What is Chinese etymology?

What is Chinese etymology?

Postby Calista » Sun Jun 26, 2011 11:02 am

By searching the key word “Chinese etymology”, Richard Sears’ website always ranks number 1. Recently, many newspapers in China reported his work.

What is the difference between his work and Gong’s system?
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Re: What is Chinese etymology?

Postby r.green » Sun Jun 26, 2011 12:04 pm

Calista wrote:By searching the key word “Chinese etymology”, Richard Sears’ website always ranks number 1. Recently, many newspapers in China reported his work.

What is the difference between his work and Gong’s system?


Richard Sears’ work is not etymology. Please read Dr. Victor Mair’s article at http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2910

He wrote, “…The only major problem I myself have with the site is its title, "Chinese Etymology," I don't consider what Sears does to be "etymology" per se. Written symbols (characters, letters, graphs, etc.) do not have etymologies. Rather, they undergo evolution and development. Thus, Sears' work has to do with Chinese character structure, analysis, and evolution, not etymology. True Chinese etymology has to take into account the development of sounds and meanings through time (roots, derivatives, cognates, etc.).”

Dr. Victor Mair is a Professor of Chinese Language and Literature, University of Pennsylvania.
His personal website is http://www.sas.upenn.edu/ealc/faculty/mair.htm
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Re: What is Chinese etymology?

Postby Calista » Sun Jun 26, 2011 3:53 pm

r.green wrote:
Richard Sears’ work is not etymology. Please read Dr. Victor Mair’s article at http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2910


The mission of Google is to provide the best site which matches the given key word. If Richard Sears' site is not about Chinese etymology, it should not rank number 1. Should we info this to Google?
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Re: What is Chinese etymology?

Postby mariaC » Sun Jun 26, 2011 5:54 pm

Calista wrote:
r.green wrote:
Richard Sears’ work is not etymology. Please read Dr. Victor Mair’s article at http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2910


The mission of Google is to provide the best site which matches the given key word. If Richard Sears' site is not about Chinese etymology, it should not rank number 1. Should we info this to Google?


Google should not judge any subject matter. The Google ranking comes from public recognition on the subject. If that site is not about Chinese etymology while it ranks NO. 1 under that key word, the problem is the public, not knowing any better. It is an issue of how to inform the public the truth, not about informing Google.
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Re: What is Chinese etymology?

Postby r.green » Mon Jun 27, 2011 10:19 am

Calista wrote:The mission of Google is to provide the best site which matches the given key word. If Richard Sears' site is not about Chinese etymology, it should not rank number 1. Should we info this to Google?


You can contact Dr. Victor Mair ( Professor of Chinese Language and Literature, University of Pennsylvania) on this.
His personal website is http://www.sas.upenn.edu/ealc/faculty/mair.htm

He brought up this issue. He should follow it up. He should inform Google about his view to improve Google's ranking system, to avoid misleading the public.
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Re: What is Chinese etymology?

Postby votusa » Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:49 am

Calista wrote:By searching the key word “Chinese etymology”, Richard Sears’ website always ranks number 1. Recently, many newspapers in China reported his work.

What is the difference between his work and Gong’s system?


There are two differences.

1. As the previous posts have showed, Sears' site is not about Chinese etymology at all.

2. It is no use for helping learning Chinese, not one bit. On the other hand, Gong's system makes the damn hard Chinese language becoming the easiest one to learn.
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