積丹尼的看法 Dan Jacobson's viewpoints

積丹尼投稿給報紙 Dan Jacobson's Letters to the Editor, 2000-2001

投是投, 登得不多, 故少投為妙。 Not many of my letters get printed, so I send less and less. What a mess, I should neaten up this file. some of the entries are still scattered on other pages...

拼音 Pinyin [skip 跳過]

救救路牌:拼音大瘟疫即將發生

漢語拼音萬歲

Taiwan News, submitted 2001.7.8

The editor asked me to write a little something about the romanization debate here in Taiwan... well, luckily I have already prepared https://www.jidanni.org/ in case, as predicted, I am feeling old and gray on the issue. I hope the reader will have a peek.

By the lack of conferences anymore on the matter, one can see that any scholarly debate has already been wrung out. All that's left is the Tongyong crowd saying "see, the USA can have a different spelling system than the British." Whereas I say that that is not being promoted anymore, is small in scale but still an impediment in the information age, and that being different just to be different is not something a linguist with a conscience would participate in. I favor Taiwanese independence, and growing up in the USA never thought the US using the same language tools as its former owner, Britain, had anything to do with independence or not.

And then the Tongyong crowd says "you want to use Hanyu Pinyin, I bet you also want simplified characters". Whereas I say, Chinese had one set of official characters until the Communists split off with their simplified characters. Now the Tongyong guys want to split the pinyin... all this splitting, one wonders what will be left. It won't be Tongyong, however, market forces will decide that. Anyway, I just want to fix the road signs, I won't mess with the school kids' bopomofo, tell mom and pop not to worry. Characters? No evil plots here either.

Interesting is Dr. Yu, the Tongyong mastermind. In 1998 he was given control of Taipei / Taibei's 600 street signs. Now he's back with a new formulation that will require changing 200 of the very same signs that he changed the last time.

OK, I think I'd better give the keyboard a rest before I need more anxiety pills.


拼音風波主因:確定為意識型態 2000/10/12 投中時

此次拼音風波之主因,見國語推行委員會七月十四日協商結論:「為避免 意識型態爭議,不採漢語拼音,可先以階段方式,就漢語拼音做小幅度修正…」 此足以證明向漢語拼音開刀基於(委員們自己的)意識型態,並非對外所說語音 問題。希望今(十三)日說明會中,委員們能面對自己會議錄做說明。


投稿聯合報 2000/10/15

上週聆聽國語推行委員會之通用拼音說明會。對江委員印象深刻,她提 到施行通用拼音後,來自兩岸的姓氏能輕易區別。聲稱為本土文化保護者 的通用拼音,卻破壞固有文化,將傳統家族用了幾千年的姓氏一分為二。 (還好他們只敢對漢語拼音『改良』部份音節)

P.S. (2000.10.27) 還好中國有先施行簡體字,否則如江委員,一定會 發明一套為的與中國不同。


Sent: Oct 23, 2000
To: 聯合報專欄組
Q跟X
據報導本週國語推行委員會曹主委將會隨同教育部長到立法院備詢。我必 須承認我被曹主委問倒而且在一百個記者面前。十三日國語推行委員會的說明會 中曹主委問「漢語拼音的Q跟X誰會唸舉手!」我馬上舉手,的確沒別人舉手, 十分尷尬。後來我才想,不就是國語推行委員會這幾十年一直不讓台灣人知道這 件世界其他百分之九十八的華人的常識嗎?導致新版的漢英字典國人不太會用。

沒錯,國推會推薦的通用拼音目前對Q及X失戀,但沒多久之前通用團隊 在北市掛了不少Q及X路牌,許昌街、酒泉等等街至今拍得到。黃常委也提醒我 們不能用中共的漢語拼音因為如果中共改它我們要不要跟著改?中共四十年沒改 其案,而說實在的,要改不是那麼容易。相對的,通用拼音已改了幾次,只是後 來加入的委員們不知道,但立委們還是會問... 若想補習通用的歷史可到敝站 jidanni.org。


投稿自由時報 2000.10.25:台灣民國的路牌拼音

拼音之修正,我把他當做正名運動之一。第一要正名即台灣民國,不再避 諱,因為我不怕中國。接著要正名為路牌拼音,用國際版,不再避諱,因為我不 怕中國。詳查 jidanni.org 怎麼寫還不登


