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H1-B ReformFirst, let's define "H1-B reform."Words have different meanings when they come from different positions on the political spectrum. Republicans can mean one thing, while Democrats another, with those affected by the policy (the tech and startup community) having yet more definitions of a term.With the goal of communicating clearly, let's figure out what we mean by "H1-B reform"...An article from The Hill lays out the current poles of the debate:Technology firms have consistently pushed for the government to increase the number of H-1B visas beyond the current limit of 65,000 per year, arguing the U.S. doesn't produce enough homegrown engineers and scientists to fill the number of vacancies for skilled graduates in those fields.Critics charge the H-1B program has become a source of cheap labor for U.S. firms unwilling to pay the market rate for American-born engineers and argue guest workers cost firms less than their domestic counterparts. Expanding the limit is a tough sell politically, given the current unemployment rate.Source: http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/159933-demand-drops-for-h1-b-visasExpanding on this, the Wall Street Journal adds:At the House Subcommittee on Immigration, a critic of the program, Ronil Hira, highlighted that Indian companies operating in the U.S., such as Infosys, Tata and Wipro, are among the biggest H-1B users, and that they're bringing in foreigners with ordinary skills.In an interview, Mr. Hira, a professor of public policy at Rochester Institute of Technology, said that "because of loopholes, employers can bring in cheaper foreign workers to substitute for American workers and undercut their wages."His research indicates only about a third of all H-1B visa holders are "really highly skilled or graduates of U.S. universities who would be eventually sponsored for green cards," or permanent U.S. residency, by their employers. Employers have said that the program enables them to tap top talent, whom they seek to hire permanently down the road.Supporters of the program, including high-tech firms and industry groups, say it attracts foreign talent that spawns innovation and creates jobs in the U.S. They cite former H-1B holders such as Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, and Vinod Dham, an engineer behind Intel Corp.'s Pentium chip, as proof of its value.Vivek Wadhwa, a visiting scholar at the University of California at Berkeley who studies immigrant entrepreneurs, said that an anti-immigrant climate had made it "a liability to hire H-1Bs," and that this will gradually chip away at U.S. global competitiveness, because the country has a dearth of homegrown engineers and scientists.Moreover, Mr. Wadhwa said that foreign nationals who obtain U.S. degrees were more likely than ever to return home. "Ten to 15 years ago, by default, you'd want to be in America, because you had more opportunities. Now, you can do much, much better at home," he said.Source: http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052748704810504576307342275841586-lMyQjAxMTAxMDAwODEwNDgyWj.htmlAs part of Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) in 2006, the SKIL Bill represented one segment of the political spectrum's feelings on reform:H-1B Visa: The bill increases the annual cap of 65,000 immigrants to 115,000, automatically increasing the cap by 20 percent each year the limit is reached. It also creates a new exemption to the cap for anyone who has an "advanced degree in science, technology, engineering, or math" from a foreign university.Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SKIL_BillBoth the stand-alone SKIL bill and CIR failed, though the underlying cause—H1-B visas applications reaching their cap in a single day—has faded. (see Current State of H1-B Visa Program below)The Government Accountability Office (GAO), with oversight provided by Committee Chair Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) has its own set of recommendation for H1-B reform:Matters for Congressional Consideration1. Recommendation: To ensure that the H-1B program continues to meet the needs of businesses in a global economy while maintaining a balance of protections for U.S. workers, Congress may wish to consider reviewing the merits and shortcomings of key program provisions and making appropriate changes as needed. Such a review may include, but would not necessarily be limited to (1) the qualifications required for workers eligible under the H-1B program, (2) exemptions from the cap, (3) the appropriateness of H-1B hiring by staffing companies, (4) the level of the cap, and (5) the role the program should play in the U.S. immigration system in relationship to permanent residency.Status: In process2. Recommendation: To reduce duplication and fragmentation in the administration and oversight of the H-1B application process, consistent with past GAO matters for congressional consideration, Congress may wish to consider eliminating the requirement that employers first submit a Labor Condition Application (LCA) to the Department of Labor for certification, and require instead that employers submit this application along with the I-129 application to the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for review.Status: In process3. Recommendation: To improve the Department of Labor's ability to investigate and enforce employer compliance with H-1B program requirements, Congress may wish to consider granting the department subpoena power to obtain employer records during investigations under the H-1B program.Status: In process4. Recommendation: To help ensure the full protection of H-1B workers employed through staffing companies, Congress may wish to consider holding the employer where an H-1B visa holder performs work accountable for meeting program requirements to the same extent as the employer that submitted the LCA form.Status: In processRecommendations for Executive Action5. Recommendation: To help ensure that the number of new H-1B workers who are subject to the cap--both entering the United States and changing to H-1B status within the United States--does not exceed the cap each year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services should take steps to improve its tracking of the number of approved H-1B applications and the number of issued visas under the cap by fully leveraging the transformation effort currently under way, which involves the adoption of an electronic petition processing system that will be linked to the Department of State's tracking system. Such steps should ensure that linkages to the Department of State's tracking system will provide Homeland Security with timely access to data on visa issuances, and that mechanisms for tracking petitions and visas against the cap are incorporated into U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' business rules to be developed