Re: tlug: kanji or romaji for Japanese? (was: parallel-port IDE)

[Jonathan Byrne <jq@example.com>]

On Mon, 19 Oct 1998, Scott Stone wrote:

> I'm not talking about languages WRT computers, I'm talking about languages
> in general.  Look at all the different dialects of German spoken in
> Germany, and the different dialects of English spoken in America.  Human
> language is divergent, I tell you.

Sorry, but all the evidence is against you on this one.  Dialects
of German and English may not ever disappear, but they are becoming more
regularized, as are the regional dialects of Japanese.  Where is was once
the case that a typical native speaker from a given area spoke only the
regional dialect, among younger Japanese today, most of them speak standard
Japanese as well as the regional dialect, and there may well be some who
speak only standard Japanese, even if they understand the regional dialect
(I've met a few).

Jonathan

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