良心的語言學者不提族群設籬笆 2000/10/27 投中時

還好中國有先施行簡體字,否則我們一定會發明一套為的與中國不同。我 在美國長大,沒想到用英國之語和與英國之國獨不獨立有任何關係。有良心的語 言學者不提族群設籬笆,只在納粹及南非搞過。路牌若用閩南語我就沒話說,既 然選華語那要用國際版亦即漢語拼音。至於適合母語的迷思,查東吳大學心理系 邱耀初教授的網站 (link gone) 得知通用拼音沒什麼了不起,全 國只有他的實驗室真的去調查。


投稿中時 2000.10.30---- 拼音路牌頻換已算環保問題了

今天(30日)曾部長講決定拼音。台北市632條路名當中,如果部長選的是 漢語拼音,就必須更改197條。如果選的是通用拼音,就必須更改193條。但是有 一個小事情必須先說一說:兩年前台北市正式的採用通用拼音,現在光是從通用 當年的版本「升級」到現在教育部險些公佈的版本已經改了那麼多...簡直已經 是廢鐵環保問題。每研討會我問通用作者怎辦,至今未回答。研究方法見 jidanni.org

研究方法:我拿了前市府印的台北市街路地名譯名系統為何不採用注音二 式(說明書1.0版)附錄的632 條街道的名單,用鉛筆畫哪條必須在新的通 用版本改,哪條必須在漢語拼音改。該表把中山南北等等路分為兩或多項, 沒關係因為其路牌多,無妨跟著表加權。另外,如余伯泉喜歡用Paronpon St.作大龍街,這幾條所謂懷念歷史的街道名但實成為麻煩製造者我通通沒 算進去,當作幸運獎給他...已罵夠。

中時晚報 政治新聞 2000.10.30

外籍人士:漢語拼音對台灣有利

朱武智/台北報導 爭議多時的中文譯音問題,教育部今天正式宣佈採 行「漢語拼音」。對此,美籍在台人士積丹尼表示,他在台灣待了十幾年, 早就從「外國人」轉成了「台灣女婿」,但他卻是中文譯音亂象的受害者, 如今,教育部在最關鍵時刻建議行政院採行「漢語拼音」,他認為這對台 灣很有利,而台灣民眾也應給予曾志朗更多支持。

積丹尼說,過去,台灣社會因「通用拼音」的出現及推行,付出了很大 的社會成本,兩年前台北市採用通用拼音做為街道路名稱的中文譯音拼音 系統,如今,不論政府採用「漢語拼音」或是「通用拼音」,台北市都是 最大的受害者。

積丹尼表示,他個人統計發現,臺北市的街道路牌中,目前採用「通用 拼音」作為中文譯音約六百三十二個,若中央政府統一規定使用「漢語拼 音」後,至少有一百九十七個路牌要改。但就算教育部決定採用「通用拼 音」,卻也因二年前台北市所使用的「通用拼音」版本,與此時中研院民 族所研究員余伯泉等學者所討論的版本內容不盡相同,所以,台北市政府 仍須修改一百九十三個路牌。

丹加後記:謝市長說高雄用了通用多年都沒問題。越多年,「升級」到新 版越遠,還是換用漢語拼音:40年始終未變。至於余博士,乾脆開個廢牌 處理廠當副業。 Ettoday news: 余伯泉認為,台北市的路牌只有極少數必 須因通用拼音的版本修訂而需要調整修改,不會造成大翻修的情形。

中文譯音╱好耶! 老外積丹尼對教長決定拍手叫好 2000-10-30 11:34
記者紀麗君╱台北報導

教育部長曾志朗30日對中文譯音版本採漢語拼音,長期關注台灣拼音的美 籍人士積丹尼表示,全民應該支持曾志朗的決定,才能跟得上世界潮流, 不過,諷刺的,不管採何種拼音法,台北市路牌都要再換一次。

積丹尼學習中文已有20多年的歷史,他x目前xo曾o在東海大學中文系旁聽 生說,他觀察過去台灣社會因為採用通用拼音,付出了很大的社會成本。

他以台北市為例說明,2年前,台北市採用通用拼音做為街道名稱的中文 譯音拼音系統,結果,中央政府在年底前才要確定拼音系統,造成的結果 是,不論政府採用漢語拼音或是通用拼音,台北市街道路牌勢必再改一次。

根他的統計,現行採用通用拼音中文譯音的台北市的街道路牌約有632個, 若中央政府統一規定使用漢語拼音後,至少有197個路牌要改;但即使教 育部決定採用通用拼音,因2年前台北市所使用的通用拼音版本與現行余 伯泉等學者所討論的版本不同,台北市政府仍必須修改193個路牌。

