Guangdong National Language Regulations

Guangdong National Language Regulations
Simplified Chinese	广东省国家通用语言文字规定
Traditional Chinese	廣東省國家通用語言文字規定
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin guang3 dong1 sheng3 guo2 jia1 wen2 zi4 gui1 ding4 Yue: Cantonese Jyutping gwong2 dung1 saang2 gwok3 gaa1 tung1 jung6 jyu5 jin4 man4 zi6 kwai1 ding6
Alternative Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	废粤推普
Traditional Chinese	廢粵推普
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin fei4 yue4 tui1 pu3 Yue: Cantonese Jyutping fai3 jyut6 teoi1 pou2

The Guangdong National Language Regulations (廣東省國家通用語言文字規定)^[1] are a law enacted by the Guangdong local government in the People's Republic of China in 2012 to promote the use of Standard Mandarin Chinese (Putonghua) in broadcast and print media at the expense of the local standard Cantonese and other dialects. It has also been labelled a "pro-Mandarin, anti-Cantonese" legislation (废粤推普 or 推普废粤).^[2] The law was signed and scheduled to come into effect March 1, 2012.^[3][4][5]

Ban

The regulations require the entire Guangdong province to broadcast in Putonghua Mandarin.^[6] Dialect programs and channels can be broadcast if approved by the national or provincial government.^[6] In addition, signs of service stores are to be written in simplified Chinese except when in historical sites, per-registered logos, and other exceptions or as approved.^[6]

Guangdong provincial governor Zhu Xiaodan (朱小丹) signed and set the date of the law to take effect on March 1, 2012.^[3] The requirement forces all government workers, teachers, conference holders, broadcasters, and TV staff to use Mandarin only.^[7] All state-run items involving brands, seals, documents, websites, signs, and trade names are not to use Traditional Chinese characters or Variant Chinese characters.^[3] People who do not follow the law will be punished accordingly, as the new law is mandatory.^[6][7][8]

Responses

The signing has triggered massive responses in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau. There were talks of raising movements.^[7] The law is said to have effects equal to the elimination of Cantonese culture.^[9] On December 24, the Guangdong government held a press conference stating that the regulation does not in fact ban Cantonese;^[10] one official stating that such a ban will never occur. Currently, the Guangdong province has two channels approved to broadcast entirely in Cantonese, while various other channels and radio stations have dialect programs.^[10]

See also

• Cultural Revolution
• Debate on traditional and simplified Chinese characters
• Socialist Harmonious Society
• Han Chinese subgroups
• Chinese reunification
• Five Races Under One Union

References

1. "粵新聞辦：沒條例限制方言_大陸頻道_新浪網-北美". Dailynews.sina.com. 2011-12-24. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
2. http://big5.xinhuanet.com/gate/big5/news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2011-12/24/c_111293618.htm
3. 廣東廢粵語滅繁體 - 東方日報 (in Chinese). Orientaldaily.on.cc. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
4. "粤语将何去何从？广东省国家通用语言文字规定明年实行_大洋社区". Club.dayoo.com. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
5. "BBC中文網 - 兩岸三地 - 廣東頒布規定限制使用方言". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
6. "《广东省国家通用语言文字规定》全文_资讯频道_凤凰网". News.ifeng.com. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
7. "廣東限制粵語廣播 恐爆抗議潮". worldjournal.com. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
8. "粵嚴令媒體 推普限制粵方言". hk.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
9. "粵語播音須報准 民轟「弱智」 | 國際新聞 | 蘋果日報". Tw.nextmedia.com. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
10. "广东官方："废粤"不存在 无任何条款限制方言播出". xinhua.com. Retrieved 2012-01-13.