Does technology pose a threat to the purity Chinese language?

Does technology pose a threat to the purity Chinese language?

Many Chinese use instant messenger tools such as MSN or QQ, listen to music on MP3 players and log on the Internet using ADSL - most without knowing the literal Chinese translation of the abbreviations.

But they don't have to, as many English letters have become part of the local lexicon¹.

A dozen abbreviations including GDP, NBA, IT, MP3, QQ, DVD and CEO are among the 5,000 most-frequently used words in the Chinese-language media last year, according to a report on the 2006 Language Situation in China, which was released yesterday in Beijing.

The report said some parents are so keen on English letters that a couple tried to name their baby "@", claiming the character used in email addresses reflects their love for the child.

While the "@" is obviously familiar to Chinese e-mail users, they often use the English word "at" to pronounce it - which with a drawn² out "T" sounds something like ai ta, or "love him", to Putonghua speakers.

The study collected more than 1 billion language samples from newspapers, magazines, TV, radio and websites. The annual report is jointly³ compiled by the Ministry⁴ of Education and the State Language Commission.

"Nowadays, more and more English abbreviations are being used in Chinese, making them an important part of the contemporary language," said Hou Min, a professor at Communication University of China.

"The abbreviations have gained popularity because of the ease of usage," Hou said.

For example, DNA⁵ is much simpler to use than its Chinese version tuoyang hetang hesuan.

"As more Chinese people learn foreign languages, especially English, in recent years, using abbreviations has become a trend among educated people," she said.

Some language scholars fear such usage will contaminate the purity of Chinese and cause confusion in communication.