他認為,通用拼音的基礎來源是漢語拼音,既然如此,不必要大費周章的 採用通用拼音,付出那麼大的社會成本,倒楣的還是台灣人民,漢語拼音 絕對是對台灣最有利的版本,台灣民眾應該給予曾志朗更多的支持。

聯合晚報 2000.10.30:

行政院教推小組在中文譯音案審議過程,會不會有先入為主的意識形態成 見?多年來,一直關心中文譯音的外籍人士積丹尼抱持悲觀看法,他甚至 在網路上表示,中文譯音案最後由教推小組決定就糟了;因為教推小組充 滿「綠意」,可能會有特定意識形態,會影響中文譯音的決定。but wait! 綠 is still my favorite color, except for 范巽綠


Dan replies to lynnamiles: "How much does Ma really like Hanyu?"

The Hanyu Pinyin policy explicitly doesn't force people to change their name spellings. For most adults with credit cards etc. wouldn't that be inconvenient to have to change your name?

It's a local Taiwan decision, just like picking 110V electricty.

But wouldn't it piss you off if somebody on purpose changed "8" to "9" & visa versa so as to have a distinctive number system for Taiwan.

Don't you admit that Taiwan's Mandarin linguistically speaking is the same language as worldwide Mandarin? Much closer than the various accents of English. Why can't we use the same spelling system, or must we be like China, having to invent simplified characters, thus splitting Chinese into two character systems.

OK, now there are two character systems, but why pass by this golden opportunity to not further destroy Chinese into two spelling systems? Of course if we are to use Taiwanese signs, then I have little opinion, but for Mandarin signs, there already is a worldwide standard.

I want Taiwan to be an independent country. Why can't we stop pretending to be the "real China", who can't use the "fake China"s spelling system. Once one adopts a true independence-based outlook, one can use many world standards, no matter what country they originated in.

Only when one separates governments and languages in ones mind, does it start to make sense, for example, why English speakers abroad should not be beaten in retaliation for the actions of the US Government.

Two years ago, your Tongyong leader Yu Bocyuan, placed signs like JiuQuan St. and XuChang St. on the streets of Taibei. I didn't feel all the sudden any "we are part of China" feeling in the air. They are still there by the way, even though Dr. Yu later called press conferences denouncing "China's X", evidence available at: jidanni.org

There is not yet glasses that can convert all those Tongyong signs etc. before they enter the eyeball, and there is no pen that can convert back as I scribble out an impromptu address.

Why convert back and forth all day if you don't have to? Just because two countries aren't allowed to have the same spelling system?

The original KMT policy was to use a different system than China, as led by Li Hsien, former Mandarin Promotion Council chairman. Ma & the whole KMT camp should be congratulated for finally coming around to a mature viewpoint. Of course they were forced to speed up their mental growth process, or else be faced with Dr. Yu's mess.

He [Zeng Zhilang] is hoping to fix it once and for all. By the way, I bet you didn't know, that of Taibei's 632 streets, just doing an upgrade from original Tongyong that Yu hung up to today's version, the city government needs to change 193 streets' signs. No wonder they instead opt to change 197 signs to go to Hanyu Pinyin, which hasn't changed once in its 40 year history.


投稿自由時報 2000.11.07:恭喜許多華裔當選

恭喜許多華裔當選美國各地方選舉。相信沒人過問他們放棄原國籍沒。希 望台灣能以互惠原則,讓我們長居此地終於能做台灣人。


(End of pinyin section)

消防安全 Fire safety

公車窗子黏死 Bus windows glued shut

...The fact that this thus prevents any escape in case of emergency appears to have made insufficient impact on the decision.

Here in Taichung (Taizhong), Taiwan, bus windows are glued shut lest the driver be burdened with closing them. 台中市的公車常看到窗子以膠水封住,對司 機也許方便但對乘客相當危險。

放天燈呢?

我也趁著「救難熱」在此提放天燈的安全性; 雖然是文化上不能或缺的,快快樂樂的放--- 但遲早有一天會降落在人家的房子、森林、油庫, 燒起來又一次新聞事件,互相指責、記過。 國外放天燈少被允許,至於國內,我寫信給消防署 建議列為加強防災重點,回信只說不是他們管的。 [投中時 2000/07/24]

Etc.

HTML Boggle toggle (2023).


積丹尼 Dan Jacobson

Last modified: 2023-02-09 02:23:21 UTC