Comments | simontanzman: It really is that dumb

simontanzman

It really is that dumb

Dec 14, 2009 01:46

Today during our lunch break, my colleague Matt and I decided to complain about the Chinese language. We touched on the usual problem: 50,000 characters, oft-vague tones, euphemistic expressions, and the like. At this point I was frothing with rage (which was a bit awkward since we were surrounded by the other teachers and various students). I ( Read more... )

rants, china, politics

Comments 4

Tags j9kovac December 28 2009, 18:38:24 UTC

I just noticed that all your posts have the tag "rants"

Re: Tags simontanzman December 28 2009, 18:41:37 UTC

a rant is good for the soul

anonymous December 29 2009, 01:10:59 UTC

My favorite alphabet is Korean. They did exactly what you're saying, and it's the cleanest, most logical alphabet I know. One guy invented it in 1443. It has 14 consonants and 10 vowels. Letters that sound similar look similar. You group letters into sylable blocks. So "Simon" would be two tidy groups, of "SI" and "MON", probably with the "M" on top of "ON". (That's where the tidiness comes from.)

simontanzman December 29 2009, 01:20:22 UTC

I know about the Korean. What made it easier for them is that, previous to their alphabet, they used Chinese characters. So it was easier for them to make the switch. The Chinese take an inordinate amount of pride in their impossible system. it's like a right of initiation into a secret club.