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From: zohrab_p@atlantis.actrix.gen.nz (Peter Zohrab)
Subject: Re: Chinese word ordering
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Date: Thu, 10 Nov 1994 16:50:27 GMT
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In article <39c9mq$h5j@mother.usf.edu>,
Timothy Miller <millert@grad.csee.usf.edu> wrote:
> I'm wondering... do all Chinese languages have identical word ordering, 
> or do people just put up with reading in a different word order from 
> which they are accustomed?  And if there are different word orderings, 
> with which language is the standard written language consistent?
> 
No, the various Chinese languages do not have identical word-ordering.  I 
don't know about other languages, but Cantonese has many cases of 
modified-modifier ordering, whereas Mandarin has mainly modifier-modified.

The Chinese situation is one of "Diglossia", where the spoken language 
(except in Mandarin areas) is essentially a different language from the 
written language.  

Mandarin (aka Putonghua, Guoyu, and Modern Standard Chinese) is the 
spoken form with which the written language is grammatically consistent.

But some of the other Chinese languages/dialects are also written in 
characters, but without the same official status (I am told).

You could write Thai in Chinese characters, in my opinion, and call it a 
"dialect" of Chinese, were it not for historico-political factors.

Peter Zohrab.


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