for the new electronic petition system.Agency Affected: Department of Homeland SecurityStatus: In process6. Recommendation: To address business concerns without undermining program integrity, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services should, to the extent permitted by its existing statutory authority, explore options for increasing the flexibility of the application process for H-1B employers, such as (1) allowing employers to rank their applications for visa candidates so that they can hire the best qualified worker for the jobs in highest need; (2) distributing the applications granted under the annual cap in allotments throughout the year (e.g. quarterly); and (3) establishing a system whereby businesses with a strong track-record of compliance with H-1B regulations may use a streamlined application process.Agency Affected: Department of Homeland SecurityStatus: In process7. Recommendation: To improve the transparency and oversight of the posting requirement on the Labor Condition Application (LCA), as part of its current oversight role, the Employment and Training Administration should develop and maintain a centralized Web site, accessible to the public, where businesses must post notice of the intent to hire H-1B workers. Such notices should continue to specify the job category and worksite location noted on the LCA and required by statute on current noncentralized postings.Agency Affected: Department of LaborStatus: In process8. Recommendation: To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its investigations of employer compliance with H-1B requirements, the Employment and Training Administration should provide Labor's Wage and Hour Division searchable access to the LCA database.Agency Affected: Department of LaborStatus: In processSource: http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-26Outside of DC, I can add some personal experience in my work with the US Startup Visa, that H1-B visas take time and money, the two parameters startup founders are most limited by. H1-B visas are seen as outside of the realm of startups because of the costs associated with them, with the application fee increased to $5000 from $1500 in 2007, which excludes associated legal fees (http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3680096/Senate-Votes-to-Hike-H1-B-Visa-Fees.htm).Someone recently mentioned that there is a near zero unemployment rate among 'top engineers' in Silicon Valley right now. (I want to say Brandon Smietana?) Naturally, that's an exaggeration, but probably not by all that much, excluding the churn of entrepreneurs between startups or in transition from one company to another. Another person told me that there is no quota for success in the startup world. The more quality people we have in the mix, the more successful companies we can create.Therefore, we can say about H1-B reform, generally:Critics of the program want to tighten loopholes to ensure that visas are going to intended workers with targeted skillsSupporters of the program want to increase the cap and probably want to decrease the visa application fees, which were increased several years ago and are probably contributing to the drop-off in applications, though this latter claim is only implied"Reduce waste and fraud" — a perpetual catchphrase used by Washington politicians calling form reformWe can add about specific groups interested or affected by the program:The startup community wants lower costs and a more streamlined process as a prerequisite for applying for H1-B, which are currently inaccessible to most early-stage startups and are uneconomic for many later-stage startups that have raised enough to technically afford the visa application processThe larger tech community (Microsoft and Google, as examples) probably has different wants and needs than the startup community, but I'm less familiar with their situation.Foreign students at US universities and colleges get kicked out upon graduation, so some are calling for an easier path for graduates to stay in the country (http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/136685-issa-bill-would-give-greencards-to-up-to-55000-science-and-tech-workers, Sponsor: Rep. Darrell Issa, Status: Zero cosponsors)Liberals and many Indian nationals decry the fact that individuals under the H1-B are sponsored by their employing company and are dependent on keeping the good will of their employer to maintain their place in line for a green card, which often gets described in exaggerated fashion as "near indentured servitude" ("There have also been reports of workers being mistreated or underpaid by their sponsoring firm and unable to change jobs lest they lose their visas.", http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/153125-pressure-mounts-for-h1-b-reform)Now we have a sense of what 'H1-B reform' might mean. Summarizing:Tighter eligibility requirements around high-techIncrease visa capDecrease application fees, complexityFraud reductionGreen Card status transferNew program for foreign graduates from US universities in high-tech fieldsCurrent State of H1-B Visa ProgramSource: http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052748704810504576307342275841586-lMyQjAxMTAxMDAwODEwNDgyWj.htmlSource: http://am22tech.com/s/22/Blogs/post/2011/05/08/Ticket-To-USA-Is-Still-Open-Only-8000-Applications-For-H1B-So-far.aspxSource: http://redbus2us.com/h1-b-visa-petitions-cap-reached-dates-by-year-from-2000-to-2010-recession-impact-and-trend-analysis-plot-from-2000-%E2%80%93-2010-for-2011-decision/We can see that the state of the H1-B program is vastly different today than from the 2008-2009 period. Reform in the modern context is also different from past efforts to reform the program.The overarching context is that many claim that there is a shortage of scientists and engineers in America, more broadly referred to as a 'STEM shortage' on Capitol Hill. Additionally, reports like Rising Above The Gathering Storm (http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11463, revisited: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12999) were very popular in the 2006 period when I was there to talk about 'global competitiveness' and other policy points related to any discussion of H1-B reform. H1-B was set up in 1990 to help alleviate this shortage.H1-B Reform: Impact on Jobs Creation and InnovationI think Nick Huber covers the details on the creation of jobs and innovation very well. My information mainly serves as context for his claims.The program itself, reform or not, seems to continue to serve its role of expanding the talent base available to US companies, though the key population targeted should be those foreign students educated here in the US rather than those educated at home, with groups like Gartner and McKinsey claiming that only 25% of Indian and 10% of Chinese domestic engineering degrees are competitive at the international level (http://www.dryvonnesum.com/pdf/China_Looming_Talent_Shortage_McKinsey_Qtrly_Oct_2005.pdf).H1-B reform that moves towards, as Brad Feld says, 'stapling a green card to the high-tech diploma of a foreign student,' would be a good thing for innovation in this country. Based on comments like this one from Milo Medin, Google’s vice president for access services, “If we’re serious about competition, the last thing we want to do is encourage people to come from all over the world at the best universities and then send them back," there may be some consensus forming around H1-B reform meaning a better process for US-educated foreign students to stay in the country and contribute economically post-graduation (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/53381.html).Additionally, since H1-B is an immigration path that can potentially lead to a green card, similar to the US Startup Visa, immigrants like Vinod Khosla, who started as H1-B holders, have created large numbers of jobs through either starting or funding companies.Finally, in the case of a team or product that is missing a key skill, an H1-B holder could be the difference between success or failure for a product or company, tying the fate of the other jobs to the ability of US companies to attract the necessary talent.Final Thoughts and CaveatsI'll add that we of Quora are almost entirely talking about high-end H1-B positions and engineering jobs in general. The GAO notes that this is a decreasing slice of the H1-B pie, which is increasingly left to India-based staffing firms (http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/138059-gao-disproportionate-share-of-h1-b-visas-going-to-india-based-staffing-firms, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-26). The implication is that India-based firms are placing workers here to gain skills to eventually completely offshore the location, which would be considered in transition.H1-B works best for the top-level individuals who are literally irreplaceable, but complaints develop for the mid- and lower-level individuals who act more as cogs within larger corporations. When a worker of approximately equivalent skill can be hired for some lower amount, a company would be acting against its economic interests to ignore the potential for H1-B in driving down wage and salary costs.Additional ReadingCRS: http://migration.ucdavis.edu/wcpsew/files/CRS_5=23=07pdf.pdf (there is almost certainly a more recent update of this report, but I can't find it)

Sukarno could have died in exile in Flores in 1938.In the months prior to his transfer to Bengkulu, the regions surrounding his residence in Ende saw an outbreak of malaria. By the end of 1937, Sukarno had contracted a chronic strain of malaria and at times could not move from his bed.Upon hearing of Sukarno’s condition, Volksraad member M. H. Thamrin accused the Dutch colonial government of allowing Sukarno to die, leading to demands that he be transported out of the island. These events are recounted in Cindy Adams’s 1965 autobiography of Sukarno:When news of my serious illness reached Djakarta, Thamrin protested in the Volksraad, “We make you responsible for Sukarno’s well-being. He must get to a larger place where it’s healthier and he may receive better attention.”“We must find first another locality which is also nonpolitical,” hedged the chairman.“Yes, yes, and primitive and backward, too, so that it will present no challenge. Yes, I know all that. But I serve notice on you now that if Sukarno dies, Indonesia, the world will hold you personally responsible for his murder. Flores is malaria-infested. Sukarno is very sick. His life lies in the hands of the Dutch Government. He must be removed. And quickly.”The colonial government took action and evacuated Sukarno to Bengkulu in February 1938. If Thamrin’s plea were ignored, and Sukarno was not transported out of Flores, the would-be proclamator of Indonesia’s independence would have likely died in exile. Instead, he regained health and lived in Bengkulu until he was freed after Japanese forces invaded the Indies in 1942.This chain of events is important because Sukarno became Indonesia’s first president as a result of his subsequent role in the Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence (PPKI), which was sponsored by the Japanese along with its predecessor, the Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence (BPUPK).On 11 August 1945, in the Vietnamese town of Dalat, Sukarno was inaugurated as chairman of the PPKI. Mohammad Hatta was inaugurated as vice chairman. In attendance were Marshal Hisaichi Terauchi, supreme commander of the imperial Japanese army in Southeast Asia, and Radjiman Wediodiningrat, chairman of the recently disbanded BPUPK.PPKI was originally scheduled to meet on 19 August, but because the proclamation of Indonesia’s independence was expedited to 17 August, it was decided at the hastily called first meeting on 18 August that Sukarno (as chairman) should be elected president and Hatta (as vice chairman) be elected as vice president.The crux of the first question is for us to ask who could have replaced Sukarno as an influential figure in the BPUPK and PPKI if he had died in 1938, because the chairman of PPKI would have been the first president of Indonesia.Sukarno’s appointment as PPKI chairman was not by vote. It was a decision made by Marshal Terauchi. This decision was likely made because of Sukarno’s role in bringing together the secular and Muslim factions of the BPUPK through his Pancasila speech, which was made to the committee on 1 June 1945.Historian R. E. Elson, in his monograph “Another Look at the Jakarta Charter Controversy of 1945” (2009), recounts the importance of that speech to the committee:The debates climaxed on June 1 with the famous Pancasila speech of Sukarno, which unambiguously based Indonesia on nationalism rather than Islam. The purpose of establishing a free and independent Indonesia, he proclaimed, was “not for one person, not for one group, the group of nationalists, or the group of the rich, but ‘all for all’ … The first basis, which should become the basis for the State of Indonesia, that is the basis of nationalism.”