Putonghua， more commonly known as Mandarin in English， is Chinas official standard language， with efforts to popularize it across the country beginning as early as 1955. Today， the necessity of it being further popularized is being stressed once more. Recently， Chinas media watchdog， the State General Administration of Press， Publication， Radio， Film and Television， issued a notification， requesting all TV and radio presenters to speak standard putonghua and refrain from using any dialectical vocabulary， slang， or foreign languages during programs， except for special cases where it is necessary. The administration said that presenters should take the lead in promoting the use of standard putonghua.

Program hosts will not be allowed to“imitate” the characteristic pronunciation of dialects. Presenters should also guide their guests to use standard expressions， and avoid mixing foreign languages and slang with putonghua. Variety show hosts are a key target， as “substandard” language is frequently used in their programs.

This media report has triggered discussion online. While some people welcome the administrations move， saying that it will be good for the countrys unity as putonghua benefits the communication of people nationwide， others say that authorities should give better protection to dialects in a bid to protect local culture. The latter believe that local TV stations should have the right to make programs that celebrate their local culture， including their dialect， and that doing so will not harm Chinese culture as it actually preserves it better. The following are excerpts of opinions：

Zhang Jaian （www.cnwest.com）： As a form of mass media， TV and radio broadcasters are obligated to take the lead in popularizing standard putonghua. The use of standard putonghua in TV and radio programs is not a move to oppress dialects. It is only to restrict irresponsible use of language in mass media. Imitating the pronunciation of dialects and using slang in programs is unprofessional.

Huang Chunjing （www.cnwest.com）： Every citizen has the right to choose whether they speak dialects or putonghua， and similarly， TV and radio stations have the right to decide whether dialects or putonghua will be used in their programs. The popularity of certain dialects in certain provinces or cities does not change the dominant role of putonghua in Chinas mass media. The administration is going too far to restrict the use of dialects with an administrative order.endprint

Guan Dongke （Shenzhen Economic Daily）： In the past， if you wanted to be a news presenter， you had to pass a standard putonghua examination. Today， it seems that the requirements are declining， as you will easily find a number of presenters using local dialects on both TV and radio alike. Some of these hosts are even famous in their province or prefecture.

Putonghua needs to be promoted around the country. According to Chinas Ministry of Education， 70 percent of Chinese citizens are able to communicate in putonghua， but a large number of these people have a low level command of putonghua and a further 400 million people are still unable to communicate using putonghua. Due to these factors， the administration has demanded that presenters play a leading role by using standard putonghua in their TV and radio programs.

As far as media hosts are concerned， to speak putonghua is not only one of the basic professional requirements but also an obligation.

It is necessary to refrain from imitating Hong Kong or Taiwanese accents or using expressions peculiar to local dialects or foreign languages. Not all programs should be brought under this language control plan however. For example， many local TV stations have opened hot lines， helping local people to solve the difficulties in their daily lives， and local dialects are often used. As most of the audience are local people who are used to their regional dialect， sometimes people feel that way of speaking is more acceptable than standard putonghua.

Dialects are unique local languages and some are completely different from the standard putonghua. There now exists a poor practice in the process of pushing putonghua， which is trying to make putonghua and dialects opposed to each other， as if people are only allowed to speak putonghua and must stop using their dialects. The promotion of putonghua is important， but the protection of dialects is important too. China now has around 130 kinds of local languages， but 99 are used by fewer than 100，000 people， and 20 are used by less than 1，000 people.

Actually， this is not the first time that such a notification has been issued. Similar documents were issued as early as 2004， pointing out that the use of dialects in TV and radio programs is against the national goal of popularizing putonghua. Almost 10 years have passed， but dialects are still often used in many local TV and radio channels， which shows that programs with unique local features are still popular.endprint

Fu Ruisheng （Qianjiang Evening News）： Dialects and slang are an important part of ordinary peoples lives， and in some sense they are a form of culture too. Particularly in south China， dialects are used widely while putonghua is not spoken as often. As a result， many programs concerning local peoples daily lives and other trivial things are more vivid when presented in local dialects. For example， Aliutous News on Hangzhou TV is presented in authentic Hangzhou dialect by the anchor Aliutou， which has secured it the top audience ratings in the area. The program has won many awards， including a place in the National 100 Best TV Programs. Such programs project a relaxed and lighthearted ambiance. If they are made in putonghua， then that special flavor and the humor of these programs will be lost.

It would be a pity if future generations were unable to understand the local dialects that are used by their predecessors. It would be a terrible break in cultural heritage. TV and radio stations have a responsibility to popularize putonghua but also a responsibility to protect local dialects. Dialects are not supposed to be seen as a threat to putonghua， but as a supplement. To absorb fresh and vivid expressions， styles of grammar and linguistic applications from various dialects can help putonghua retain its vitality.

With the approach of Spring Festival， people far away from their home tend to miss their family and hometown. At this moment， hearing the sounds of their home dialect could be the best remedy for homesickness.

Liu Yang （Beijing Times）： The administrations recent notice does not target the programs or even the dialects， but anchorsabuse of dialects. Anchors shoulder the important mission of using and popularizing standard putonghua， as a way to promote an appropriate sense of national identity and coherence. For the sake of just attracting viewers or making more money， anchors casually use dialects. This hurts not only standard putonghua but also the dialect they use.

Currently， some anchors， particularly those of entertainment programs， frequently use local dialects， English， incorrect idioms and other non-standard language. For the younger generation， who are learning and expanding their knowledge of putonghua， such an unstructured language environment will be harmful in their development of a proper grasp of Chinas official language.

With the goal of popularizing standard putonghua， the states usual practice is to reduce the use of dialects in mass media， but relevant authorities have never imposed an absolute ban on their use. In 2005， the administration issued a document reaffirming that TV dramas produced in local dialects are forbidden. This document triggered debate on whether the ban would affect the production of TV dramas.endprint

Qin Feng （Huzhou Daily）： The recent announcement has divided people into two camps， though I am personally in support of the decision. Today， the pronunciation of characters and use of words in many TV and radio programs is not standardized， and I feel that presenters speak in too casual a manner. We will always hear anchors on entertainment programs imitating Hong Kong and Taiwanese accents and some like to mix their speech with foreign words or words from local dialects. As a result， the audience may feel that they cannot understand what is said on TV or radio programs at times.

Mass media like radio and TV stations are obligated to play a leading role in proliferating the standard use and popularization of putonghua. More importantly， it must be pointed out that demanding TV and radio programs use putonghua is not a step toward oppression of dialects， but it is a move curb strange and irresponsible use of language， whether it is putonghua or other dialects. In this way， the decision is also a form of protection for dialects. Hearing standard putonghua on TV and radio programs is also a basic right of audiences around the country.endprint