John DeFrancis Remarks - Video Review

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afaVjLlnUtQ

1. Want to hear more about Lu Xun as well.
The cut is strange at the Lu Xun's part at the beginning.

2.thank God, pinyin is the only thing I use for Chinese inputting, I think it helps me to learn English.

3. Don't be disappointed by the policy.
It is conservative, but understandable.
a. it's not easy for the last generation to learn about the computer, and it will be harder to learn Pinyin. In a culture of respecting elders, I understand this shape inputting emphasis.
(As mentioned above, personally, I love latinization! This opens my brain of learning both Latin language and Chinese in my childhood.)
b. practical reason - speed. Those who know how to type both pinyin and shape input will tell you how much faster it is to use shape input instead of pinyin (will analyze more in the point 4).
c. prevent next generations from forgetting how to write Chinese characters, since the computer use. This problem exists in all cultures. Human just love traditions and want to keep it.


4. Latinization will be the future trend for input software, for the population speaks the standard Chinese is growing with the urbanization, the Television, and the internet.
Let's analyze it in Human Computer Interaction sense:
Psychologically,
if the person can pronounce the word perfectly, she/he would love to use pinyin;
if the person can write the word perfectly, he/she would love to use shape input.
If the person can write and speak Chinese both perfectly, he/she would love to use pinyin, for it's takes longer time to memorize another keyboard system than just type pinyin perfectly.
Let's say if the person only knows how to write some characters, with hard time to pronounce the standard Chinese, he probably will choose the shape input, other than pinyin, for Chinese characters is "shape oriented".

Since the urbanization and intellectualization is the trend in China, standard Mandarin will be the natural trend, as well as Pinyin.

If Chinese government is doing this promotion for shape input to against human nature and psychological preference, I will pray for the "grass root" software companies.
If Chinese government is doing this promotion for minorities who may find hard to speak perfect standard Mandarin, I pray for the government software companies.
Often, it's just hard for people to pronounce it perfect in pinyin, for there are tons of dialects in China.

5. for Taiwan.
Support the minority languages.
Develop the pinyin - traditional input and be generous like a nation.

(We know Taiwanese people are very generous, but in term of nation, it’s actually not an easy thing for a democratic small nation to do)
One tip in my head for Taiwan policy makers is to learn from Singapore if it’s possible. Make Taiwan attractive for other nations to come and be a multi-cultural Taiwan.

Lulu