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HansTWN · 07-15-2009, 08:18 PM

Actually, the problem is that Chinese is just not suitable to be written in alphabetic form. In the phonetic system I use, if I type out GE+Space on my keyboard (which is the equivalent of writing the PinYin sound Ji in the first tone) I have 94 choices. That means there are 94 words which sound exactly the same! But for each word you have a different Chinese character. Unlike English, the number of possible syllables is extremely limited. And new sounds cannot be introduced. Any words from foreign languages, such as names from foreign leaders, will be approximated since they cannot be properly expressed with Chinese characters.

But since you are working with whole syllables (each character does not represent a vowel or consonant like in the latin alphabet, each character represents a whole syllable, and the vast majority of words are made up of two syllables only) a good Chinese typist can easily reach 160 words per minute.

Calligraphy is, of course, an art form. It is a way to write the characters beautifully by hand. Call it painting with characters. The regular handwriting of most Chinese looks just as ugly as that of most Westerners!Chinese characters as such are not. Even though many are quite beautiful. Fortunately for us foreigners, computers and smart phones make writing Chinese very easy these days. Learning Chinese writing takes, of course, a long time. But it is mostly a matter of constant practicing rather than superior intelligence!

Handwriting is kept alive only for one reason only, these days. A lot of Chinese people use handwriting recognition on their phones! But it is the same for me in English or German. I never write by hand anymore, except my signature. My hand hurts when I write even one single line only, and if I write at all in block letters, not cursive.

07-15-2009, 08:18 PM	#45
HansTWN Wizard Posts: 4,538 Karma: 264065402 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Taiwan Device: HP Touchpad, Sony Duo 13, Lumia 920, Kobo Aura HD	Actually, the problem is that Chinese is just not suitable to be written in alphabetic form. In the phonetic system I use, if I type out GE+Space on my keyboard (which is the equivalent of writing the PinYin sound Ji in the first tone) I have 94 choices. That means there are 94 words which sound exactly the same! But for each word you have a different Chinese character. Unlike English, the number of possible syllables is extremely limited. And new sounds cannot be introduced. Any words from foreign languages, such as names from foreign leaders, will be approximated since they cannot be properly expressed with Chinese characters. But since you are working with whole syllables (each character does not represent a vowel or consonant like in the latin alphabet, each character represents a whole syllable, and the vast majority of words are made up of two syllables only) a good Chinese typist can easily reach 160 words per minute. Calligraphy is, of course, an art form. It is a way to write the characters beautifully by hand. Call it painting with characters. The regular handwriting of most Chinese looks just as ugly as that of most Westerners!Chinese characters as such are not. Even though many are quite beautiful. Fortunately for us foreigners, computers and smart phones make writing Chinese very easy these days. Learning Chinese writing takes, of course, a long time. But it is mostly a matter of constant practicing rather than superior intelligence! Handwriting is kept alive only for one reason only, these days. A lot of Chinese people use handwriting recognition on their phones! But it is the same for me in English or German. I never write by hand anymore, except my signature. My hand hurts when I write even one single line only, and if I write at all in block letters, not cursive. Last edited by HansTWN; 07-15-2009 at 08:23 PM.