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From: deb5@ellis.uchicago.edu (Daniel von Brighoff)
Subject: Re: Chinese dialects vs. Indoeuropean languages
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References: <19960312.010003.00158002@ACCTON.COM.TW> <SDLEE.96Mar12125313@wisdom.cs.hku.hk> <mankin-1403961624340001@mankin.usc.edu>
Date: Sun, 17 Mar 1996 04:29:01 GMT
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In article <mankin-1403961624340001@mankin.usc.edu>,
Eric Mankin <mankin@bcf.usc.edu> wrote:
>In article <SDLEE.96Mar12125313@wisdom.cs.hku.hk>, sdlee@cs.hku.hk (Lee
>Sau Dan ~{@nJX6X~}) wrote:
>
>>  Don't forget  that while  the grammars in
>> all Chinese languages are  similar, the grammars in European languages
>> vary a lot!   For example, French   and English depend on word  order,
>> while German uses  a case system.   While  it is possible  to omit the
>> subject in an Italian sentence, it is not allowed in French (except in
>> imperatives), even though both languages inflex verbs according to the
>> subject.
>
>I was actually limiting it to Romance languages, which in fact share
>very similar (though not identical) word orders, verb structures,
>noun genders, etc, along with a large stock of clearly cognate vocabulary.

Then why on earth did you use English in your example?  It's as Romance
as Korean is Sinitic (to continue your analogy).

>From what I have read, I believe that Chinese dialects show differences
>at least as marked as the Spanish-Italian difference noted above.

I don't suppose I need to tell anyone here that these are apples and
oranges.  One important thing to keep in mind:  Spanish and Italian
both have standardised forms based on rather conservative dialects of
each.  (Compare Andalucian or Asturian to Piedmontese or Sicilian and
you'll see how this distorts the comparision.)  Most Chinese dialects 
don't have well-defined standards.  Yue has Cantonese/Hong Kongese and
Minnan has Amoy, but what about Wu, Xiang (Old or New), Gan, Hakka,
Teochiu, or Hainanese?
-- 
	 Daniel "Da" von Brighoff    /\          Dilettanten
	(deb5@midway.uchicago.edu)  /__\         erhebt Euch
				   /____\      gegen die Kunst!
