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"Speak Mandarin, be civilized people", popular slogan in mainland China to promote Mandarin.
説普通話，做文明人
Speak Mandarin, Be Civilized
説普通話，做文明人
Speak Mandarin, Be Civilized
"Speak Mandarin, be civilized people" is a slogan (標語) adopted by many Chinese schools and local governments to promote Mandarin. Its goal is to unify the vernacular Chinese language with Mandarin. It frames Mandarin as the "correct" or "civilized" dialect. If you do not speak Mandarin, then you are not civilized; you are only civilized when you speak Mandarin. This affirms the stereotype that dialects are vulgar and only used to curse and yell at people. This way of thinking promotes a sort of hierarchy within Chinese in which Mandarin is at the top while other regional dialects are "under" or perceived as "less than" Mandarin. It brings up the question, what makes Mandarin "civilized"?
Having a lingua franca, or a common language, is not inherently a bad thing. Communication is important and essential for any functioning society. But dialects hold immense cultural, historical, and personal importance within its speakers. A common language should connect people. But current attempts to forcibly erase and suppress these rich and diverse dialects—both directly and indirectly—creates more borders.
方言的未來
The Future of Dialects
方言的未來
The Future of Dialects
Slogans, education, and broadcasting. These are some of the similar techniques used by the CCP and KMT in their promotion of Mandarin. Can dialects continue to exist in China? Even today, dialects are stereotyped with being spoken by poor, old, and/or uneducated people. Dialects are not taught, but passed down from parents to children. As long as dialects exist "under" Mandarin, parents and children will continue to prioritize learning Mandarin over their dialects. Take the recordings found on the Listen page. All of the people who recorded their dialects are native speakers, yet many were unable to recite a poem in their dialect. This not only shows the decreasing proficiency in dialects even among native speakers, but also illustrates how dialects have been essentially watered down to only basic words and phrases. This echoes the already existing stereotype that dialects are only used to curse and yell at people.
Many people believe that the younger generation has just lost interest in local dialects, but that is not the case. From my survey, almost all the people who spoke a dialect indicated that they would learn more of their dialect if given the resources. The problem is not lack of interest, it is the stigmatization and marginalization of those who speak a dialect.
A common language can coexist with dialects; the two are not and should not be mutually exclusive. Mandarin can still be promoted as the common language without needing to put other dialects down. The de-stigmatization of dialects is essential to keep them alive. This means allowing broadcasters to use more dialects, establishing programs to teach dialects, and recognizing the cultural and historical significance of dialects. With the advent of social media, there are more opportunities than ever before for people to share their dialects and allow people to see dialects for what they truly are: beautiful and rich languages that are not just used to curse and scold people. Maybe then, will dialects be able to survive.
Let's not forget that dialects are not exclusive to Chinese. English, specifically American English, has a ton of dialects. Many of these dialects are becoming less common for the same reasons mentioned here. Stereotypes associated with people who speak in a dialect, fewer opportunities to use the dialect, and a more homogenized culture are all contributing to the disappearance of dialects like African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and Southern dialects in the United States and around the world.
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