正在消失的声音

上shàng海hǎi弄nòng堂táng里lǐ，七qī十shí二èr岁suì的de陈chén奶奶nǎi nai在zài教jiāo孙女sūn nǚ说话shuō huà。说shuō的de不bù是shì普通话pǔ tōng huà，是shì上shàng海hǎi话huà：侬nóng好hào，再zài会huì，谢谢xiè xie侬nóng。

In a Shanghai lane, seventy-two-year-old Grandma Chen is teaching her granddaughter to speak. Not Mandarin, but Shanghainese: nong hao, farewell, thank you.

孙女sūn nǚ在zài上shàng海hǎi出生chū shēng，从小cóng xiǎo在zài学校xué xiào里lǐ说shuō的de是shì普通话pǔ tōng huà。奶奶nǎi nai说shuō的话de huà，她tā能néng听tīng懂dǒng，可是kě shì自己zì jǐ说shuō的de时候shí hou，总zǒng说shuō不bù地道dì dao。

The girl was born in Shanghai and grew up speaking Mandarin at school. She understands her grandmother, but when she speaks it herself it never comes out right.

这zhè不bù是shì陈chén奶奶nǎi nai一yī家jiā的de问题wèn tí。在zài中国zhōng guó，像xiàng上shàng海hǎi话huà、闽mǐn南nán话huà、粤yuè语yǔ这样zhè yàng的de方言fāng yán有yǒu几jǐ百bǎi种zhòng，可是kě shì会huì说shuō方言fāng yán的de孩子hái zi，越来越yuè lái yuè少shǎo了liǎo。

This is not the Chen family's problem alone. China has hundreds of dialects like Shanghainese, Minnan, and Cantonese, but fewer and fewer children can speak them.

方言fāng yán是shì怎么zěn me消失xiāo shī的de？原因yuán yīn很hěn简单jiǎn dān。几jǐ十shí年nián来lái，人们rén men离开lí kāi家乡jiā xiāng去qù城里chéng lǐ上学shàng xué、打工dǎ gōng，学校xué xiào里lǐ教jiāo的de是shì普通话pǔ tōng huà，电视diàn shì里lǐ说shuō的de是shì普通话pǔ tōng huà，工作gōng zuò的de地方dì fāng也yě都dōu说shuō普通话pǔ tōng huà。

How do dialects disappear? Simply: for decades people left home for school and work, and school, television, and the workplace all run on Mandarin.

很hěn多duō父母fù mǔ觉得jué de，孩子hái zi说shuō好hào普通话pǔ tōng huà更gèng重要zhòng yào，方言fāng yán学xué不bù学xué无所谓wú suǒ wèi。慢慢màn màn地dì，孩子hái zi说shuō普通话pǔ tōng huà，老人lǎo rén说shuō方言fāng yán，一家人yī jiā rén两liǎng种zhòng语言yǔ yán。

Many parents think Mandarin matters more; the dialect is optional. Slowly the children speak Mandarin, the grandparents speak dialect, and one family has two languages.

可是kě shì方言fāng yán里lǐ装zhuāng着zhuó的de东西dōng xi，普通话pǔ tōng huà装zhuāng不下bù xià。苏sū州zhōu话huà里lǐ的de评píng弹tán，粤yuè语yǔ里lǐ的de粤yuè剧jù，陕shǎn西xī话huà里lǐ的de秦qín腔qiāng，都dōu是shì长zhǎng在zài方言fāng yán身上shēn shang的de艺术yì shù。方言fāng yán没méi了liǎo，这些zhè xiē东西dōng xi也yě就jìu慢慢màn màn淡dàn了liǎo。

But what a dialect carries cannot be carried by Mandarin. Suzhou pingtan, Cantonese opera, Shaanxi qinqiang all grow out of their dialects; when the dialect goes, they slowly fade too.

语言yǔ yán学xué家jiā说shuō，一yī种zhòng方言fāng yán消失xiāo shī，消失xiāo shī的de不bù只是zhǐ shì声音shēng yīn，还有hái yǒu几jǐ百bǎi年nián的de历史lì shǐ、笑话xiào hua、骂mà人rén的话de huà、哄hòng孩子hái zi睡觉shuì jiào的de歌gē，这些zhè xiē东西dōng xi都dōu没有méi yǒu办法bàn fǎ翻译fān yì。

Linguists say that when a dialect dies, more than sounds are lost: centuries of history, jokes, curses, lullabies, none of which can be translated.

好在hǎo zài，现在xiàn zài有人yǒu rén开始kāi shǐ着急zháo jí了liǎo。一些yī xiē地方dì fāng的de学校xué xiào开kāi了liǎo方言fāng yán课kè，教jiāo孩子hái zi们men说shuō本地běn dì话huà。网上wǎng shàng的de年轻nián qīng人rén，也yě用yòng方言fāng yán拍pāi视频shì pín、唱歌chàng gē，让ràng方言fāng yán变biàn得děi有意思yǒu yì si起来qǐ lai。

Fortunately some have begun to worry. Some schools now teach the local speech; online, young people film videos and sing in dialect, making it fun again.

陈chén奶奶nǎi nai说shuō，她tā不bù指望zhǐ wàng孙女sūn nǚ说shuō得děi跟gēn本地běn dì人rén一样yī yàng好hào。只要zhǐ yào孩子hái zi听tīng得děi懂dǒng奶奶nǎi nai的话de huà，记得jì de一yī句jù侬nóng好hào，这zhè条tiáo根gēn就jìu没有méi yǒu断duàn。

Grandma Chen says she does not expect her granddaughter to speak like a local. As long as the child understands her and remembers one nong hao, the root is unbroken.

