In installment of the "traditional culture vs. modern practice" show, Tang Yi, an etymologist and world religions researcher with CASS, believes that the modern Chinese language is divorced from its cultural traditions. Tang argues that a "New Chinese Movement" is needed to return standards to the language; he and his wife Wu Yin recently wrote a book that seeks to increase the literary awareness of Mandarin speakers.
The following is an interview New Century Weekly conducted with Tang Yi, translated with permission.
New Century Weekly: What is the current problem with the survival of Chinese?
Tang Yi: Plato would have no problem reading today's Greek newspapers, but if Confucius lived in today's China, he would have a hard time reading modern Chinese. Chinese has broken with traditional culture.
During the time of the May Fourth movement last century, there were no big problems reading the literary language. If you compare a vernacular newspaper of the 20s to a literary newspaper from the Qing Dynasty there are still connections between the two. Today, however, even if you have a college education you will find literary Chinese difficult unless you have had special training.
NCW: How do you explain this break in modern Chinese?
Tang: There are complicated factors involved in the break in Chinese. For example, in the writing reform after the country was founded in 1949, traditional characters became simplified characters and the mode of speech and thought also changed. At the time, the idea was that if Chinese were not simplified, then the workers, farmers, and soldiers would not learn how to read. But today in Taiwan there are fewer illiterate farmers than in the mainland. This transformation created a break between modern Chinese and literary Chinese, as well as overseas Chinese. The break was created by human factors. However, it is still hard to evaluate whether the writing reform was a success or a failure.
NCW: What differences are there between today's Chinese and the Chinese of the past?
Tang: Today there are many words that belong to commercial products; as the commodity economy has developed, fixed expressions like "show off" and "big shot" have multiplied, drastically simplifying how people express themselves. Individuality has declined, and the beauty of Chinese has been affected.
During the May Fourth period they advocated for the vernacular. The vernacular of the time was still linked to traditional culture. Only the May Fourth Movement never took the step of being aware of the value of the individual. But the May Fourth Movement did quite a bit for the culture of the Chinese language.
In the last century, the Cultural Revolution was a time of the language of violence; from the 80s and 90s things have been much better, without quite so much Cultural Revolution-style language. Now it is stereotyped "business-wave" writing .
NCW: Who do you think is the creator of this stereotyped "business-wave" writing?
Tang: Perhaps some influential commercial interests, or some curious individuals, or even some word-twisting writers. But regardless of who created it, if it becomes a trendy set phrase, then everything loses its individuality and its true function is obscured.
NCW: What sort of consequences do you judge stereotyped "business-wave" writing will create?
Tang: The proliferation of stereotyped "business-wave" writing has create a poverty of subjective spirit in the Chinese people.
There are two modes of expression today: one is trademarks, the other advertising. To say that someone is very straightforward , there's one character - "爽" - that covers all of an individual's minute perceptions and their differences from other people. This kind of language is quite far from tradition, and is extremely removed from traditional language. Vocabulary and syntax are completely different from traditional language; people find it very difficult to become familiar with traditional language.
Chinese today tends to follow trends; it has no definite ideas of its own, it lacks a subjective spirit. So following trends is very easy. Because of the break with traditional culture, modern Chinese does not have a very stable foundation. And language reflects the thinking of people; the lack of a subjective spirit in the Chinese language reflects the fact that people lack the power to distinguish things.
In this sort of outcome, the variety of unique perceptions and creative discovery stemming from individual observation have been obliterated. I am indeed speaking, but not my own words; rather, I am following the current thinking pattern, as if a steamroller has rolled across my heart.
If, out of disdain for tradition, disrespect for others, or just out of capriciousness or for fun, a significant number of people arbitrarily create words and distort standard syntax, what will be the result? I'm afraid that first language will begin to become disordered, finally leading to the chaos in the social order.
NCW: What was your original intention in launching the New Chinese Movement?
Tang: The Chinese language is connected to the current plight of the Chinese people as well as China's national strength and system. China's economy must develop, the nation's strength must increase, and there needs to be national cohesion, so there is a need for a true awareness of and pride in culture.
The idea of the European Renaissance in the 14th - 16th centuries was the value of the man, a process of transformation from cultural awareness to individual awareness. In China, even during the May Fourth period, this step was never taken.
NCW: What exactly does New Chinese Movement mean?
Tang: The "New Chinese Movement" encourages a spirit of rational evidence and clear standards and a language rich in subjective spirit. Without a subjective spirit there can be no earnest search for evidence. When scholars write articles these days, their type of thinking is mostly narrative, unlike western scholars who put forth sufficient facts and logical evidence.
If you can perceive this problem in writing articles and in the language of everyday life, it will drive social transformations in many areas. From newspapers and magazines to textbooks and extracurricular material, reading too much can have an influence. If we all are relatively respectful of standards, then language will change how things are done in society.
NCW: How do plan to promote this movement?
Tang: My wife and I spent one year writing A Chinese Language Cultural Reader; we've been doing this since December, 2005.