Mind your language(2)

Problems solved

Wu has observed that even among people who do speak Shanghainese, few have learnt it in any kind of standardized manner.

And the differences between old and young speakers, he believes, is because of the influence of Putonghua in everyday speech. "Shanghai dialect features a rich quantity of intonations. However, in recent years, the number of intonations in the dialect has decreased dramatically. And the fewer intonations, the less effective a language can work," he said.

In order to maintain the variety of the language, Wu hopes his software can increase the use of Shanghai dialect in daily life. He notes that many locals tend to speak Putonghua at work or college because they are surrounded by more and more non-Shanghainese.

Qian Nairong, vice chairman of the Shanghai Chinese Association and the initiator of the computer-edition Shanghai dialect input method, expresses his support and approval for Wu's work. "Wu consulted me about some aspects of the vocabulary and I was happy to give him my advice," Qian told the Global Times. "Shanghai dialect has been strongly influenced by Putonghua, meaning that many phonetic sounds are becoming the same in both. It's imperative for younger people to master the local language or it will die out."

Compared to other commercial software programs, backed up by teams of engineers and large amounts of funding, Wu has had to rely on his own money, sinking about 100,000 yuan ($ 15,872) into the project.

"I tried to persuade my cousin and friends to join me, but with the prospect of little reward for so much work, it wasn't a very tempting offer," Wu said. He even avoided telling his parents about the project until it was eventually reported in the Chinese media.

After all the codes were written, Wu asked a friend, who wasn't even aware the dialect could be expressed in pinyin, to try out the software for usability.

The successful launch of Wu's Shanghai Dialect Input Method (first edition) on Android cellphones has pushed him to continue optimizing the software. And he told the Global Times that iPhone-applied app software is also underway. "Every day, I still search online to find articles written in Wu dialect (the origin of the Shanghai dialect), from which I grab some useful words and phrases, as well as correct some errors in wording."

Speak and spell: how the software works

The software works by firstly inputting the pinyin of how the Shanghainese word sounds. The software will find the corresponding standard Chinese character - some of which are not commonly used in Putonghua. It not only helps to review your pinyin correctly, but educates the users of standard Shanghai dialect in its written form.

In Wu's software vocabulary, there are also some words which originate from English. This is a selection:

Input pinyin: ca dou

Appearing word: 差头

Meaning: taxi (originates from the word "charter")

Input pinyin: gang du

Appearing word: 戆大

Meaning: idiot, fool (originates from the word "gander")

Input pinyin: ga san hu

Appearing word: 茄山河

Meaning: idle talk, chat (originates from the word "gossip")

Input pinyin: ang san

Appearing word: 肮三

Meaning: disgusting behavior or low moral standing, derived from worthless goods on sale (originates from the word "on sale")