Wired Youths In China & Japan Forget Character Forms 508
eldavojohn writes "The AFP brings a story of a growing concern that children in China and Japan suffer from 'character amnesia' when asked to write the complex characters they are so used to inputting via alphabet-based systems. The article claims this is a growing problem. In China, they have a word for it: 'tibiwangzi,' which means 'take pen, forget paper.' China Youth Daily polled 2,072 people and found that 83% have problems writing characters (although there's no indication if that was an online poll or not). A young woman who was interviewed explained her workaround: 'When I can't remember, I will take out my cellphone and find it (the character) and then copy it down.'"
where is that Æ again? (Score:3, Funny)
where is that Æ again?
Re:where is that Æ again? (Score:4, Funny)
It was terminated by Americans when we stopped spelling things like encyclopædia.
Re:So? (Score:4, Funny)
That's fascinating. I'm trying to learn Kanji but it might be more achievable (for me personally) to convince Japan to change their writing system.
Re:Not limited to logogram-based languages (Score:2, Funny)
I spell better when I type too; but that's just practice and a lot of muscle memory I guess.
If the keyboard is 5mm to the left It all goes wring.
Re:American Kids can't write in cursive (Score:3, Funny)
Doctors' Scrawl is truly a special type of written language, worldwide.
Re:Not limited to logogram-based languages (Score:3, Funny)
Re:no surprise (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Not limited to logogram-based languages (Score:5, Funny)
I'm a lawyer! I'm just going to stand over there, and watch you. And wait. Carry on.
Re:Not limited to logogram-based languages (Score:3, Funny)
How does that make you feel?
Re:Not limited to logogram-based languages (Score:3, Funny)
You are blaming your body's natural tendency to cramp when forced to use an inferior tool?
I got cramp wanking off, you insensitive clod.
Re:Not limited to logogram-based languages (Score:5, Funny)
My handwriting is auto-encrypted.
Re:where is that Æ again? (Score:5, Funny)
Correction: it was terminated by American Quakers who thought that the "a" and "e" were not leaving enough room for the Holy Spirit.
Re:Not limited to logogram-based languages (Score:3, Funny)
So you're saying you missed the "when forced to use an inferior tool" part?
Re:Why not just use Pinyin? (Score:3, Funny)
And if you read Beowulf, not the cluster, the c1000 year old English poem...
Sorry to go a bit off-topic, but I love being part of a community where this distinction is necessary.
Re:This is my shortcut to learning chinese... (Score:5, Funny)
Why 'general' but 'gear'? Or 'chair' but 'chlorine'? 'Put' but 'putty'? How the hell "Eugene Delacroix" is pronounced? Etc.
You have to blame the French for that last one.