正在消失的方言 · The Dialects That Are Disappearing

中国Zhōngguó有yǒu几百种jǐ bǎi zhǒng方言,fāngyán有些yǒu xiē方言fāngyán之间zhījiān的de差别chābié比bǐ欧洲Ōuzhōu的de语言yǔyán还大。hái dà

China has several hundred dialects, some differing more than European languages do.

一个yí ge说shuō粤语Yuèyǔ的人de rén和hé一个yí ge说shuō闽南话Mǐnnán huà的人,de rén可能kěnéng完全wánquán听不懂tīng bù dǒng对方。duìfāng

A Cantonese speaker and a Hokkien speaker may not understand each other at all.

为了wèile让ràng全国人quánguó rén能够nénggòu交流,jiāoliú国家guójiā推广tuīguǎng了le普通话。pǔtōnghuà

So that the whole country could communicate, the state promoted Mandarin.

这zhè在zài教育jiàoyù和hé经济上jīngjì shàng确实quèshí带来dàilái了le巨大jùdà的de好处。hǎochù

This did bring enormous benefits in education and the economy.

但是dànshì几十年jǐshí nián以后,yǐhòu人们rénmen开始kāishǐ发现fāxiàn一个yí ge问题。wèntí

But decades later, people began to notice a problem.

越来越多yuè lái yuè duō的de孩子,háizi已经yǐjīng不会bú huì说shuō自己zìjǐ父母fùmǔ的de方言fāngyán了。le

More and more children can no longer speak their own parents' dialect.

在zài上海,Shànghǎi很多hěn duō小学生xiǎoxuéshēng听得懂tīng de dǒng上海话,Shànghǎi huà却què不会bú huì说。shuō

In Shanghai, many primary school pupils understand Shanghainese but cannot speak it.

在zài很多hěn duō城市,chéngshì方言fāngyán只zhǐ剩下shèng xià老人lǎorén还在hái zài使用。shǐyòng

In many cities, the dialect survives only among the elderly.

语言学家yǔyánxuéjiā说,shuō一种yì zhǒng方言fāngyán消失,xiāoshī不只是bù zhǐshì少了shǎo le一种yì zhǒng口音。kǒuyīn

Linguists say that when a dialect vanishes, it is not merely one accent fewer.

方言里fāngyán lǐ保存bǎocún着zhe当地dāngdì的de历史、lìshǐ笑话xiàohuà和hé看kàn世界shìjiè的de方式。fāngshì

A dialect preserves local history, its jokes, and its way of seeing the world.

有些yǒu xiē词cí在zài普通话里pǔtōnghuà lǐ根本gēnběn找不到zhǎo bú dào对应duìyìng的de说法。shuōfǎ

Some words simply have no equivalent in Mandarin at all.

比如bǐrú形容xíngróng一种yì zhǒng说不出shuō bù chū的de闷热,mēnrè或者huòzhě一种yì zhǒng特别tèbié的de亲切。qīnqiè

For instance, a stifling heat you cannot name, or a particular kind of warmth.

这几年,zhè jǐ nián有人yǒu rén开始kāishǐ录制lùzhì老人lǎorén说shuō方言fāngyán的de声音。shēngyīn

In recent years, some people have begun recording old people speaking dialect.

也yě有yǒu学校xuéxiào尝试chángshì开设kāishè方言课,fāngyán kè教jiāo孩子háizi唱chàng当地dāngdì的de童谣。tóngyáo

Some schools have also tried offering dialect classes, teaching local nursery rhymes.

没有人méiyǒu rén想xiǎng回到huí dào互相hùxiāng听不懂tīng bù dǒng的de时代。shídài

Nobody wants to return to an age when people could not understand one another.

但dàn也许yěxǔ我们wǒmen可以kěyǐ既jì说shuō普通话,pǔtōnghuà也yě记得jìde奶奶nǎinai的de口音。kǒuyīn

But perhaps we can speak Mandarin and still remember our grandmother's accent.