唐人街未来之声.docVIP

PAGE PAGE 1 唐人街未来之声 　　台山话、广东话、普通话，唐人街方言的变迁反映着时代的变迁，人心的变迁，一切都是那么自然。 　　He　grew　up　playing　in　the　narrow，　crowded　streets　of　Manhattan’s　Chinatown.　He　has　lived　and　worked　there　for　all　his　61　years.　But　as　Wee　Wong　walks　the　neighborhood　these　days，　he　cannot　understand　half　the　Chinese　conversations　he　hears. 　　Cantonese，　a　dialect　from　southern　China　that　has　dominated　the　Chinatowns　of　North　America　for　decades，　is　being　rapidly　swept　aside　by　Mandarin，　the　national　language　of　China　and　the　lingua　franca　of　most　of　the　latest　Chinese　immigrants. 　　The　change　can　be　heard　in　the　neighborhood’s　lively　restaurants　and　solemn　church　services，　in　parks，　street　markets　and　language　schools.　It　has　been　accelerated　by　Chinese-American　parents，　including　many　who　speak　Cantonese　at　home，　as　they　press　their　children　to　learn　Mandarin　for　the　advantages　it　could　bring　as　China’s　influence　grows　in　the　world. 　　But　the　eclipse　of　Cantonese—in　New　York，　China　and　around　the　world—has　become　a　challenge　for　older　people　who　speak　only　that　dialect　and　face　increasing　isolation　unless　they　learn　Mandarin　or　English.　Though　Cantonese　and　Mandarin　share　nearly　all　the　same　written　characters，　the　pronunciations　are　vastly　different；　when　spoken，　Mandarin　may　be　incomprehensible　to　a　Cantonese　speaker，　and　vice　versa. 　　Mr.　Wong，　a　retired　sign　maker　who　speaks　English，　can　still　get　by　with　his　Cantonese，　which　remains　the　preferred　language　in　his　circle　of　friends　and　in　Chinatown’s　historic　core.　A　bit　defiantly，　he　said　that　if　he　enters　a　shop　and　finds　the　staff　does　not　speak　his　dialect，　“I　go　to　another　store.” 　　Like　many　others，　however，　he　is　resigned　to　the　likelihood　that　Cantonese—and　the　people　who　speak　it—will　soon　become　just　another　facet　of　a　polyglot　neighborhood.　“In　10　years，”　Mr.　Wong　said，　“it　will　be　totally　different.” 　　With　Mandarin’s　ascent　has　come　a　re　alignment　of　power　in　Chinese-American　communities，　where　the　recent　immigrants　are　gaining