[…]Before its recess, the BPUPK appointed an eight-member subcommittee (Panitia Kecil) headed by Sukarno, with the task of consolidating, as far as possible, the various suggestions submitted by delegates for later discussion. During the subsequent recess, a large number of BPUPK delegates […] met at Sukarno’s bidding. On Sukarno’s initiative—outside the authority of the BPUPK—they handed the task of beginning the constitution-drafting process to another small working committee of nine members (Panitia Sembilan). That small group, working in the afternoon of June 22 in Sukarno’s house, developed a constitutional preamble that sought to capture the central values expressed in Sukarno’s Pancasila speech.Elson makes it clear that without Sukarno’s efforts, the BPUPK may have never resolved the initial question of Islam’s position in the new state. This would not have allowed the committee to move on to drafting an entire constitution. Was there any other BPUPK who carried the same weight as Sukarno who could have emerged as a leader? This is unclear.Let’s consider several BPUPK members as options:Mohammad Hatta. According to notes by BPUPK member Muhammad Yamin, Hatta was not present when Sukarno presented his Pancasila speech. During the second session of the committee after the recess, Hatta proposed that Indonesia be formed as a federal state using parliamentary democracy, but Sukarno rejected this idea. Hatta also accepted Sukarno’s Pancasila principles without much comment. It appears that Hatta might have been more vocal about his positions in the deliberations of the BPUPK without Sukarno around, but Hatta’s ideas for the new state would have been entirely different from the Indonesia we know today.Soepomo. During the first session of the BPUPK, the Dutch-trained legal scholar Soepomo emerged as one of the more vocal supporters for a secular Indonesian state. Yamin’s notes show that Soepomo argued for “a united national state which separates the affairs of state and the affairs of Islam.” Still, after Sukarno’s Pancasila speech, he struck a more conciliatory note and helped draft the original constitutional preamble outlinining, “The state is based upon God.” Throughout the second session of the BPUPK, he repeatedly emphasized the need to maintain the compromise that had emerged from the meetings called by Sukarno during recess, so without Sukarno to moderate his views, Soepomo might not have emerged as a unifying leader.Ki Bagus Hadikusumo. A prominent modernist Islamic scholar from Yogyakarta, Hadikusumo was a leader of the Islamic organization Muhammadiyah. He sought to “build up the State on the basis of the teaching of Islam” while emphasizing the need for freedom of religion. The clash between his view and Soepomo’s in the first BPUPK session is what led to Sukarno’s Pancasila speech. In the second session, he tried to push for a more concrete adoption of Islamic law but relented at the urging of fellow Muslim scholar Abikusno Tjokrosujono. Therefore, Hadikusumo was unlikely to emerge as a unifying leader.Radjiman Wediodiningrat. A respected Javanese nationalist, Radjiman was the chairman of the BPUPK, but he took little part in the committee’s deliberations. Instead, Radjiman was there to keep order in the discussions and prevent it from getting too heated. He could not have been the leader Sukarno was.There were other prominent figures such as Agus Salim, Wahid Hasyim, and Soekiman Wirjosandjojo in the BPUPK. However, as noted by Elson, there are “significant deficiencies in the stenographic record of the BPUPK debates,” so we can only make assessments on the debates that were recorded. Based on what is known, the two figures who could have likely emerged as main figures in the BPUPK deliberations in the absence of Sukarno would be Hatta or Soepomo.Hatta, as mentioned earlier, played an important role in helping shape the discussion of Indonesia’s would-be government system. However, his main responsibility in the drafting of the constitution was as chair of the finance subcommittee.Soepomo, on the other hand, led the drafting of the constitution in the second session of the BPUPK and completed it in three days. If Soepomo were able to compromise with the Muslim members of the BPUPK in the absence of Sukarno, he likely could have been selected by the Japanese to lead the subsequent PPKI.The BPUPK adjourned on 16 July 1945 after approving the draft constitution. Three weeks later, the Japanese decided that transfer of sovereignty would occur in mid-September. The formation of PPKI was announced on 7 August and was scheduled to meet for the first time on 19 August.In between those two dates, however, Japan announced its surrender to Allied forces on 15 August. This leads us to the second question of whether Indonesia could still have proclaimed independence on 17 August without Sukarno. In our alternate timeline, if none of the dates change, Soepomo and Hatta would be chairman and vice chairman of the PPKI.In order to answer the second question, Sukarno’s role in the 48 hours between 15 August and 17 August must be assessed.At approximately 4 a.m. on 16 August 1945, the day after Japan announced its surrender, Sukarno and Hatta were kidnapped by youth revolutionaries who demanded that the two immediately declare Indonesia’s independence. Sukarno was reluctant at first because he feared the unilateral action, in violation of the Japanese promise of independence in September, would lead to bloodshed and the demise of Indonesia before it even started.In Soekarno: Founding Father of Indonesia, 1901–1945 (2002), B. B. Hering looks at Sukarno’s position in further detail:Han Bing Siong, formerly an associate professor of law at the Universitas Indonesia, in a long-overdue and well-documented analysis of the pemuda confronting Soekarno and Hatta about the proklamasi, asserts that ‘on the 15th Sukarno and Hatta did not yield an inch, however, and resisted all pressure’. Sjahrir became enraged by Soekarno’s adamant stand and, according to Soebadio’s testimony, called Soekarno a banci (transvestite). Here, Sjahrir was suggesting that Soekarno was a lackey of the Japanese. [Bernhard] Dahm, however, concludes: ‘This Sukarno had never been. He had at no time subordinated his goal, Indonesian independence, to Japanese interests. [He had remained] one who was decisive in setting the course of negotiations for future independence, but had also remained for the masses the symbol of freedom and a hope for a better future, even when he preached total war and made struggle at the side of the hated oppressor into a duty.’Sukarno and Hatta were eventually released unharmed without making any commitments but then decided to proceed anyway with the proclamation of Indonesia’s independence.Would Soepomo and Hatta have done the same in our alternate timeline? It’s hard to say. Sukarno’s stance was formed as a result of his close work with the Japanese during the occupation. As a judicial expert, Soepomo was also at one point an adviser to the Japanese military administration’s department of justice, so his experiences there would have shaped Soepomo’s opinion of the Japanese military administration.Han Bing Siong, in the monograph “The Japanese Occupation of Indonesia and the Administration of Justice Today: Myths and Realities” (1998), describes Soepomo’s account of Japanese administration as “panegyric”, meaning he largely praised the Japanese judicial system in the Indies in comparison to the Dutch colonial system:No other Indonesian author after Soepomo, as far as I have been able to discover, has criticized the Dutch [court] system in such detail. The abolition of the Netherlands Indies