Our love and hate of dialects
<p><span word="Every">Every</span> <span word="time">time</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="visit">visit</span> <span word="my">my</span> <span word="hometown">hometown</span>, <span word="I">I</span> <span word="get">get</span> <span word="praised">praised</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="something">something</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="take">take</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="granted">granted</span> - <span word="being">being</span> <span word="able">able</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="speak">speak</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="local">local</span> <span word="dialect">dialect</span>.</p><p><span word="I">I</span> <span word="spent">spent</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="first">first</span> 15 <span word="years">years</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="my">my</span> <span word="life">life</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="part">part</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Zhejiang">Zhejiang</span> <span word="province">province</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="spoke">spoke</span> <span word="nothing">nothing</span> <span word="but">but</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="dialect">dialect</span>. <span word="Sure">Sure</span>, <span word="I">I</span> <span word="learned">learned</span> <span word="putonghua">putonghua</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="school">school</span>, <span word="but">but</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="language">language</span> <span word="we">we</span> <span word="kids">kids</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="use">use</span> <span word="only">only</span> <span word="when">when</span> <span word="reciting">reciting</span> <span word="texts">texts</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="downside">downside</span> <span word="was">was</span>, <span word="my">my</span> <span word="putonghua">putonghua</span> <span word="carries">carries</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="slight">slight</span> <span word="accent">accent</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="cannot">cannot</span> <span word="shake">shake</span> <span word="off">off</span> <span word="even">even</span> <span word="though">though</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="been">been</span> <span word="living">living</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Beijing">Beijing</span> <span word="longer">longer</span> <span word="than">than</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="my">my</span> <span word="hometown">hometown</span>.</p><p><span word="My">My</span> <span word="attitude">attitude</span> <span word="towards">towards</span> <span word="dialects">dialects</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="evolved">evolved</span> <span word="over">over</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="years">years</span>. <span word="I">I</span> <span word="saw">saw</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="form">form</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="impediment">impediment</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="communication">communication</span>. <span word="When">When</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="first">first</span> <span word="arrived">arrived</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Guangzhou">Guangzhou</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="graduate">graduate</span> <span word="study">study</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="early">early</span> 1980<span word="s">s</span>, <span word="I">I</span> <span word="could">could</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="understand">understand</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="single">single</span> <span word="word">word</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Cantonese">Cantonese</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="even">even</span> <span word="some">some</span> <span word="teachers">teachers</span> <span word="could">could</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="get">get</span> <span word="themselves">themselves</span> <span word="understood">understood</span> <span word="despite">despite</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="efforts">efforts</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="speak">speak</span> <span word="putonghua">putonghua</span>. <span word="Forget">Forget</span> <span word="about">about</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="granny">granny</span> <span word="whom">whom</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="asked">asked</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="directions">directions</span>.</p><p><span word="So">So</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="wished">wished</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="country">country</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="dialects">dialects</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="vanish">vanish</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="everyone">everyone</span> <span word="could">could</span> <span word="easily">easily</span> <span word="talk">talk</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="another">another</span>. <span word="Be">Be</span> <span word="careful">careful</span> <span word="what">what</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="wish">wish</span> <span word="for">for</span>, <span word="it">it</span> <span word="may">may</span> <span word="well">well</span> <span word="come">come</span> <span word="true">true</span>. <span word="Well">Well</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="moment">moment</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="realized">realized</span> <span word="my">my</span> <span word="youthful">youthful</span> <span word="wish">wish</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="indeed">indeed</span> <span word="coming">coming</span> <span word="true">true</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="when">when</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="overheard">overheard</span> <span word="youngsters">youngsters</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="my">my</span> <span word="hometown">hometown</span> <span word="conversing">conversing</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="putonghua">putonghua</span> <span word="even">even</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="leisure">leisure</span> <span word="time">time</span>. <span word="They">They</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="still">still</span> <span word="understand">understand</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="local">local</span> <span word="dialect">dialect</span>, <span word="but">but</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="do">do</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="willingness">willingness</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="ability">ability</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="speak">speak</span> <span word="it">it</span>. <span word="In">In</span> <span word="another">another</span> <span word="generation">generation</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="dialect">dialect</span> <span word="will">will</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="gone">gone</span>.</p><p><span word="Multiple">Multiple</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="thousands">thousands</span>, <span word="even">even</span> <span word="millions">millions</span>, <span word="of">of</span> <span word="similar">similar</span> <span word="incidents">incidents</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="you">you</span>'<span word="ll">ll</span> <span word="get">get</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="bigger">bigger</span> <span word="picture">picture</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="what">what</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="happening">happening</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="spoken">spoken</span> <span word="language">language</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Chinese">Chinese</span>. <span word="No">No</span> <span word="wonder">wonder</span> <span word="some">some</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="taken">taken</span> <span word="action">action</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="defend">defend</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="local">local</span> <span word="dialects">dialects</span>.</p>
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