Zhou Youguang: Why Google honours him today
13 Januari 2018
Described as "the father of Pinyin", or Chinese phonetic language, and hailed because the man World Health Organization simplified Chinese, Chou Youguang would are 112 this Sat.
In his honour, Google is ever-changing its emblem in twelve countries to a doodle, or illustration, of him and his contribution to Chinese language.
This is his story:
Love for China
- "Bring light-weight to the world". Born in Changzhou in 1906, Chou Youguang showed interest in linguistics at the first age of 12; he graduated from high-school with honours.
- Named Chou Yaoping, he adopted the nom de guerre "Yougang" as a result of he wished to "bring light" to the globe.
- Hard road to college. In 1923, Chou listed the university of St. John's University, Shanghai. He wasn't ready to attend owing to money woes, however friends and relatives raised the admission charge and helped him obtain tuition.
- He graduated in 1927, majored in economic science and took supplementary work in linguistics.
- Sino-Japanese war. In 1933, he married Zhang Yunhe. He touched to Japan to continue his studies, however came in 1937, at the beginning of the war.
- After the japanese were defeated in 1945 at the top of war 2, Chou worked in Sin terrorist group bank wherever he was stationed overseas, initial in ny town and so in London.
- "Modern, resurgent China". In 1949, he came once the institution of Communist China, excited to require half during a resurgent country. "We all thought that China had a awfully smart chance to develop; we tend to did not expect the later turmoil. History misled North American nation," Chou told the Guardian.
- Back in China, he educated economic science at Fudan University in Shanghai. However, his path didn't lead him to stay as Associate in Nursing economic expert.
History misled us
Romanization of the language
- Reforming the Chinese language. In 1955, the govt placed Chou at the top of a committee to reform the Chinese language.
- He was known as by Chou Enlai, an individual he met in his bank job World Health Organization was currently the second leader in China.
- "Linguistics was simply a hobby". Chou at the start declined, voice communication that linguistics was solely his hobby, however he wasn't allowed to refuse the provide. He touched to Peking, wherever he began a three-year effort, and developed the invention of Pinyin.
- A pronunciation guide. Pinyin was created the official romanization in 1958. it's solely a pronunciation guide, and not a substitute orthography.
- "Mao unlikeable greatly the economists". His job protected him from Mao's policies. "Mao unlikeable greatly the economists - particularly economic professors from America," Chou aforementioned in Associate in Nursing in interview. "By that point, I had shifted to the road of language and writing ... If I had remained in Shanghai teaching economic science, i believe I definitely might are confined for twenty years."
- Chinese labour camp. however in 1969. defendant of being a reactionary educational, he was sent to figure during a labour camp wherever he worked within the rice fields. He spent quite 2 years there.
- Once he was discharged, he went back home and continued writing concerning language.
- Encyclopedia Chou. within the Eighties, he helped administer the interpretation into Chinese of the cyclopedia Britannica, earning him the nickname of "Encyclopedia Zhou".
- Critical of the govt. Chou was the author of quite forty books, several of that were illegal for being crucial of the govt. Around ten of them were printed once he turned one hundred.
- He started a diary on Sina and continued blogging till he was one zero five years recent.
- Regarding the govt, the linguist told AFP: "In all honesty I haven’t got something smart to mention concerning revolutionary."
Chinese people becoming rich isn't important, human progress is ultimately progress towards democracy.
Source: AlJazeera