Reading Comprehension

PT149 · S2 · P1 · Q1 Chinatown Chinese

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The following passage is adapted from an article published in 1981.

Topic

The debate over whether "Chinatown Chinese" in San Francisco should be considered a distinct dialect from traditional Chinese dialects.

Framework

Challenge Position

Main Point

The commonly accepted idea that "Chinatown Chinese" is a distinct dialect is flawed—the language among Chinese Americans in San Francisco is not fundamentally different from traditional Chinese dialects, and its unique vocabulary has not created a new dialect but merely supplemented the original dialects. Most Valuable Sentence: End of P2 — “The supposed language barrier is, therefore, mostly imaginary.”

P1: Introduction to the Distinct Dialect Claim

Some linguists say that a unique dialect, “Chinatown Chinese,” has evolved in San Francisco. They base this claim on the idea that it’s so different from Chinese dialects back in China that new arrivals have trouble communicating, and that all Chinese Americans in San Francisco can communicate using a shared local vocabulary, regardless of their original dialect.

P2: Challenging the First Claim—Communication Barrier with Newcomers?

The author explains that while Chinatown Chinese has new words that name American things or experiences—not found in China—the core of each dialect remains unchanged. Newcomers and Chinese Americans who speak the same traditional dialect can usually understand each other just fine, since unfamiliar terms are easy to explain, avoid, or figure out from context. So, the notion that the language barrier is significant is mostly made up.

P3: Challenging the Second Claim—Common Vocabulary Means Mutual Understanding?

The author argues that having a few shared Americanized words doesn’t create a unified dialect, since the base dialects (like Cantonese) still differ greatly in sounds, grammar, and core vocabulary. So, knowing a handful of locally-used terms doesn’t mean everyone can understand each other—those words are just a tiny part of each dialect.

Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?

Linguists who argue that Chinatown
Too Narrow: intelligible to Cantonese
The beginning of this answer is okay because the author does reject the idea that Chinatown Chinese is a distinct new dialect, but she does so because "new arrivals from China would have no trouble conversing with Chinese Americans, as long as they shared a traditional dialect and weren't using proper nouns exclusive to San Francisco." It wasn't because "Cantonese speakers find it intelligible."
3% picked this
Because Chinatown Chinese is unfamiliar
Wrong Emphasis: missing author's view
This answer just neutrally says that "linguists have concluded it's a new dialect". This was a Challenge Position passage, so the main point is not to just summarize the position being challenged. It's to say "the position being challenged is mistaken!" The author thinks that linguists have erroneously concluded that Chinatown Chinese is a new dialect. This answer doesn't capture that at all.
5% picked this
Correct
The primary claims supporting the
Why this is right
This captures the overall Challenge Position message: "the position that Chinatown Chinese is a distinct new dialect is wrong". And it nicely captures the structure, in a way that's broad enough to encapsulate the 2nd and 3rd paragraphs. The position was laid out in the 2nd sentence: "some linguists have argued". The 3rd sentence explained the basis of the position: "this notion that it's a distinct dialect is based primarily on two claims". And then the author proceeds to take down each of those claims, one paragraph at a time. The 2nd paragraph undermines the 1st claim; the 3rd paragraph undermines the 2nd claim.
Skill tested: Main Point · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.
87% picked this
Because visitors from China can
Too Narrow: only 1 of 2 claims
This is pretty tempting, because the main clause is correctly capturing the idea that "Chinatown Chinese cannot be designated a distinct new dialect". Technically, "cannot" is too extreme a term. Our author is definitely communicating they "should not" be considered a new dialect based on the claims offered by the linguists. But this answer also only addresses the 2nd paragraph, one of the two reasons that the linguists consider Chinatown Chinese a new dialect. Thus, this answer leaves out the discussion of the 3rd paragraph (where the author dispels the notion that someone who speaks Mandarin traditional Chinese would suddenly be able to understand someone speaking Cantonese American Chinese, as long as the Mandarin speaker learned all the local unique terms of Chinatown Chinese.) This answer should probably survive our first pass, but once we're choosing between (C) and (D), we want to ask ourselves which answer wraps its arms around more of the passage, and (C) captures paragraphs 2 and 3, whereas (D) only captures paragraph 2.
3% picked this
Although Chinese dialects are difficult
Contradicted
The main clause here says that "linguists agree that Chinatown Chinese does not constitute a distinct new dialect". The only linguists in this passage are the ones in the 2nd sentence, who are claiming that it does constitute a new dialect.
2% picked this

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