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A Brief Discussion of Europeanized Chinese

⚠️ 本文最后更新于黄帝4721年三月廿四日,已经过了926天没有更新,若内容或图片失效,请留言反馈

A while ago, while watching videos, I saw an uploader mention the issue of Europeanized Chinese, which stirred quite a few reflections in me. So I'd like to briefly discuss it, just to record some thoughts, not for any other purpose, and no need to start an argument.
Since ancient times, the linguistic blending between foreign nations and ours has deep roots. In ancient times, there were the Xianbei, Mongols, and Jurchens; today, there are the British, Americans, Germans, French, and others. A living language inevitably absorbs more vocabulary for its own use, yet while vocabulary can change, grammar is hard to shift. Contemporary people are burdened by Europeanized grammar, including myself—whenever we express something without a bit of control, it comes off as verbose and redundant.
Chinese was early on renowned for its clarity and conciseness in expression. Even without relying on a subject-verb-object (SVO) framework, it can still convey meaning through words. English, Japanese, and Chinese can be said to be vastly different. To convey meaning, English must rely on grammatical structures and changes in word forms; to convey meaning, Japanese must rely on kana suffixes.
The suffix '-ize/-ization' was originally a Sino-Japanese word root, created in Japan to turn nouns into verbs: 'socialize,' 'urbanize,' 'networkize,' and so on. In daily speech, we don't speak entirely in Europeanized or Japanized Chinese, so why is it that when it comes to written language, we can't help but use it?
In fact, passages full of redundant elements mostly come from leaders' speeches. Since our student days, we've been no strangers to the principal's address at the start of a new semester or the graduation ceremony. Amid these, there are many '-izations': 'Under the leadership of the many leaders of xxx and others, we at xx have yet again stepped over one threshold after another of xx, completing the preparatory work for the construction of xxx-ization.' The principal is full of passion on stage, while the students below are drowsy. Is it really because the script is too long? Yes and no. Apart from the lengthy text, sentences with redundant elements and mixed structures also leave students in a fog, half-understanding.
In elementary school, I once imitated the above sentence patterns. At the time, seeing leaders use them, I thought such expressions were very profound. Now, thinking back, rather than saying 'Under the leadership of the many leaders of xxx and others, we at xx have yet again stepped over one threshold after another,' it would be better to directly say, 'Thanks to the wise guidance of superior leaders and the unity of all teachers and students, xx has now reached an even higher level.' The expression is both appropriate and easy to understand.

By 祭酒 On

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