WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 1987
10
SETTING UP OF CHINESE LANGUAGE FOUNDATION BACKED
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A CHINESE LANGUAGE FOUNDATION SHOULD BE SET UP TO PROMOTE THE USE OF CHINESE, THE HON YEUNG PO-KWAN SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
SPEAKING IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL DURING THE ADJOURNMENT DEBATE ON CHINESE LANGUAGE FOUNDATION, MR YEUNG NOTED THAT THE REASONS GIVEN BY THE GOVERNMENT FOR NOT PROCEEDING TO SET UP A CHINESE LANGUAGE FOUNDATION WERE THAT THE SIGNING OF THE SINO- BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION HAD ALREADY PROMPTED A GROWING TENDENCY IN THE COMMUNITY TO ATTACH MORE IMPORTANCE TO THE USE OF CHINESE J AND THAT THE AUTHORITIES CONCERNED HAD ALREADY ENCOURAGED THE USE OF CHINESE AS A MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION IN SCHOOLS.
YET, IF THESE REASONS WERE EXAMINED IN GREATER DEPTH, THEY INDICATED EXACTLY THAT THE SETTING UP OF A CHINESE LANGUAGE FOUNDATION WOULD BE OF GREAT IMPORTANCE TO THE PROMOTION OF THE USE OF CHINESE, HE SAID.
THE SETTING UP OF A FOUNDATION, HE SAID, WOULD HAVE IMPLICATIONS ON SOCIAL ASPECT, EDUCATION ASPECT AND RESEARCH.
SOCIALLY, THE USE OF CHINESE BY THE GOVERNMENT, THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON OFFICIAL BUSINESS VARIED CONSIDERABLY IN STYLE AND FORMAT, SOME USED THE LITERALLY STYLE WHILE OT HERS PREFERRED THE VERNACULAR LANGUAGE= SOME STUCK TO THE TRADITIONAL FORMAT WHILE OTHERS FOLLOWED THE WESTERN STYLE OF LETTER-WRITING. THIS LACK OF STANDARDISATION CAUSED GREAT INCONVENIENCE AND SHOULD BE DEALT WITH BY THE CHINESE LANGUAGE FOUNDATION, HE SAID.
MR YEUNG ALSO NOTED THAT MANY IMPORTED PRODUCTS WERE NOT PROVIDED WITH CHINESE SPECIFICATIONS. THIS HAD RESULTED IN THE MISUSE OF THE PRODUCT CONCERNED AND LED TO TRAGIC ACCIDENTS. A CHINESE LANGUAGE FOUNDATION WOULD DEFINITELY PLAY A USEFUL ROLE IN THIS RESPECT.
HE SAID THAT IN LINE WITH THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF A BILINGUAL SOCIETY, THERE MIGHT BE A TENDENCY FOR PROFESSIONAL EXAMINATIONS TO BE CONDUCTED IN ENGLISH AS WELL AS IN CHINESE. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A CHINESE LANGUAGE FOUNDATION WOULD BE HELPFUL TO THIS DEVELOPMENT.
HE ADDED THAT AS ONE OF THE MAJOR OBJECTIVES OF SUCH A FOUNDATION WOULD BE TO PROMOTE THE BETTER USE OF CHINESE, IT MIGHT BE WORTHWHILE TO CONSIDER THE SETTING UP OF A SPECIAL BODY TO APPRAISE THE USE OF CHINESE. THE APPRAISAL BODY COULD BE SET UP UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE FOUNDATION.
HE SAID THE FOUNDATION WOULD ALSO BE THE APPROPRIATE AUTHORITY TO CO-ORDINATE THE EXPERT ADVICE OF THOSE IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION AND IN THE LINGUISTIC FIELD IN TRANSLATING LAWS INTO CHINESE.
/HE NOTED