tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post2955228040419859895..comments2023-10-22T18:25:39.688+08:00Comments on The View from Taiwan: Soong whines, Tsai Conquers, Ma works the voteMichael Turtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-91726186021888685612011-10-25T19:16:40.651+08:002011-10-25T19:16:40.651+08:00Worth pointing out there's a difference betwee...Worth pointing out there's a difference between a national and official language. Official means used for government purposes, national is more symbolic, or at most cultural.Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08654770225487196179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-53476717438899769442011-10-19T20:38:27.827+08:002011-10-19T20:38:27.827+08:00May I clarify that Mandarin is identified as 國語 in...May I clarify that Mandarin is identified as 國語 in Taiwan meaning "National Language".<br /><br />Whether or not a specific language is a national language or not should be specified by Law.<br /><br />For example, Singapore uses both English and Chinese, but only one language is identified as the national language (I forgot which).<br /><br />George<br /><br />GeorgeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-22719095669430580812011-10-19T12:57:34.189+08:002011-10-19T12:57:34.189+08:00And I forgot to mention Switzerland.
Just because...And I forgot to mention Switzerland.<br /><br />Just because Canadian French is different from French in France, it doesn't mean that Canadian French is not an official language in Canada. That would be like saying that Manadarin is not the national language of Taiwan/Republic of China because most people in Taiwan/ROC do not speak Mandarin like the people in Beijing. And legally, yes French is an official national language of Canada, and many government documents have to be released in both languages. And not just government documents - many services throughout Canada are legally required to be available bilingually (I remember talking to one Quebequois who was said that, when he travelled around British Columbia, many services did not live up to this legal requirement, but the fact that such a requirement even exists on paper I think is strong evidence that French is a national language in Canada).<br /><br />-MSKAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-44220240704586735092011-10-19T01:29:33.025+08:002011-10-19T01:29:33.025+08:00Even though ethnic politics were the hand of the K...Even though ethnic politics were the hand of the KMT in the past, it hardly justifies that it's the right thing to do in this era. Why would DPP copy the bad things that KMT did? Seems counter intuitive to me.<br /><br />GeorgeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-28542337847348021492011-10-19T01:24:52.601+08:002011-10-19T01:24:52.601+08:00In a business meeting with a French firm, I asked ...In a business meeting with a French firm, I asked whether they would communicate with Canadian companies in French, the answer I got was "no, it is too dangerous! Although they speak French, the words can have very different meaning". So can we call that a national language of Canada?<br /><br />I am curious though, do these two counties actually produce government documents in two languages? This is what a national language should mean. Even Taiwanese had problem with the written aspect of the language. Although they tried to teach it in school, it never got really far.<br /><br />GeorgeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-19690090606286492292011-10-18T14:32:56.330+08:002011-10-18T14:32:56.330+08:00"What well established country would have mul..."What well established country would have multiple national languages?"<br /><br />Canada and Finland.<br /><br />-MSKAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-21527506811540655442011-10-18T12:21:18.855+08:002011-10-18T12:21:18.855+08:00Well, ethnic politics is the hand the KMT dealt ev...Well, ethnic politics is the hand the KMT dealt everyone forty years ago and now we're stuck with its consequences.<br /><br />MichaelMichael Turtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-23076998804971795952011-10-18T12:07:00.498+08:002011-10-18T12:07:00.498+08:00Sadly, Tsai still has no vision, only the the isla...Sadly, Tsai still has no vision, only the the island more divided by talking about another national language. What well established country would have multiple national languages? If Tsai can win, that will only mean the wisdom of the island and the people have degraded such that they do not know what leadership is about. It's really a pity that Soong wants to run. He is a really good administrator, but does not have enough vision to be a leader. It take a team of people with different strengths to accomplish goals with a vision. Having said this. Should I run for president some day? Hmm, something to ponder on. Hey, in this global village, if one family planned things out well, maybe single family can have presidents in multiple nations!!!<br /><br />GeorgeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com