UK Education Secretary Michael Gove is surprised to find that “a thick book with screeds of Chinese characters and the odd paragraph in English” is the homework of students which has been published in academic journals. In response, his op-ed calls for “a cultural revolution just like the one they’ve had in China”. Since it’s hard to know where to start in on the awfulness, I’ll just refer you to Shanghaiist’s take: “Suffice to say for now what really took the cake was his public fellation of communist China’s founding father…”

Laowai Chinese takes on another vocabulary question with prescriptivist overtones by asking “What’s up with Persuade?” — i.e. 说服, shuìfú or shuōfú.

Victor Mair on Language Log discusses “English Banned in Chinese Writing“. I have to admit that I was very dismissive about the whole proposal when it was discussed in April 2010 (here’s Mair’s take on it then). I don’t think I even bothered to link to it, considering it one of those seasonal political proposals that would come and go — like discussions about changing the name of the Richland Bombers (yes, as in atomic bomb) to something less destructive. But the fact that the ban has reached this level of formal implementation proves that I know nothing about Zhongnanhai machinations. If anyone has insight into the scope and significance of the ban, it would be great to hear from you. My guess is still that there’s a lot of smoke and a lot less heat to it, but what do I know…

A Naxi script must-read for those who think that “polishing one’s jade instrument” is an off-color euphemism.