MA370 protest signs in Chinese -- left to right?

W Brewer brewerwa at GMAIL.COM
Sun Mar 30 05:19:51 UTC 2014


See Wikipedia, Chinese Writing, section Layout.
WB:  The only way WB has not seen sinograms written is bottom up.
Otherwise, in Taiwan, anything goes (seemingly). WB's Chinese version of
Windows allows either horizontal (left-to-right or right-to-left, then
down) or vertical (top-to-bottom, then right-to-left) sinogram layouts.
WB's impression is that choice of layout is a question of identity. Lots of
publishers still cling to the TRADITIONAL CHINESE vertical layout (<<We are
Chi-uh-nee-uhz, if you plee-uhz>>). All my TKU contracts were vertical,
despite the ROC's official switch to Western layout. WB's kids' school
books reflect the dichotomy: Chinese primers are vertical; science texts
are horizontal (Western style). In sum, it seems that Western-style
sinogram layout is the default now in Taiwan; traditional Chinese layouts
are statements of Chinese identity.

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



More information about the Ads-l mailing list