方言fāng yán还是hái shi一yī个gè地方dì fāng的de密码mì mǎ。上shàng海hǎi人rén骂mà人rén用yòng侬nóng脑子nǎo zi坏huài掉diào了liǎo，四sì川chuān人rén说shuō巴bā适shì得děi很hěn，东北dōng běi人rén说shuō唠láo嗑kē。一yī个gè地方dì fāng的de味道wèi dao，一半yī bàn在zài方言fāng yán里lǐ。

A dialect is also a place's code. Shanghainese scold with nong naozi huai diao le, Sichuanese say bashi for comfortable, northeasterners say laoke for chat. Half a place's flavor lives in its dialect.

一yī九jǐu五wǔ零líng年代nián dài以后yǐ hòu，普通话pǔ tōng huà推广tuī guǎng到dào学校xué xiào、电台diàn tái、工厂gōng chǎng。这zhè当然dāng rán是shì好事hǎo shì：一yī个gè陕shǎn西xī人rén和hé一yī个gè福fú建jiàn人rén坐zuò在zài一起yī qǐ，终于zhōng yú可以kě yǐ聊liáo天tiān了liǎo。问题wèn tí是shì，普通话pǔ tōng huà越来越yuè lái yuè强qiáng，方言fāng yán就jìu越来越yuè lái yuè弱ruò。

After the nineteen-fifties Mandarin spread through schools, radio, and factories. A good thing: a Shaanxi man and a Fujian man could finally chat. The problem: as Mandarin grew stronger, dialects grew weaker.

有人yǒu rén做zuò过guo调查diào chá：在zài上shàng海hǎi出生chū shēng的de孩子hái zi，爸bà爸bà妈mā妈mā说shuō普通话pǔ tōng huà，爷爷yé ye奶奶nǎi nai说shuō上shàng海hǎi话huà，孩子hái zi往往wǎng wǎng两liǎng种zhòng都dōu懂dǒng，但dàn只zhī肯kěn说shuō普通话pǔ tōng huà。方言fāng yán就jìu这样zhè yàng一代yī dài一代yī dài淡dàn了liǎo下去xià qù。

Surveys show a child born in Shanghai to Mandarin-speaking parents and Shanghainese-speaking grandparents often understands both but insists on Mandarin. Dialects fade generation by generation.

语言yǔ yán学xué家jiā们men也yě在zài抢qiǎng时间shí jiān。他们tā men背着bèi zhe录音lù yīn设备shè bèi走进zǒu jìn一yī个gè个gè小xiǎo村庄cūn zhuāng，把bǎ老人lǎo rén讲jiǎng的de方言fāng yán一yī字zì一yī句jù录lù下来xià lai，做zuò成chéng档案dàng àn。有的yǒu de地方dì fāng，最后zuì hòu一yī个gè会huì说shuō某mǒu种zhòng方言fāng yán的de老人lǎo rén去世qù shì以后yǐ hòu，那nà种zhòng声音shēng yīn就jìu永远yǒng yuǎn消失xiāo shī了liǎo。

Linguists are racing against time too, carrying recorders into small villages to archive the elders' speech word by word. In some places, when the last speaker of a dialect dies, that sound is gone forever.

好hào消息xiāo xi是shì，越来越yuè lái yuè多duō的de人rén意识到yì shí dào了liǎo这zhè件jiàn事shì。有的yǒu de学校xué xiào开kāi了liǎo方言fāng yán课kè，有的yǒu de博物馆bó wù guǎn专门zhuān mén收藏shōu cáng了liǎo声音shēng yīn档案dàng àn。留líu住zhù一yī种zhòng方言fāng yán，就是jìu shì留líu住zhù一yī群qún人rén看kān世界shì jiè的de角度jiǎo dù。

The good news is that more people have noticed. Some schools run dialect classes; some museums keep sound archives. Keeping a dialect alive means keeping a whole community's angle on the world.

不过bù guò这zhè几jǐ年nián，情况qíng kuàng有yǒu了liǎo一yī点diǎn变化biàn huà。年轻nián qīng人rén开始kāi shǐ在zài网上wǎng shàng学xué方言fāng yán、唱chàng方言fāng yán歌gē、拍pāi方言fāng yán视频shì pín。有人yǒu rén说shuō：方言fāng yán是shì老家lǎo jiā的de声音shēng yīn，会huì普通话pǔ tōng huà走zǒu天下tiān xià，会huì方言fāng yán才cái找zhǎo得到dé dào回家huí jiā的de路lù。

Yet in recent years things have shifted a little: the young learn dialects online, sing dialect songs, film dialect videos. As one said: Mandarin takes you anywhere, but the dialect is the way home.

普通话pǔ tōng huà让ràng天tiān南nán海hǎi北běi的de中国zhōng guó人rén互相hù xiāng听tīng懂dǒng，方言fāng yán让ràng每měi一yī个gè地方dì fāng的de人rén记得jì de自己zì jǐ从cóng哪里nǎ lǐ来lái。两liǎng样yàng东西dōng xi，一样yī yàng也yě不bù能néng少shǎo。

Mandarin lets all Chinese understand each other; a dialect lets people of each place remember where they came from. Both are needed; neither can be spared.