Talk:Iu Mien language

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Contents 1 Written standard 2 Not referenced 3 Wikipedia policies 4 Language template

[edit] Written standard

Where is the standard described here used? In China, there definitely is a written form of Mien - is that the one described here? — Babelfisch 02:13, 8 December 2005 (UTC)

Yes, this is the same unified alphabet. Or rather it is the subset which is used to write Iu Mien. The unified alphabet probably also includes some sounds not listed here which are used in other dialects. Mien can also be written in Chinese characters, probably something like Chu Nom, but there is a strong movement towards latin. Carl Kenner 16:27, 8 December 2005 (UTC)

So what is it then? Is it the official unified alphabet and the standard language used in China, yes or no? This should be clear. If this is an article of a language used by parts of the exile community in the US only, it should say so. —Babelfisch 02:07, 9 December 2005 (UTC)This is the standard that has been used in China, USA, Canada, France, and Thailand since 1984 when it was developed. The script was developed cooperatively between member of the Iu-Mien in PRC, USA, and Thailand. It is phonetic and can be easily be adapted to accomodate dialectal differences. The people in the USA are not "in exile" and travel freely back to China, Thailand, and Laos.

Yes it is the same alphabet. It is called the unified alphabet for a reason. It was a joint effort between researchers in the United States and the Chinese government. The alphabet is designed to represent any Mien language, not just Iu Mien. This page is only about the Iu Mien language though, so it doesn't mention the other letter combinations which are part of the alphabet but aren't used in the Iu Mien language. If you go to one of China's Yao autonomous regions, this is the alphabet you will see. Iu Mien can also be written in Chinese characters, but that is becoming much less common.

If you have any further questions, please direct them to Professor Pan Cheng Qian of the minority university in Beijing. Because I've had enough of your ignorance, stupidity and lack of respect for people who actually have bothered to research a topic and write an article on it. Carl Kenner 05:23, 9 December 2005 (UTC)

Any written sources? Wikipedia is not the place for original research. Also see below. —Babelfisch 06:40, 9 December 2005 (UTC)

I have edited the tones and removed the dead link to mienh.net. Regarding written Mien, there is an Old Roman script, a New Roman script (which is the one this article refers to). Mien is also written using an adapted Thai script and also Lao script. I don't know about Mien in China, but as far as Laos and Thailand are concerned, they do not use Chinese characters to write spoken Mien. Only for spirit ceremonies and traditional chants and poems. The four scripts that I mention here were devoloped to write the spoken language, although literacy remains low.

I have also edited the section on final consonants to correct some errors and remove the dead link. --Bounton 14:23, 5 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Not referenced

What do you mean it isn't referenced? Every section has a link to primary source material. I'm a bit new to Wikipedia, so sorry if I did it wrong. Carl Kenner 16:27, 8 December 2005 (UTC)

The introduction makes crucial statements and gives figures without any references at all. Parts of the introduction were copied from the SIL International website without giving any references; all the rest seems to have been copied from just two other websites of exiled people in the US, mienh.net and iumien.com - both are not really good sources (see Wikipedia:Verifiability), and definitely not "primary source material". —Babelfisch 02:07, 9 December 2005 (UTC)

I wasn't talking to you Babelfuck. Carl Kenner 04:51, 9 December 2005 (UTC)

Sure you were. By writing in public, you were talking to him, me, and the rest of the world at once.

David Marjanović | david.marjanovic_at_gmx.at | 14:21 CET | 2006/3/19

[edit] Wikipedia policies

CarlKenner, you should have a look at these articles:

• Profanity
• No personal attacks
• Verifiability
• Cite sources
• No original research

These are Wikipedia policies that you should consult before you continue to "contribute". —Babelfisch 06:40, 9 December 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Language template

It would be great if this article could be edited to match the Wikipedia language template - that would make it much clearer. —Babelfisch 03:24, 3 March 2006 (UTC)