dualistic judicial structure has been regarded as a revolutionary achievement, in fact, as a prelude to the Indonesian national legal system. […] Soepomo pointed out that, thanks to the Japanese, all sections of the Indonesian population became subject to the jurisdiction of one and the same court.Soepomo was a legal scholar, not the spirited revolutionary Sukarno had been. Assuming that Soepomo’s experience had shaped his opinion of whether the Japanese should be trusted, one could assume as chairman of the PPKI he would have preferred to keep the promise of the Japanese to grant independence to Indonesia in September 1945.One thing that should become clear in this attempt at an alternate history is that Sukarno’s actions were highly influential in the chain of events two to three months prior to Indonesia’s proclamation of independence. Without Sukarno’s actions, it’s not entirely clear if Indonesia could have formed the way it did in August 1945, especially given how instrumental his Pancasila speech was in bringing the BPUPK into order.Indonesia might still have existed without Sukarno, but not in the way we know the Republic of Indonesia today.

[無調漢語拼音的缺憾 Toneless Hanyu Pinyin can cause serious problems]GR Tonal Spelling makes names maximally distinctive; Hanyu Pinyin leads to a confusing blend of totally unrelated names that sound quite different to Chinese ears, but look exactly the same to foreign eyes. TL;DR 性命攸關 Outside of China, not using GR Tonal Spelling can have serious, or even life-changing consequencesThree names that look totally different in GR Tonal Spelling: confusingly blended in Hanyu Pinyin:Imaginary, but plausible names: 陸六贏醫師, 魯劉穎大師 and 盧柳鶯大師1. 陸六贏醫師 Dr. Luh Liowyng (Lù Liùyíng Yīshī), the dentist, bears the auspicious name 六贏 “six successes”2. 魯劉穎大師 Master Luu Liouyiing (Lǔ Liúyǐng Dàshī), the photographer, bears the name 劉穎, which is a pun on the word 留影 “take a photo [as a souvenir]” (this phrase is often used for photo captions)3. 盧柳鶯大師 Master Lu Leouing (Lú Liǔyīng), the musician, bears the name 柳鶯 “[literally] willow warbler”, one of many species of songbirds, some of which can be found in Taiwan.In Hanyu Pinyin (promulgated in 1958), Lù Liùyíng ≈ Lǔ Liúyǐng ≈ Lú Liǔyīng are spelled with exactly the same letters. These names look almost identical to foreigners who don’t know Chinese (most of whom ignore the tiny, untypable tone marks) but they sound and look completely different to Chinese police and bureaucrats (Chinese adults only care about the characters; Hanyu Pinyin is a study aid for small children).In GR Tonal Spelling (promulgated in 1928, but ignored by the PRC government), these three names look completely different: Luh Liowyng ≠ Luu Liouyiing ≠ Lu Leouing. Foreign police and bureaucrats cannot and will not learn Chinese characters. They only care about the spelling. Different spelling → obviously different peopleAnswer: Yes, people in Taiwan still use GR Tonal Spelling (a.k.a. Gwoyeu Romatzyh), but it is hiding in plain sight where most foreigners don’t bother looking (not just tour buses ;-). GR Tonal Spelling is used for naming people, clothing, household goods (rubber bands, insecticide), Chinese medicine, noodles, beverages, snacks, doctors’ offices, beauty parlors, restaurants, companies, schools etc.I took all of the photos below within the last month. I live in Taipei, but I managed to locate several samples of GR Tonal Spelling even in Kaohsiung, a DPP stronghold where Southern Min is more popular than Mandarin][Jyma Liuhdow 芝麻綠豆, GR Tonal Spelling (Gwoyeu Romatzyh)—a children’s clothing brand I found in a traditional market] [zhīma lǜdòu][Song Jer CPA 松哲會計師事務所, GR Tonal Spelling (Gwoyeu Romatzyh)—an accounting firm on Nanjing West Road in Taipei. The sign is bigger than the side of a bus, but is only visible when people look up from their cell phones ;-)] [Sōng Zhé][Piin U Bakery 品屋麵包蛋糕, GR Tonal Spelling (Gwoyeu Romatzyh), a bakery/coffee shop in Kaohsiung] [Pǐn Wū][Shiow Chwan Hospital 秀傳醫院, GR Tonal Spelling (Gwoyeu), a private hospital with branches all over Taiwan; name is slightly misspelled (omitted -i-)] [Xiù Chuán][Yuh Tay Farm 裕泰農場, GR Tonal Spelling (Gwoyeu)][jingpiin pyishye 精品皮鞋, GR Tonal Spelling (Gwoyeu), shoe shop in Kaohsiung]GR Tonal Spelling still appears side by side with Bopomofo in many monolingual Chinese dictionaries (字典、詞典) published in Taiwan. Foreign students tend to only consult bilingual dictionaries published outside of Taiwan, so they mostly don’t notice GR’s continued existence.[In Taiwan, dictionaries for native speakers include Bopomofo only, or a mixture of Bopomofo and GR Tonal Spelling/Hanyu Pinyin. Unfortunately, Pinyin is gaining ground; I saw these books in the 國語日報社 Mandarin Daily News bookstore]When it comes to romanization, what most foreigners do notice is the major exception to the use of GR Tonal Spelling: place names, which are a chaotic battlefield for three competing systems: the decrepit 150-year-old Wade-Giles system (and its cousin: Postal Romanization), 1958 Hanyu Pinyin and a modified Pinyin system (slightly different spellings) used mostly in southern Taiwan.Edit: GR Tonal Spelling still survives in certain localities:[Shinnyih Street 信義街 GR Tonal Spelling, 29 June 2019 (Gwoyeu Romatzyh, street sign)] [Xìnyì Jiē, Hanyu Pinyin]Rarely Asked Questions (RAQs)Many people take it for granted that one single commonly-used romanization system is all we need: whatever is used by the majority of Chinese people. The Hanyu Pinyin for everybody approach neglects to consider two important facts:(1) For many western learners, the use of optional diacritics implies that tones are also optional (“Tones are too subtle. I don’t need to be a perfectionist: muddling through is good enough. If I can find the time, I’ll master tones later!”)(2) For Chinese people who spend time abroad, an ill-considered choice of spellings can facilitate identity theft or lead to confusion. The consequences can include canceled credit, job loss, mistaken arrests, medical errors and expensive lawyer’s fees.Rarely-Asked Questions:RAQ 1: Who needs to use romanization?RAQ 2: What is the purpose of romanization?RAQ 3: Why should everyone use the same romanization?RAQ 4: Which problems does Pinyin (un)intentionally ignore?RAQ 5: How is 1928 GR Tonal Spelling better than 1958 Hanyu Pinyin?RAQ 1: Who Needs To Use Romanization?A: Children learning to read and write their native language for the first timeB: Chinese adults who want to# look up the correct pronunciation of less common or problematic words or characters# produce or consult lists or indexes# input characters on a computer or smartphoneC: Foreign students of Chinese, who need a tool for learning and annotating characters, and inputting them on a computer or smartphoneD: Foreign visitors who need an easy way to get around in China (identify people’s names, place names, names of products, items on a menu etc.)E: People