I Need a Geography Lesson

[Gurn Blanston]

Well, that is so typical when the name was given by outside people who did not bother to understand. The "standard Chinese" is called "mandarin" in English. But "Mandarin" should refer to a language of the Manchus, and NO ONE in the world speak that language nowadays. It just happened that the Manchus, only making up less than 5% of the population in China, happened to be in power when the British first came in (opium war) and they assumed that the language in China is "Mandarin". But referring to standard Chinese as Mandarin is so standard in English now that everyone is forced to use the same term now, even though it is completely false. Even the Manchus today do not speak Mandarin. The language is dead, in face, deader than Latin.

Forgive my ignorance, Paul, but what would you call it if you had the choice? All the Chinese that I know (a fair number) speak what we call "Cantonese", but I only know that as a dialectic difference from "Mandarin", which I understand to be "Official" Chinese language. Surely there are hundreds of dialects, yes? 

[springrite]

Forgive my ignorance, Paul, but what would you call it if you had the choice? All the Chinese that I know (a fair number) speak what we call "Cantonese", but I only know that as a dialectic difference from "Mandarin", which I understand to be "Official" Chinese language. Surely there are hundreds of dialects, yes? 

Cantonese speakers come from Guangdong, which is one of 31 provinces in China. The only reason it seems more prominent is due to the prominence of Hong Kong. which was part of it before 1840 (opium war) and is connected to it now. HK people speak Cantonese.

I would simply call it Chinese, and others as whatever particular dialect. Now in China it is called "Putonghua" which simply means "common or standard Chinese language".

[pjme]

  OK! And from China ...back to Belgium!

Tonight ( after midnight) the 12 finalists of the queen Elisabeth Competition will be known. If time allows ,I'll give you the names asap.
We're hoping that at least 1 Belgian candidate will pass ( Lorenzo Gatto and/or Jolente De Maeyer)!!
As usual, there are a few very strong musicians from Russia, China and Korea.

Musicalement,
Peter

[vandermolen]

Vandermolen: Ensor is the same painter of the "masked ball" that graces the cover of Malipiero's SQs on Dynamic? Looks like his style.

Oh yes, that is by Ensor. I didn't know the CD before as I have the Brilliant box of the (excellent) Malipiero's SQs. The painting below 'In the Wood' is also by Ensor, although not featuring the usual masks, skulls etc. Devreese was another Belgian and actually it is a favourite CD.

[vandermolen]

This painting always seems like an expressionistic descendent of those Breughel (another lowlander) crowd scene paintings, mixed withthat sort of ancient festivals and from round those parts. E.g., Ronse's bommels festival and St. Hermes fiertel: an asylum town where hagiotherapy was practiced for the insane over a millennium ago. Where else but Belgium could you find this? (Plus Ronse was the home of Cipriano de Rore)'

Yes, I agree with you. Ensor was definitely the descendent of Breughel and Hieronymus Bosch. He was a rather endearing character. He was famous enough to have a statue of him erected in his home town of Ostend during his own lifetime (he was made a Baron). Apparently he walked around until he found the busiest spot in the town and chose that spot for the sculpture (I have been there).

During World War Two, Ensor (who was half British) was illegally listening to the BBC in occupied Belgium, when he heard the erroneous announcement of his own death.  He thereupon got hold of a black crepe veil, walked to his statue and draped the veil around it - perhaps my favourite Ensor story.

'Ensor with Masks' (1899) is fully characteristic: