A popular TV host has reportedly invested about US ＄740,000 in a project to research, preserve and promote the Hunan provincial dialect (方言). Chinese TV presenters are required to speak Mandarin, or Putonghua, as part of their work, but should dialects be allowed on air?

Bcnu (China): TV and radio stations have the right to decide whether dialects or Mandarin will be used in their programs. The popularity of some dialects in some areas will not challenge the leading role of Mandarin in the whole country.

Rick N (US): TV and radio broadcasters should take the lead in popularizing Mandarin. To require hosts to speak standard Mandarin is not to oppress (压制) dialects, but it only aims to restrict irresponsible use of language. I think it is unprofessional for some hosts particularly to imitate the pronunciation of dialects.

Cooper (UK): Dialects are an important part of local culture and now many kids even don't know how to speak their dialects because of the main use of Mandarin around them. It would be a pity if future generations were unable to understand the local dialects. It would be a terrible break in cultural traditions.

Steve (France): To attract viewers or make more money, some hosts casually use dialects. Demanding TV and radio programs use Mandarin is a move to limit strange and irresponsible use of language, whether it is Mandarin or other dialects. In this way, the decision is also a form of protection for dialects. Hearing standard Mandarin on TV and radio programs is also a basic right of audiences around the country.

Around 1,500 endangered and rare languages are at a high risk of being lost in the next century, according to a study published on Thursday in Nature Ecology and Evolution.

The study found that around half of the world’s 7,000 documented languages are endangered. It also found that greater road density was associated with higher risk of endangerment.

“It’s as if roads are helping dominant languages overwhelm other smaller languages,” co-author and professor at the Australian National University Lindell Bromham said in a press release.

Greater endangerment was also associated with higher average years of schooling, suggesting that formal education contributes to loss of language diversity. “Mainstream education in a dominant language can lead to loss of competence in minority languages. We urgently need to invest in bilingual (双语的) education and develop programs that allow communities to bring their heritage language into schools, to make sure the language stays strong and is passed on to future generations,” Bromhall told CBS News.

The study found that unless there is intervention (干预), the world could lose at least one language per month, with language loss three times more in the next 40 years. The authors recommended “urgent investment” in community-based programs like bilingual education programs and language documentation. And some of the recommendations that experts made 20 years ago are still the same: governments should remove bans on languages and adults should encourage children to speak other languages — including their native language.

“Each language is a reflection on the creativity and inventiveness of human minds, a beautiful and fascinating solution to complex communication challenges,” Bromham told CBS News. “Most importantly, for many people, language symbolizes cultural identity and belonging. Many groups mourn (悼念) the decline of unique languages and long for competency in languages no longer spoken.”

Even a child knows that nodding the head means “Yes”. But some people will probably be puzzled when they first come to India. When they talk to an Indian, he often shakes his head. They might think that the Indian does not like what he said, but on the contrary he is expressing agreement.

The Indians have a habit of shaking their heads slightly when they talk to somebody. It doesn’t mean “No”, but “Yes”.

If a person doesn’t know this, it might cause misunderstanding.

At one time a foreigner in Indian told his driver who was an Indian to take him to his office. The driver shook his head. The foreigner repeated his request and the driver shook his head again. At last, the foreigner shouted angrily, “Drive me to my office at once!” The driver said in a low voice, “Yes, sir,” smiling and shaking his head again at the same time.