outside of China who need easily-identifiable spellings for Chinese people and thingsRAQ 2: What is the purpose of romanization?Groups A & B: Romanization is supposed to correctly and unambiguously annotate the sounds of Chinese. Everything that sounds different to Chinese ears (initials 聲母, medials 介音, finals 韻母, and tones 聲調) should be explicitly marked when romanized. However, because of redundancies that are an integral part of Chinese phonology (音系規則, the Chinese sound system), people (especially computer users) can take shortcuts: tones are often left out, and IMEs (input method editors) can even ignore medials and finals (i.e. a computer user can type HYPY instead of hànyǔ pīnyīn: both yield the same result 漢語拼音).Group C: Foreign students are not aware of how Chinese sounds form patterns. Unlike native speakers, who learn phonology with their mother’s milk (so to speak), foreign beginners have definite trouble dealing with Hanyu Pinyin’s shorthand spellings.Hanyu Pinyin was designed for the convenience of native speakers of Chinese, so it is a less than ideal system for foreign learners, especially in the early stages.Group D: Tourists and short term visitors assume that Chinese is very difficult, so if they can go about their business without too much trouble, they are generally satisfied with Pinyin.Group E: This group has some limited, but very specific requirements that are not at all obvious to Chinese people who spend all their lives in a Chinese-only environment. Chinese people living in other countries need to be easily and unambiguously identified without referring to the Chinese characters of their names. This is where Hanyu Pinyin can cause EXTREMELY SERIOUS PROBLEMS.RAQ 3: Why should everyone use the same romanization?The five groups of users mentioned above have different needs that cannot all be properly served by Hanyu Pinyin. In the 1950s, when Hanyu Pinyin was designed, the world was a different place. The committee that set up and promulgated this romanization only needed to consider the needs of Chinese people within China. 60+ years later, the millions of Chinese who now live, travel or study abroad are affected by the shortcomings of Hanyu Pinyin’s shorthand spellings. Foreigners can also benefit from more than one approach.RAQ 4: Which problems does Pinyin (un)intentionally ignore?In 1956, Pinyin’s designers, who were influenced by Soviet linguists such as А. А. Драгунов 龍果夫, strove to create a simple China-only spelling system with single-letter spellings for each consonant. Thus, hard-to-type letters were used for common sounds: {ç = ch}, {ʐ = zh}, {ч = j}, {ŋ = ng}. Cyrillic, IPA and Latin letters were mixed together with no thought given to ease of use on standard ASCII typewriter keyboards: Robert Matthews (馬學進)'s answer to Why did the Chinese language begin using Latin letters for Pinyin?The 1958 final revision of Hanyu Pinyin finally settled on an all-Latin alphabet solution “with Chinese characteristics”, including some unique letter values that are not commonly used by European languages, such as q, x, z, c, u and i.Thus, people whose family name is either 徐 Xú or 許 Xǔ (both very common Chinese surnames: Shyu & Sheu in GR Tonal Spelling) are both spelled Xu, which many speakers of English will assume is pronounced the same as “Zoo”. Gross mispronunciations aside, Hanyu Pinyin can lead to much more serious problems.Because Pinyin tone marks are optional, the foreigner-readable versions of birth certificates, diplomas, degrees, household registration papers, hospital records, leases, licenses, passports and other documents do not show tones.Readers may ask: So what? Foreigners can’t pronounce tones anyway! What difference does it make?Here’s why. Including tones, Mandarin Chinese has about 1200 different syllables. For the sake of argument, let us assume that each and every syllable in Mandarin could be used as part of a name (obviously not true). Because most Chinese names consist of three syllables, GR Tonal Spelling could be used to write a maximum of 1200*1200*1200 = 1,728,000,000 phonetically distinctive names (although this would never be attempted, such a scheme would theoretically be enough for every person in China to have a unique name).https://www.quora.com/How-many-possible-syllables-are-there-in-Chinese-Mandarin/answer/Robert-Matthews-%E9%A6%AC%E5%AD%B8%E9%80%B2However, because Hanyu Pinyin omits tones, there is only a maximum of 400*400*400 = 64,000,000 distinctive names. Chinese names spelled in GR Tonal Spelling are much more distinctive than toneless Hanyu Pinyin names. 1,728,000,000 [GR] / 64,000,000 [PY] = 27 times more distinctive!Another way to put this: omitting the tones in romanized three-character Chinese names leads to potential information loss of as much as 96%.RAQ 5: How is 1928 GR Tonal Spelling better than 1958 Hanyu Pinyin?[Animated GIF: How abandoning GR Tonal Spelling led to scrambled Chinese surnames][Animated GIF: Different-Sounding Chinese Surnames That Are Unfortunately Blended In Pinyin]GR Tonal Spelling (a.k.a. Gwoyeu Romatzyh, National Phonetic Alphabet Version 2) was created by a small subgroup (數人會) of the committee responsible for creating National Phonetic Alphabet Version 1 (also known by the name Bopomofo or the anachronistic spelling Zhuyin Fuhao).The most important scholar behind the creation and popularization of GR Tonal Spelling is China’s greatest modern linguist, 趙元任 Chao Yuenren, a genius educated in the US who used his knowledge of mathematics, physics, music theory, phonetics and Chinese phonology to create a system based on “native speaker intuition” that also takes English orthographic habits into account (blending the two was not at all an easy task).GR Tonal Spelling is a “green” romanization that follows the Principle of Economy 經濟原則 and its three basic rules: keep, change, add 留改加. The 1st tone is usually the basic, unmodified form (“Keep”). The other three tones are spelled by making minimal changes to the basic form (“Change”), usually a different spelling for a glide vowel. If this is not possible, a letter is added (“Add”).Thus, tiau is a first tone form (spelled tiao in Hanyu Pinyin). The other three tones are spelled tyau, teau and tiaw. Notice how in each case the shape of the glide letter imitates the tone contour: The red bolded strokes of “y”, “e” and “w” are GIANT, indelible tone marks typable on any ASCII keyboard. They also provide valuable mnemonics for foreign learners struggling to remember the correct tones of words such as mae 買 and may 賣: “buy” and “sell”.Robert Matthews (馬學進)'s answer to As an English speaker, what's the best way to learn Chinese?