Your intentional mistakes

[AlexBlackman]

Which ways do you use Mandarin/Chinese that natives would consider non-standard, strange or wrong?

 

I for one use 牠 for all mammals to show my respect for them as living creatures, even when most Chinese these days just use the objectifying 它.

 

I also use 她/他 for pets and sapient creatures like dolphins and elephants.

 

[anonymoose]

Why would you deliberately do things considered to be non-standard or wrong?

[Shelley]

 牠  is for animals, so why is this non standard or wrong?

 

If using  她/他 is considered non standard or wrong what is the correct way? I have not had the need to refer to animals this way so I don't know what is usually used.

[Kenny同志]

牠 is correct in traditional Chinese, but at the same time I see no problem with using 他 or 她 in both variants of the language for animals if I am to show my affection. 

[Angelina]

In English I always write her/his instead of the usual his/her. Obviously.

In Chinese I use 她们 unless all the people in the group are male, only in that case I use 他们.

[geraldc]

I still refer to Russia as the soviet union, as I can't change, and I think the term the term for Russia is "My screw".

[Kenny同志]

I tend to use 共匪 for the CCP who thinks it's incorrect.

[Hofmann]

I only use 他 because the others are artificial and originate from some people trying to fuss over things they shouldn't.

[Demonic_Duck]

I tend to use 共匪 for the CCP who thinks it's incorrect.

There's also “共惨党”.

 

I don't think I intentionally use anything non-standard, mainly because my writing/speech isn't yet at the point where it would be interpreted as anything other than an unintentional mistake...

 

I only use 他 because the others are artificial and originate from some people trying to fuss over things they shouldn't.

...otherwise I'd probably do this. I feel it's the most egalitarian option.

[889]

There are a few radicals I don't simplify, like 言，金 and 車. I like them as they were. And yes, I know that produces an abomination, particularly when writing a character like 转 in a half-traditional half-simplified form. But it’s my abomination.

[Shelley]

@889 I wonder if it is understood by others when you use these "variants"?

[Guest realmayo]

When referring to a group with an equal mix of men and women in Chinese, I always say 她们, but I always write 他们. I think that's the fairest way.

[AlexBlackman]

@Realmayo - you win the internet

[Angelina]

Hahahahaha

In that case we should drop 她 and use 他 and 他们 for all 人.

[Hofmann]

How about 牠 for all animals, including 人? Puts us in our place.

[Tiana]

How about 牠 for all animals, including 人?

 

Won't animals be offended by this? ;)

[陳德聰]

Okay but as for intentional non-standard ways of saying things... I often struggle with wanting to be "creative" with language. In English this is pretty easy, especially since there is a tradition of writing crazy things that don't actually make any sense at all (e.g. bandersnatch), but when you go there in Chinese, depending on how you do it, you can be met with confusion and downright "does not compute" expressions.

 

It's amusing because it very much depends on the listener's attitude as to whether they "understand" what you've said.

[aone]

刮民党 for Kuomintang(KMT) 

[Hofmann]

Maybe we should clarify. Mistakes are things proficient language users wouldn't normally do. Making puns is normal.

[陳德聰]

edit: hm nevermind.