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Shanghainese and Mandarin make city's melody
By John Gong |
February 19, 2009, Thursday
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AN article about the gradual disappearance of Shanghai dialect, particularly in Pudong's Lujiazui financial district, published in Xinmin Evening News on February 4, caused uproar among some Shanghainese.
To quote the article (a book excerpt): "It shows a lack of culture to speak in Shanghai dialect in Pudong."
As a third-generation Shanghainese, I think I am qualified to add my two cents to the outpouring of angry posts on the Internet.
Shanghai dialect is indeed fading away, but of course, it shall never die.
My niece, a 14-year-old girl who was brought up in Shanghai and still lives in this great city, never speaks with a hint of Shanghai dialect.
I don't even speak it myself when I return to the city every other weekend, apart from the time I spend with my parents.
In the old days, in the eyes of Shanghainese, you were either from Shanghai or a country bumpkin (somewhat like the Parisian versus the Provinceur cliche in France).
This is not uncommon among major metropolises around the world.
And you can't speak of Shanghai without comparing it to New York City.
Alas, the New York accent (there are different accents from different boroughs) is also disappearing, at least in Manhattan, according to professors quoted in New York magazine. It's part of a process called homogenization.
In addition, geographic mobility - many affluent and well-educated Manhattanites are transplants from elsewhere - has made New York a less locally focused place.
In a sense, the disappearance of the local dialect is a harbinger of a city's economic prosperity, the form of new businesses and human talents drawn to it.
Lujiazui's spectacular skyline speaks volume about this phenomenon, and we Shanghainese should all be thankful for it.
But what differentiates great cities from good cities are the unique social and cultural enrichment and heritage from the city's history.
And that certainly includes its dialect, which makes the language sing.
In that regard, cities like Los Angeles and Houston pale in comparison with the Big Apple.
Sometimes I sorely miss my days of living in New Jersey State across the Hudson River many years ago.
My wife worked in midtown Manhattan on Sixth Avenue. We spent many nights enjoying city life, and learned "tawking" with a New York accent, for things like "cawfee," "chawclat" and "dawg wawking."
I equally miss the days of growing up in a small lane in Shanghai, when unlike my 14-year old niece, we kids all spoke in Shanghai dialect.
It is not just a beautiful dialect, but it also connotes certain meanings and is spoken with an attitude.
Speaking like a Shanghainese is less about what you say, and more about how you say it.
We Shanghainese are known for being savvy, opinionated and confident. We are also known for being chic and cosmopolitan, especially the beautiful Shanghainese ladies.
Sweet home
I once had a friendly exchange with two colleagues, one from Singapore and one from Hong Kong. After they bragged about their hometowns, I said, "Unlike Singapore, Hong Kong is a place you want to visit again no matter where you are from. But Shanghai is a place you want to call home."
Indeed, there are countless people from Hong Kong and Singapore who call Shanghai home now. So as Shanghainese, let's not lament the disappearance of our dialect in Lujiazui.
Just like the New York accent, which is distinctive in boroughs like Brooklyn and Bronx, Shanghai dialect is the long-lived mother tongue for working people in various districts in Shanghai. And we shall all feel proud of it.
(The author is an economist based in Beijing. His e-mail: johngong@gmail.com.)
To quote the article (a book excerpt): "It shows a lack of culture to speak in Shanghai dialect in Pudong."
As a third-generation Shanghainese, I think I am qualified to add my two cents to the outpouring of angry posts on the Internet.
Shanghai dialect is indeed fading away, but of course, it shall never die.
My niece, a 14-year-old girl who was brought up in Shanghai and still lives in this great city, never speaks with a hint of Shanghai dialect.
I don't even speak it myself when I return to the city every other weekend, apart from the time I spend with my parents.
In the old days, in the eyes of Shanghainese, you were either from Shanghai or a country bumpkin (somewhat like the Parisian versus the Provinceur cliche in France).
This is not uncommon among major metropolises around the world.
And you can't speak of Shanghai without comparing it to New York City.
Alas, the New York accent (there are different accents from different boroughs) is also disappearing, at least in Manhattan, according to professors quoted in New York magazine. It's part of a process called homogenization.
In addition, geographic mobility - many affluent and well-educated Manhattanites are transplants from elsewhere - has made New York a less locally focused place.
In a sense, the disappearance of the local dialect is a harbinger of a city's economic prosperity, the form of new businesses and human talents drawn to it.
Lujiazui's spectacular skyline speaks volume about this phenomenon, and we Shanghainese should all be thankful for it.
But what differentiates great cities from good cities are the unique social and cultural enrichment and heritage from the city's history.
And that certainly includes its dialect, which makes the language sing.
In that regard, cities like Los Angeles and Houston pale in comparison with the Big Apple.
Sometimes I sorely miss my days of living in New Jersey State across the Hudson River many years ago.
My wife worked in midtown Manhattan on Sixth Avenue. We spent many nights enjoying city life, and learned "tawking" with a New York accent, for things like "cawfee," "chawclat" and "dawg wawking."
I equally miss the days of growing up in a small lane in Shanghai, when unlike my 14-year old niece, we kids all spoke in Shanghai dialect.
It is not just a beautiful dialect, but it also connotes certain meanings and is spoken with an attitude.
Speaking like a Shanghainese is less about what you say, and more about how you say it.
We Shanghainese are known for being savvy, opinionated and confident. We are also known for being chic and cosmopolitan, especially the beautiful Shanghainese ladies.
Sweet home
I once had a friendly exchange with two colleagues, one from Singapore and one from Hong Kong. After they bragged about their hometowns, I said, "Unlike Singapore, Hong Kong is a place you want to visit again no matter where you are from. But Shanghai is a place you want to call home."
Indeed, there are countless people from Hong Kong and Singapore who call Shanghai home now. So as Shanghainese, let's not lament the disappearance of our dialect in Lujiazui.
Just like the New York accent, which is distinctive in boroughs like Brooklyn and Bronx, Shanghai dialect is the long-lived mother tongue for working people in various districts in Shanghai. And we shall all feel proud of it.
(The author is an economist based in Beijing. His e-mail: johngong@gmail.com.)
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