Suzhou Church Launches Dialect Courses

江苏一教堂“讲讲苏州话”班开课，首期共有23名学员报名。

据相城堂，9月18日下午，苏州市相城堂“讲讲苏州话”班开课，由该堂汪晓明牧师主讲。

苏州话因其软糯婉转向来被认为是吴侬软语的典型代表。曾几何时，在古城苏州的大街小巷，常常可以听到轻柔悠扬的苏州话。20世纪80年代，吴语区开始推行普通话，使得吴语区的年轻人都能说好普通话；而一些新生代的苏州本地人已经不大会讲苏州话。在推广普通话的同时，保护方言的传承成为近年来社会关注的热点。

相城堂开设苏州话学习班，旨在在信徒中推广普及苏州话；使他们能更好地融入苏州文化，服务苏州社会。

Xiangcheng Church in Suzhou, Jiangsu province has launched the Suzhou Dialect training courses, with 23 students enrolled in the first session.

Rev. Wang Xiaoming of the church serves as the instructor in the class which started on September 18, said the church.

Suzhou dialect, known for its soft and melodious tones, is widely considered the representative of the Wu dialect. There was a time when the Suzhou dialect could be heard throughout the streets and alleys of the ancient city of Suzhou. However, in the 1980s, the Wu-speaking regions began to promote Mandarin, leading the younger generation to become proficient in Mandarin. As a result, some of the younger residents of Suzhou are now less fluent in the Suzhou dialect. While promoting Mandarin, the preservation of local dialects has become a growing concern in recent years.

The class aims to promote and popularize the dialect among its congregants, helping them inherit cultural heritage and serve the local community.