Question: How do Chinese people first learn English learn? -English-IT information

Some netizens questioning, the first in the world the Chinese people to learn English how to learn English? So knowing users are given the following answers:

First, in the first formal Association of China and Britain, needed a third language as a medium.

Sir George Macartney mission presented his credentials, composed by the original English, Latin and Chinese copies. We now know that missions have only two translations, are from the China Academy of Naples (1732 by Italy founded missionary Matteo Ripa) Chinese priests, and the two priests "do not understand English, all instruments should be translated into Latin, and translated into Chinese by them." Prior to that, there followed the missionaries to Europe of Chinese, we don't know much about their lives, assuming they learn English in Europe, it should be through the medium of Latin.

Second, the commercial exchanges between Britain and China, until the 19th century, are not carried out by standard English.

Existing literature suggests that the Chinese invented a mixture of Chinese and English languages, called "Guangzhou English" or "pidgin English", which is apparently the Pidgin English transliteration. This native language mixed with English and other European languages, and also appears in other regions.

Americans William Hunter pointed out in Guangzhou in the roll of the dead:

(Guangzhou English) in English appeared in Guangzhou has its roots long ago. This is where you can find some Portugal language and India language mix to prove, which may come from those originally through India's Western visitors came. English comes in more than 100 years later, some words in their languages have been gradually absorbed, adding to the Portugal language disappeared, Portuguese-speaking Macau using only their colonies. Then United Kingdom eventually became the most important trade, which became known as the "English in Guangdong."

Hunter's account to link the origin of this language with Macao in Portuguese. We can think of, the original United Kingdom businessman and sailor, perhaps it is not too fluent in Portuguese, speaking the same crappy Macau Portuguese (it is said that just arrived in China from Lisbon, Portugal who hardly understand the Portuguese) dealing businessman in Guangzhou. (More usually is, of course, rely on Macau's Portuguese Portugal Center or Chinese translation. ）

Dialogue in the East India Company trading in the Chronicle, confirmed the claim. In his view, "in 1637, Britons came to China for the first time, except through an interpreter only know Portuguese language, will not be able to deal with the Chinese ... ... From 1715, the Chinese merchants learned in itself a strange dialect, that is, Guangdong in English, later became the lingua franca of trade. "

To sum up, first person to learn English is to first learn to Portugal or Latin language, learn to speak English . While this kind of limited to the field of business, regardless of the syntax of the language, whether they should count as English, I doubt it. But after that first official native Chinese speakers to learn English, was also based on the some kind of third-party language .

Foreigners in both English and Chinese, teaching English to the Chinese this may, despite all the problems, but I do not have much confidence. Before the 19th century, even a preacher can speak English, there is little reason, to teach English to the Chinese. Meanwhile, 1723 years after prohibition, teaching Chinese to Westerners or the Guangzhou Professor of Latin in the West, are banned, so the Chinese are learning English, initially could only be an act of private profit.