Traditional of Simplified characters, and why? (2 Viewers)

[Dongle]

I have a fervent left-wing, anti-conservative populist stance and am in extreme favour of Simplified characters.

All that crap about bad writing aesthetics from the Honkies and Taiwanese is just an excuse to uphold their elitist views and distinguish themselves from the Mainland community .

Simplified has improved literacy rates and is much more pragmatic than convoluted nature of Traditional characters and anyone who is still hanging onto their conservative values is deluding themselves.

Generally all languages have undergone some sort of evolution over the years. To forcefully stagnate it for the sake of 'aesthetics' and other political sensitivities is bullcrap.

*Puts up flame shield against the inevitable number of angry responsible from Taiwanese and Honkie people*

P.S: Legally, Hong Kong isn't a country. Taiwan is not a de jure country either. HAH!

 

[Winston]

I personally like traditional more, if it weren't for the favour of writing quicker and being the more favoured character set, i would not choose simplified.

I think it's just that the characters themselves personally look a lot better when in its full form. Furthermore i learnt most of my characters based on the way it was structured together, sometimes there's good meaning to how words were pieced together, simplified removes this completely. It puts no meaning in the characters. For example the character love has no 'heart' character in simplified.

All in all, i think it's personal preference, no need to get so up tight about all of this, and there's certainly no harm knowing both.

Take into account i'm neither honkie or taiwanese, i'm a pure ABC, but i'm still learning my characters

 

[jemsta]

growing up learning to write and read in traditional characters, i would obviousl favour traditional, but i wouldnt mind learning simplified either
i think us honkies would need to know how to communicate with mando sooner or later, for those that havent done so

 

[ilovecommunism]

there are not too many chinese characters been simplified in fact
only around 2400 out of eighty-five thousands
just those ones frequently used

 

[poloktim]

As somebody who learned shinjitai kanji when learning Japanese (kyuujitai being almost identical to traditional Chinese), it's an easy medium between simplified and traditional, the Japanese weren't nearly as eager to reform characters as the Chinese communists were. Thus learning either one wouldn't have worried me one bit.

That being said, I think learning traditional first helps you understand both. It's easier for a reader/writer of traditional to pick up simplified than it is for a reader/writer or simplified to pick up traditional.

I'm also learning simplified Chinese characters.

 

[craz]

traditional because that's where chinese characters come from. Simplified is merely a simple version of traditional.

personally hk is learning mandarin but people will undoubtedly always speak cantonese.

HK maybe part of China, but politically China is trying to rule HK and us Honkies don't like that.

 

[Akeru]

Traditional has more strokes but looks nicer and more sophisticated than simplified. But since i know both, so dont really care.

 

[twisted_baybeeh]

Simplified all the way! I'd die if i had to learn the traditional.. they look so bloody complicated.. simplified is hard enough for an anglo =P

 

[Bendent]

traditional because that's where chinese characters come from. Simplified is merely a simple version of traditional.

personally hk is learning mandarin but people will undoubtedly always speak cantonese.

HK maybe part of China, but politically China is trying to rule HK and us Honkies don't like that.

congratulations?


personally i'd prefer to know how to speak both mandarin and english well though.

 

[jemsta]

Simplified all the way! I'd die if i had to learn the traditional.. they look so bloody complicated.. simplified is hard enough for an anglo =P

i guess that hsc courses do tend to use simplified characters instead of traditional ones
once you're use to reading it simplifically, youll always would want to stick with that

 

[appleide]

Traditional. I think it is harder to understand simplified chinese unless you read it out loud. Look at the Chinese word "Christmas", for example. In Trad. Chinese, you understand quickly that it means "Christmas".... But in Simp. Chinese, the word just looks funny. Less words also = more meanings for each word. Consequently words rely more on their contexts.

Trad. Chinese have concrete structures, making them easier to recognise. Simplified characters have their meanings removed. (As someone said, look at the word love. How can you love without a heart?) It is (I believe) faster to read Trad. Chinese than Simp. Chinese if you know both equally. Who cares about writing fast, with the advent of computers today? True, Simplified Chinese may have been appropriate two or three decades ago when literacy rates were low, but I believe that Simplified Chinese no longer serves a purpose other than to dilute the chinese written language. The only two reasons not to change it is to support the Chinese government, and because its easier not to make 1.2b people learn Chinese all over again.

I have one other point. Look in Orwell's 1984 for it. He can string words better than I can.

 

[danlan]

A point is simplified chinese speakers could read and understand traditional characters without any problem whereas traditional chinese speakers can hardly understand simplified letters.

 

[Nesty]

traditional. the traditional characters are the ones that are written and evolved over all those years. last time i remember learning to write traditional chinese, it has meaning in the strokes and stuff. you can't take away meaning from the characters..

and simplified characters just looks weird. Christmas in simplified does look weird.. i remember thinking it was talking about something totally different. and some characters were just so simplified that i have no clue what the hell are they trying to say.

and.. traditional cos i have known it all my honkie life.

 

[Bendent]

reading chinese characters gives me a headache cos they are bunched up together and i don't know many characters.

i really need to start learning it now.

 

[bringbackshred]

I couldn't even tell Chinese from Japanese. So I voted Traditional.

 

[jemsta]

japanese i think use traditional characters instead of simplified
and plus how could you not tell japanese between chinese?

 

[bringbackshred]

japanese i think use traditional characters instead of simplified
and plus how could you not tell japanese between chinese?

Because I've never learnt anythign about the languages.

 

[jemsta]

if youre not chinese, then i wouldnt expect you to know it
but since you chose traiditonal, id give you that much

 

[ilovecommunism]

japanese i think use traditional characters instead of simplified
and plus how could you not tell japanese between chinese?

well...japanese people also use simplified chinese characters, but many of the ones they use are not the same as those used in the Chinese mainland. They themselves simplified many chinese characters according to a general rule of simplification invented by themselves, for further detail, go and ask japanese people then...lol...

 

[ZJ NingNing]

I love traditional Chinese characters for my Chinese brush writing, it looks more artistic. but i use simplified for writing letters or school work.

I come from China.