Question

Answer the questions.

Years ago, a walk around Beijing’s hutong would mean hearing chatting locals adding “-er” to the end of syllables.

However, this feature can hardly be heard among today’s Beijing dwellers(居民). A recent report by the Ministry of Education( 教 育 部 ) shows that the Beijing dialect is declining among the younger generation.

With quick social development over recent years, an increasing number of migrants with different dialects can be found all over China. However, people are encouraged to speak Putonghua between each other, making the existence of dialects in danger.

But rather than just letting the problem be, efforts are being made to save these local dialects because of the culture they carry. For many Chinese who live outside their hometowns, dialect is an important reminder of who they are and where they come from. From dialects, we can also know the history and local culture behind them.

To save these valuable parts of history, the State Language Commission(國家語言文字工作委員會) has set up databases since 2008 to cover different local dialects, while many areas such as Beijing, Shanghai and Zhejiang province have built museums. The Beijing municipal education authorities(北京市 教育部門) also plans to make the Beijing dialect part of its school-based curriculum.

And it’s not just the government that is making an effort to keep the country’s dialects – an increasing number of individuals are joining in the effort, too. Wang Han, a well-known host of Hunan TV, has invested several million yuan into the research and protection of Hunan dialects.

But all these efforts are still not enough to keep dialects from fading away. What we’re doing now is mostly rescue works. A more effective measure to keep them alive could be using elements such as pop songs and the “celebrity effect”(名人效應) to attract the young to use dialects. They need to realize that speaking their local dialect is something they can be proud of.

1.We can’t often hear chatting locals adding “-er” to the end of syllables among today’s Beijing dwellers, can we?

2.What endangers the existence of dialects?

3.Why do we try to save dialects?

4.Who is making efforts to protect dialects?

5.How can we keep dialects alive in a more effective way?

By ______________________________________________.

6.Are you for or against the government’s efforts to save dialects? Can you think of any other way to help attract the young to use dialects?

Answer 1