwide; dialects are regional branches of the Chinese language, and is used in specific local areas. The purpose of promoting Putonghua by the government is mainly to standardize the language use in social public communications, to eliminate dialect barrier, and to help social communication, rather than exterminate the dialects. Section 16 of the National Law on the Standard Language and Script explicitly identifies 4 conditions under which dialects are allowed. In accordance with this, Section 9 of the“Regulations for Implementation”makes corresponding prescriptions: according to Section 8 of the Regulation Putonghua is the basic language in use, the dialect can be used under the following conditions: (1) personnel in governmental institutions in carrying out business, and publication, teaching, research, where the dialect is really needed; and opera, film and TV program where the dialect is needed; (2) the use of the dialect in broadcast and host of radio station, TV station, with authorization from the municipal radio, TV administrative department.”Currently, the outcry to protect and inherit Shanghai dialect is getting stronger and stronger, because of differences in standpoint, starting point and the angle of seeing the question, and the varied extent of knowing the objective rule of language development, there are numerous debates over this question in society and academic world, with utterly opposite opinions on some specific issues. In this case, the question should be examined with scientific, developed view of language, in order to properly deal with the relationship between Putonghua and the dialect. Promoting Putonghua is a fundamental policy of the government, and an inevitable requirement for economic development and social progress, to stick to the legal status of Putonghua should be the mainstream of Chinese in society. Meanwhile, when considered from the perspectives of maintaining linguistic diversity, the dialect should be focused in cultural and research field, through comprehensive and in-depth investigation of the dialect, the researchers can record and preserve the dialect feature of certain historical phase, at the same time the government should constantly increase support on local opera and folk arts.