[Animated GIF: 2nd tone tiau → tyau in GR Tonal Spelling; the tone mark is blended with the spelling of the medial vowel][Animated GIF: 3rd tone tiau → teau in GR Tonal Spelling; the tone mark is blended with the spelling][Animated GIF: 4th tone tiau → tiaw in GR Tonal Spelling; 4th tones are always marked at the end of a syllable: the tone mark is blended with the spelling]For almost 1900 years (since the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty), the 反切 fǎnqiè / faanchieh system has been used to indicate the pronunciation of Chinese characters.Each Chinese syllable is split into two parts: 聲母 shēngmǔ/shengmuu “the initial” (the single consonant, if any, at the beginning of a syllable) and 韻母yùnmǔ/yunnmuu “the final” (the rest of the syllable, including the tone). Bopomofo modifies this tradition by using 2-4 symbols to represent each syllable.First tone 張 (a common surname) is marked in Bopomofo with only 2 symbols, ㄓ+ㄤ (first tone is not explicitly marked).GR Tonal Spelling, Bopomofo’s younger brother, is similarly economical. Only four letters are needed for 張: j+ang (just like in the faanchieh system, ang includes the first tone).Fourth tone 賬 (account) is marked in Bopomofo with three symbols, ㄓ+ㄤ+ˋ, and GR Tonal Spelling still only requires four letters: j+anq (again, just like in the faanchieh system, anq includes the fourth tone).Hanyu Pinyin follows the all or nothing European approach of either ignoring all tones or marking all of them with tiny optional diacritics not found on ASCII keyboards. Pinyin thus uses 6 symbols for 1st tone 張 z+h+a+ˉ+n+g (a+ˉ are combined) and six symbols for 4th tone 賬 z+h+a+ˋ+n+g (a+ˋ are combined)Hanyu Pinyin is a system better suited to native speakers who are intimately familiar with the Mandarin phonological system.Thus, in Hanyu Pinyin the letters “i” and “u” have multiple pronunciations:(1) When “i” is preceded by z, c, or s, it is automatically pronounced as an unusual (for European ears) apical vowel /ɿ/, a mosquito-like buzzing sound.(2) When “i” is preceded by zh, ch or sh, it is pronounced as a similar-sounding /ʅ/.(3) When “i” is preceded by any other consonant and not followed by any other vowel letter, it is pronounced as a very different-sounding “normal” vowel /i/.(4) When “i” is preceded by any other consonant and followed by any other vowel letter, it is pronounced as a semi-vowel /j/.(5) When “i” is preceded by “u”, it is pronounced as /ej/ (not /ui/), as in 對 dui “correct”Hanyu Pinyin’s “u” follows similar rules.(1) When “u” is preceded by z, c, or s, it is pronounced as /u/.(2) When “u” is preceded by zh, ch or sh and not followed by any other vowel letter, it is pronounced as /u/.(3) When “u” is preceded by zh, ch or sh and followed by any other vowel letter, it is pronounced as a semi-vowel /w/.(4) When “u” is preceded by j, q, x, but not followed by any other vowel letter, “u” is pronounced as a front rounded semivowel /y/.(5) When “u” is preceded by j, q, x, but followed by any other vowel letter, it is pronounced as a semi-vowel /ɥ/ (palatal approximant)(6) When “u” is preceded by “i”, it is pronounced as /jow/, as in 休 xiu “to rest”, pronounced /ɕjow/, not /ziu/.Despite this hidden complexity, many foreigners who cut their teeth on Hanyu Pinyin swear by it and insist that it is much easier and more “reasonable” than GR Tonal Spelling (Gwoyeu Romatzyh)’s traditional 反切 based approach, with its three basic rules.Hanyu Pinyin economizes on symbols by assuming that its users are native speakers who can figure out what sounds right (“i” and “u” rules) automatically. Foreign beginners and casual readers (people who only occasionally need to pronounce Chinese words) have a very difficult time.GR combines Bopomofo’s traditional Chinese 反切 analysis with an ingenious spelling system that is mnemonically-based (letters with shapes that resemble tone contours are used to spell tones) and much more foreigner-friendly than Hanyu Pinyin (even foreigners who have never learned any Chinese at all can usually make a passable guess).Basically, whatever looks different in Gwoyeu Romatzyh sounds different to Chinese ears, and whatever sounds different looks different, including the four tones of Mandarin Chinese.GR Tonal Spelling (Gwoyeu Romatzyh) is widely used for spelling the names of well-educated people in Taiwan (doctors, lawyers, professors etc.).In Hanyu Pinyin, the following four names (Shy, Shyr, Shyy and Shyh) are blended together. Millions of people are forced to share one artificial giant surname (Shī + Shí + Shǐ + Shì → Shi) created for administrative convenience when producing foreigner-readable documents. Typing tone diacritics is a hassle: let Mr. Chabuduo handle everything.Professors, doctors etc. who use GR Tonal Spelling (painstakingly verified characters and professional details)[1st tone surname 施 SHy in GR Tonal Spelling] [Shī][2nd tone surname 石 SHyr in GR Tonal Spelling] [Shí][3rd tone surname 史 SHyy in GR Tonal Spelling] [Shǐ][4th tone surname 釋 SHyh in GR Tonal Spelling] [釋 is a surname adopted by Buddhists who give up their worldly property, including their original surnames] [Shì]A real-life example of potential confusion:(1) The PRC Ambassador to the German Federal Republic is 史明德 (spelled Shǐ Míngdé in “official” Pinyin).(2) Taiwan’s most famous political activist is 施明德 (spelled Shī Míngdé in “official” Pinyin).Imagine the confusion and embarrassment that would result if the PRC ambassador (Shi Mingde in “Street” Pinyin) was erroneously refused entry to a country that had banned the Taiwan activist (they seem to have exactly the same name)!Such problems could be easily eliminated if Chinese names were written using GR Tonal Spelling. 史明德, the ambassador, would be spelled Shyy Mingder and 施明德, the political activist, would be spelled Shy Mingder. The 1928 official spelling prevented such unfortunate misunderstandings.In Taiwan, even people with less common names use GR Tonal Spelling:[Surnames Jin 金 and Jinn 靳 (GR Tonal Spelling, Gwoyeu Romatzyh)]Surnames Bau 包 and Baw 鮑1. Professor Bau Da-Tian 包大靝http://webap.cmu.edu.tw/TchEportfolio/index_1/dtbauGraduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University2. Dr. Bau Tzong-ho 包宗和Professor of Department of Political Science, National Taiwan University監察院 - 人權主題網 ─ Members1. Aser Baw 鮑美瑟Animal Behavior Resource AssociationABRA國際認證訓練師資歷：2014 第二屆亞洲訓練師行為治療師培訓取得ABRA國際認證 LE 資格2. Wayne Baw 鮑維芳Wayne Baw 鮑維芳 (@waynebaw)https://www.linkedin.com/in/wayne-baw-9438a559/3. Spencer Baw鮑穎https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-4o7m65Xt6KAZejhUqT5FwIdentity Theft And Other Serious Problems Caused By Spelling ConfusionOutside of China, Hanyu Pinyin’s toneless version can lead to or facilitate:1) Mistaken Identity Arrests2) Identity Theft3) Credit Card Fraud4) Medical ErrorAll of these problems can cause financial pain or have life-changing consequences, such as job loss, imprisonment or even worse.1) Mistaken Identity ArrestsA policeman conducting a routine traffic stop may wind up arresting the driver. Why?For one thing, suspect descriptions on warrants can apply to many people: “A black-haired, thin Chinese man in his 20s”. Having a non-distinctive (no tones indicated), Pinyin-only name that is identical to the one on a warrant certainly wouldn’t help.