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Subject:Chinese Character Fonts for Windows? From:David Ibbetson <ibbetson -at- IDIRECT -dot- COM> Date:Sat, 10 Feb 1996 09:54:37 -0500
Walt Brennan asks:
<snip>
Are there multiple character sets for different Chinese languages - my
desk reference lists 8 (Mandarin, Yue, Wu, Fuzhou, Minan, Xiang, Gan,
and Hakka) PLUS "local dialects"? The newswire sends us two chinese
versions - "Traditional" and "Simplified" - anyone know the
relationship between these two and the other eight?
or is there a commonly accepted "lingua franca"?
-----------end of quote----------
The Chinese family of languages/dialects share a common written form. This
means that literate Chinese can communicate in writing even though they may
be mutually incomprehensible when they speak.
Some years ago the Chinese government promulgated simplified forms for many
ideograms. I presume these forms are taught in Chinese schools and that
somebody who had learned the traditional forms would understand them. The
reverse may not be true.
