NDT-DEV email list created

[Alan Whinery <>]

On 10/9/2012 12:51 PM, Jason Zurawski wrote:
> Hey Alan;
>
> The localization information for NDT is stored in the Applet directory of 
> the main repo (and packages of course):
>
> http://code.google.com/p/ndt/source/browse/#svn%2Ftrunk%2FApplet
>
> Currently I see we have a couple of translations, but no mandarin.  If your 
> wife is willing to oblige, you could just send the translation to this list 
> and we could integrate it in for a future release.  
>
> Thanks;
>
> -jason

Thanks. FYI, Mandarin is a spoken language; Chinese script is distinct
from the dialectic speech that derives from it.

The differences between Mandarin, Wu, Yue (Cantonese), Hakka, etc are
largely about different ways to pronounce the syllable/thought
represented by a written Chinese character. So to a significant extent,
persons who share no common spoken language can communicate by writing.
There are, of course, some dialectic idioms and expression differences,
but something on the order of the American/British English differences,
with a little repetition and puzzle solving, two literate Chinese
persons can communicate. They can also communicate with a Japanese
person who is well-versed in Kanji, although there is much more puzzling
and differences in expression than between Chinese dialects.

The two big modern Chinese writing families necessary to reach 99.99% of
Chinese people would be simplified Chinese script (which includes new,
less complicated characters imposed by Mao after the revolution) used in
the PRC, Singapore and Malaysia, and classical Chinese script which is
used in the global diaspora, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. So, for the
purpose of CANS, the simplified script is the thing, and once that's
done, the change to classical involves, for the most part, one-to-one
character substitutions. Still, even where it seems simple, a person who
is literate in the appropriate system should be engaged to proofread.

My wife is literate in classical; her undergrad degree is in Chinese
Literature, and she is fluent in Yue-Cantonese and Mandarin. When she
reads simplified, she sometimes stops to puzzle, and usually ends up
understanding, more from experience than from similarity in the
characters. Many characters in simplified and classical are actually the
same, so there is much common ground.

I will consider it part of the mission of CANS WGs to bring this about,
anybody who's reading this and is literate and interested on
participating is welcome to let me know.

Sorry for the novel, but I find all this interesting...

-Alan