Dear Ms. Cha Hua Yuan or Tea Garden,
I admire your knowledge and efforts in languages. After reading your article, I wish to render my opinions as follow:
1. Your definition of 'wen zi', or written language, is interesting. I would say that Chinese is the only graphic wiritten words (language) that is widely used in modern time. American Indian or ancient Egptian had graphic languages too, but they have become antiquated - not being use now.
2. To call Guo Yu or Pu Tong Hua as Man Zho Hua is the first time I ever heard, Guo Yu or Mandarin existed before Manchurians came to rule China. Therefore, it is not safe to call Guo Yu as Man Zho Hua.
3. Ming Nan Hua is not the only so called Taiwanese; Ke Jia Hua and some aborigine's languages are Taiwan hua too.
4. Taiwan has the second largest Ming Nan (Ho Lo) hua speaking population, Ming Nan Hua or Ho Lo does not represent Han Yu. No one really knows in Tang dynasty, what lanaguge people in Chinese spoke. It is not safe to equate the so called Tai Yu to Han Yu.
5. In the entire world, at the peak time, there were over 6,000 languages spoken by all man kinds, since some time back, average one language dispears every 2 weeks to a month. Eventually, only 10 languages will survive in the world. They are English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Hindo, Japanese, Malay, Arabian, French, and Swahili(or other African language).
I pay attention to Chinese languages too, as a hobby; but I don't feel sad that eventually my mother tone or dialict will disappear. The trend cannot be stopped or reversed.
Tong Xiao Ke
字體：小 中 大
