Language Controversy Unfolds in Chinese Town Luanping as Standard Mandarin Debate Heats Up
In the small town of Luanping in Hebei province, an interesting phenomenon has been observed. From the elderly to young children, everyone speaks Standard Mandarin, with its unique historical origins dating back 70 years. This is due to the town's status as one of the speakers of the standard dialect. The people of Luanping are renowned for their proficiency in the Standard Chinese language.
18 November 2023
Recently, an unexpected incident occurred where a Taiwanese lady misunderstood Standard Mandarin as just another regional dialect. A person from Hebei then explained that although Standard Chinese has accents and word order differences, it is not merely a 'Mandarin with regional accents'. To illustrate this point, they used examples such as Guang Xi German, Putonghua Putin (Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's Mandarin), and even President Trump. They explained that despite having different pronunciation, words, and phrases than mainland Standard Chinese, these are still considered forms of the same language.
This led the Taiwanese lady to become sarcastic and ironic towards Hebei dialect. She couldn't accept its difference from Standard Mandarin.
In response, netizens were asked about their hometown dialects. Shandong Fire Department shared a Weibo video where they spoke in their local dialect. They asked if others could speak more standard Mandarin or dialects normally and suggested they take the PCT test (Putonghua Chinese Test) before bedtime. The Hubei Fire Fighting team also shared a Weibo video, asking about the greeting in their local dialect and how it's said in other places.
A netizen from North North commented that she had gained knowledge about this topic and started questioning the use of Mandarin Chinese. She mentioned a local greeting in her hometown and asked if others could correctly read certain characters in the Mandarin level challenge. A user from Xiangyang Fire Fighting also inquired whether it was true that the marketing headline still circulated, emphasizing that the definition of Mandarin Chinese should be based on Beijing tones as the standard tone, northern Chinese as the basis for basic dialect, and following the grammar regulations set by modern exemplary Chinese.
A user found humor in this situation and noted that Hebei ranked first in hot searches and Niu Bo (a well-known actor from Hebei) was trending. They also pointed out that when they say "I'm speaking Putonghua," it feels like they are speaking Standard Mandarin. Another netizen shared a list of 100 pinyin characters for excellent study, stating that those who can correctly read more than 90 without mistakes are considered to have excellent Chinese proficiency.
A user from North China suggested that the local dialects in the north are similar to Putong Huashigui (a term used to refer to Standard Mandarin) and asked others to pronounce "ha shi yi" using their Hebei accent. Another commentator quipped about how they used to think speaking northeastern dialect was standard Mandarin, but now feel like it was a joke compared to the proficiency of their peers from other regions.
In conclusion, this incident highlights the diverse and sometimes controversial nature of language in China. Despite the common use of Standard Mandarin across different regions, it is not uncommon for certain dialects to be misunderstood or underappreciated. This issue also sparked discussions about the definition and representation of Mandarin Chinese, a topic that remains hotly debated among netizens and linguists alike.