How do you like your Chinese - Simplified, Traditional or Chibonic?

[FelixDeCat]

I honestly dont know much about the Chinese language, but Ive always wondered why two versions of the same language exist. For example, here is this paragraph in both versions:

Simplified -

不知道过多地谈论中国的语言中，但香港专业教育学院总是想知道为什么存在两个版本的同一种语言。例如，下面是这一段在这两个版本


Traditional -

不知道過多地談論中國的語言中，但香港專業教育學院總是想知道為什麼存在兩個版本的同一種語言。例如，下麵是這一段在這兩個版本



If you compare both sets of characters in each sentence they appear to be almost similar. In addition, if you plug in both separately into the Bing translator and click "listen" you can hear a big difference in how they sound.

I think the traditional version sounds better.

Unofficially we speak different versions of English in America - traditional, which uses nearly complete sentences and ebonic that assumes the listener understands us even though we only say about a 1/3 of a sentence (spoken in slang) to convey a message, followed by the constant phrase "you feel me?" or "know what Im sayin'? " which is necessary to make up for the lack of verbage.

Im hoping that "Chibonic" doesnt actually exist. 😱

 

[BoomerD]

On a plate with chopsticks...and a fork.

 

[Daishiki]

I'm from Taiwan, so it's a given that I vote for traditional.

 

[FelixDeCat]

I'm from Taiwan, so it's a given that I vote for traditional.

I dont even speak the language and I find the topic interesting. But does "Chibonic" actually exist? 😱

 

[busydude]

I think you have created a new word.

EDIT: Nope.

 

[FelixDeCat]

On a plate with chopsticks...and a fork.

Its almost lunchtime. I think Im going to the mall for some spring rolls. 🙂

 

[BoomerD]

Its almost lunchtime. I think Im going to the mall for some spring rolls. 🙂

I can't think of anything that could entice me to go to the mall...I think it's been at least 5 years since I set foot in the local mall.

 

[FelixDeCat]

I can't think of anything that could entice me to go to the mall...I think it's been at least 5 years since I set foot in the local mall.

Not even an Anna Nicole Smith look-alike holding a plate of egg rolls and duck sauce? 😱

 

[xanis]

I can't think of anything that could entice me to go to the mall...I think it's been at least 5 years since I set foot in the local mall.

You're not missing anything.

 

[BoomerD]

Not even an Anna Nicole Smith look-alike holding a plate of egg rolls and duck sauce? 😱

Ummm....no. Not even that.

You're not missing anything.

I certainly don't think so. Just about anything I'd want at the mall, I can get elsewhere and not have to deal with the shitty parking and crush of people...Plus, the mall here did away with hundreds of parking spots to build new restaurants and shops...so parking is even worse than it was the last time I was there.

 

[e-drood]

traditional characters rendered as brush stroke calligraphy is an enduring artform

simplified characters were introduced as an expedient measure to increase potential literacy in china by significantly reducing the numbers of characters men, women & children had to learn - in 1930 perhaps 25% of population was literate - by 1960 the rate of literacy exceeded 80%, which proves that if you haven't learned today's characters, you didn't eat, can be v. effective motivation...

beyond this the simplified character system is easier to machine print and reproduce

i am not clear on your comment that the simplified vocalized character sounds differently... chinese vocalized speech consists of many provincial dialects & perhaps five principle regional dialects - carefully evolved over milenia to "exclude" all others from local affairs and information - a non-resident visitor would have difficulty understanding the locals...

it is still problem today, but intro of puatonqua as national vocalized language now enables direct conversation throughout china

apologies for spell check failure...

 

[mnewsham]

I prefer traditional but I must admit I use simplified more often.

 

[yuchai]

Traditional is much better looking to me.

That's a horrible translation btw.. Google translate gives a much better translation. Part of is the issue that you didn't put the apostrophe on the "ive".

老實說，我不知道很多關於中國的語言，但伊夫總是想知道為什麼兩個版本的同一語言存在

 

[Chrono]

Traditional for sure.

 

[zerogear]

Simplified is simply ugly. 🙂

 

[Atomic Playboy]

No MSG.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I like PF Changs 😛

 

[ss284]

Voted the non-communist option.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Simplified because it's easier to learn and more practical. But traditional characters are prettier and still have their place.

 

[quikah]

i am not clear on your comment that the simplified vocalized character sounds differently... chinese vocalized speech consists of many provincial dialects & perhaps five principle regional dialects - carefully evolved over milenia to "exclude" all others from local affairs and information - a non-resident visitor would have difficulty understanding the locals...

Bing's translator has a text to speech feature, if you put the english text it will spit out the Chinese version, then you can click speak to hear it. The traditional text is spoken very slowly, while the simplified is spoken at a more natural speed. Just a difference in text to speech implementations. They are both Mandarin AFAICT.

 

[MotionMan]

I like my Chinese all riled up:

MotionMan

 

[marvdmartian]

Personally, I stick with the Chinglish version that comes with the instruction sheets of most anything I find for sale these days. You know, the Chinese-ified English that someone in China, who THINKS they speak fluent English, has written......and screwed up, royally. 🙄

 

[pcgeek11]

They all look the same to me. Chicken scratch.

 

[dighn]

traditional has too many strokes and looks like crap when computerized. you could say the same for simplified but at least it's somewhat legible.

also simplified/traditional is purely a difference of writing systems. any spoken differences you heard were purely coincidental.

 

[lupi]

you have to wonder why some languages got developed with letters of such a degree of difficulty like that.