57 Moby Thesaurus words for “kook”:…
crackbrain, crackpot, crank, cuckoo, dement, demoniac, ding-a-ling

Anyways, his supporters should have proof that he is not a kook before supporting further.
Sorry.

Now, I’m not really sure what your ideas about romanization, English teachers or missionaries are. Am I at least correct in assuming that you don’t want foreigners advocating standard pinyin? Could you provide links to some of these other things you’ve written about romanization?

If you weren’t trolling, then what was the purpose of all that venom?

apologies (if necessary)
as someone who still usually expresses his opinions in the print media rather than on blogs, i am probably not as au fait with internet terminology as you are

but, as far as my understanding goes, expressing my opinion in part of (what at least i hope is) a logically structured arguement does not constitute trolling (or even “venom” for that matter) simply because you disagree with me

but, if that constitutes trolling, apologies

mc

David said:

It would be interesting to know if the article truly reflects his personal opinion or if he is being used as an attack dog by some Tongyong Pinyin fanatic higher up in the government.

personal opinion (are there other kinds?)
is it so hard for you to believe that some people have opinions that differ from your own?

as i say, read my other writings on romanization in non-governmental publications and you will find i have not changed my opinion over the years

(by the way, publications like the Taiwan Journal are always looking for contributions; you even get paid for expressing your opinions)

David said:

Also when he says, “the bastardized version of hanyu pinyin preferred by Taipei City Hall” Is he referring to the use of CamelCase or simply his dislike for Hanyu Pinyin?

CamelCase and the lack of tone markings
(btw it is so nice to know you are interested in the details of my opinions, do feel free to ask more. many of your compatriots in blogland do not take the time to consider what i am actually saying)

but, oh no, having said that, fyi, i do not “dislike hanyu pinyin” (please read the article more carefully) and, indeed, i do not dislike the city gov’t’s use of CamelCase, in fact, i think it is an improvement
but, as far as i understand, it is not orthodox HP, therefore i refered to it as “bastardized” HP

no pejorative intention

mc

The foreigner that goes to a new location unprepared (without knowing how to say the street names, etc.) is the foreigner whose Mandarin is good enough not to care what the romanization looks like.

I guess we’ve had different experiences in this regard. My Mandarin was good enough for me to be able to make use of pinyin after only 2 weeks of class. I still go into “new locations” unprepared all the time, now. I can read the characters for the most part, but there are still occasions when (correct) pinyin would be useful. There are quite a few people in Taiwan who read far less Chinese than I do, but who can make use of pinyin.

If you weren’t trolling, then why say things such as the following?

Mark C said:

In fact, there are many different user groups. Although their needs sometimes overlap, often they do not. These include such diverse users as linguists, students of Chinese and casual visitors.

These other groups are almost totally ignored by the loud and opinionated blogging community

That just isn’t true. Toshuo.com, one of the largest “Taiwan Blogs”, has a definite bent towards Chinese learners and newcomers, and Pinyin.info, which you directly referred to, is the largest collection of readings from linguists on the topic of romanized Chinese on the web.

Mark C said:

It is hard to see this concern for Taiwan as genuine. More likely it belongs in the same category as the we-know-what’s-best-for-you mentality of Christian missionaries proselytizing their religion, and “English teachers” qualified with nothing more than a white face telling Taiwanese they need native-speaker pronunciation.

If you weren’t trolling, then what was the purpose of all that venom? In one swipe, you’ve insulted bloggers who want standard pinyin, Christian missionaries, and English teachers… in other words more than 90% of the westerners in Taiwan.

the topic is a little more complex than you like to make out

of course, carry on calling me a troll, central government lacky or whatever if it makes you happy

best
MC

best to you all,
mark caltonhill