[this subsection was upgraded from my reply to a comment by Ni Ming]:Taiwanese police have an excellent reputation for tracking down criminals and cracking difficult cases. I'm sure the mainland police are equally intelligent and professionally dedicated. Unfortunately, such praise is hard to apply to their American militarized counterparts, who have a reputation for shooting first and asking questions later.Even small town police departments use SWAT teams and armored personnel carriers to handle routine, non-violent cases (such as seizing a child with a fever late at night to take it to see a doctor). They use battering rams to smash down doors, shoot family dogs (even a chihuahua has been viewed as a “threat”) and leave extensive trauma in their wake, especially when they barge in on completely innocent people.If you Google “cops” + “wrong house”, or “cops” + “shoot dog”, you will get a flavor. I very much doubt American cops will stand patiently while listening to an explanation of the subtle tonal difference between three different Chinese surnames who are forced to share one single toneless spelling.Sara Angell's answer to Have you ever read something about yourself in your own medical notes that shocked you?Real people with false homonym namesForeigners outside of China have no way of knowing that 古真福, 顧振福, 辜振甫, 辜振富 are four different people. If they have PRC-issued ID documents, all four seem to have exactly the same name: Gu Zhenfu.Hanyu Pinyin: Gu Zhenfu ← Gǔ Zhēnfú, Gù Zhènfú, Gū Zhènfǔ, Gū ZhènfùThese are all real people:"古真福" - Google Search"顧振福" - Google Search"辜振甫" - Google Search辜振富 (Facebook)GR Tonal Spelling (different people, different names): Guu Jenfwu, Guh Jennfwu, Gu Jennfuu, GU JennfuhIf any one of these people commits a crime (such as ignoring a pile of unpaid parking tickets), the other three could mistakenly be arrested by a policeman whose warrant only says “Gu Zhenfu: wanted for being a scofflaw”.American police don’t fool around. Strictly following the law and making arrests improves their chances of promotion. What’s not to like?法律就是法律，美國警察不講人情.These supposed scofflaws will be thrown in jail, and they will wait for a judge to (hopefully) sort out the mess. How many innocent Chinese people have suffered because of an incomplete romanization that doesn’t work properly outside of China?1. Why Mistaken Identity Arrests Happen2. Can You Be Arrested with a Warrant for Someone Else? | WK LawBeing arrested, even if later proven to be a mistake, can have financial (expensive lawyers) and social consequences (job loss, shunning, shaming of one’s children), and there is sometimes nothing one can do.3. Man jailed based on mistaken identity can't sue, court rules***Examples of Mistaken Arrests Due to Having the Same Name1. Man With Accused Criminal's Name Battles Mistaken Identity2. Man Sues Police Over Mistaken Identity Arrest | Hartford Criminal Defense Attorney3. Woman held in case of mistaken identity to seek compensation [New Zealand]4. Innocent man arrested, jailed twice because of name5. This Woman Lost Kids and Job After Being Mistaken for Drug Trafficking Suspect with Same Name6. Mistaken identity leads to physical arrest of Victorville man at his front door7. Mistaken identity of same-name men causes wrong arrest by Edmond policehttps://www.edmondsun.com/news/mistaken-identity-of-same-name-men-causes-wrong-arrest-by/article_5715e26c-455d-11e6-bc1a-2fe6dfc0ba42.html8. When the Only Crime is a Common Name...9. Grandmother Arrested, Spends 5 Days in Jail.....Whoops, Wrong Person.2) Identity Theft3) Credit Card FraudIdentity theft is a serious problem that is often connected with credit card fraud. Because the US does not have a national ID card, other types of ID are used, some of which are easily forged.A case in point is signatures. Because they are not intimately familiar with Latin alphabet handwriting, many Chinese rely on a very simple foreign signature that is easily copied (to combat this problem in my university language classes, I often included instruction in cursive handwriting).Handwriting University Forgery Proof[Unhappy Consequences of Using Toneless Pinyin On Foreign Documents]A. Report: Medical Identity Theft – The Information Crime that Can Kill YouDefinition: “when someone uses an individual's identifying information, such as their health insurance information or social security number, without the individual's knowledge or permission, to obtain medical services or goods, or to obtain money by falsifying claims for medical services and falsifying medical records to support those claims.”Medical Identity theft can have all sorts of cserious consequences, including:1. Financial losses (you may be required to pay for someone elese’s expensive medical care),2. Harm from false entries in your medical record (such as being given the wrong type of blood)3. Insurance caps reached (Someone may have used up all of your coverage; any further treatment may be prohibitively expensive)Victims of medical identity theft find out the truth in many unexpected ways:1. collection notices (a collection agency insists that you have to pay a penalty for unpaid bills that have nothing to do with you)2. Notification by law enforcement, an insurance company, or a health care provider that you have a problem3. Your insurance company tells you that benefits have run out, or a “lifetime cap” has been reached (you have supposedly used up all of the benefits provided by your medical insurance)Report: Medical Identity Theft - The Information Crime that Can Kill YouB. Exploring Medical Identity TheftDesla Mancilla, MPA, RHIA, principal investigator and Jackie Moczygemba, MBA, RHIA, CCS, secondary investigator, associate professorPerspect Health Inf Manag. 2009; 6(Fall): 1e. || PMCID: PMC2804460 || PMID: 20169017Exploring Medical Identity TheftC. Medical Identity Theft in the Emergency Department: Awareness is CrucialMichelino Mancini, DOWest J Emerg Med. 2014 Nov; 15(7): 899–901. || doi: 10.5811/westjem.2014.8.22438 || PMCID: PMC4251251 || PMID: 25493150“According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), medical identity theft accounted for 3% of identity theft crimes, or 249,000 of the estimated 8.3 million people who had their identities stolen in 2005. More recently, the Ponemon Institute calculated that there were 1.84 million victims of medical identity theft in 2013.”Medical Identity Theft in the Emergency Department: Awareness is CrucialImage Credits (Public Domain images)Digital Camera, Happy Tooth images by Clker-Free-Vector-Images (Clker-Free-Vector-Images | Pixabay)Bubbleman images by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay (3dman_eu | Pixabay)Blender image: OpenClipart-Vectors from PixabayShi Mingde (the bigshot): CC BY-SA Raimond SpekkingShi Mingde (the Taiwanese activist): Public Domain image