Pinyin vs. the Phonics Plague
In Part 1, I asked whether my emails to SCMP, Liberty Times, and Global Times—plus blog posts dismantling dyslexia dogma—nudged Beijing’s October 25 crackdown. Now let’s dig deeper.
This isn’t about “misinformation.” It’s about shielding myths—especially those exposed by Pinyin’s quiet brilliance.
As a non-credentialed educator who’s helped 80+ children (many from the Chinese diaspora who ace Malay and Pinyin but flounder in “buh-a-tuh” English), my posts like Debating Pinyin Pitfalls (Sept 2025) aren’t rants. They’re revelations.
Pinyin’s genius? Syllable transparency. No schwa (extraneous sounds) sabotage. Kids decode intuitively. English phonics? A mess. Add extra sounds, confuse the learner, mislabel them “dyslexic.” The fix? Pure phonemes. But in credential-gated China, who’s listening?
Pinyin: The Uncredentialed Hero
Pinyin isn’t a pitfall—it’s proof. Chinese children master 408 syllables by age six, using them to unlock Hanzi. No need for PAD diagnoses. No need for “dyslexia” labels. Just clean instruction.
In Dyslexia in China (Dec 2024), I hammered this point. I even emailed China Daily: “Mandate pure /b/ in bilingual curricula. Stop exporting dyslexia.” No reply.
Now, under the new rules, influencers without degrees can’t touch education. Morocco World News says it’s to “standardize knowledge.” But standardize what? State scripts that ignore why “curious kids” get flushed from classrooms?
In The Perils of Face-Saving in Chinese Journalism (Oct 2025), I dissected this cultural reflex: better to mute the Malaysian emailer than admit the experts are wrong.
The Backfire
Here’s the twist: China’s crackdown may amplify uncredentialed wins abroad. My free tools? No degree needed—just results. Meanwhile, credentialed SoR (Science of Reading) gurus still peddle myths.
So, here’s my call—to parents, press, and the Party: Credentials don’t teach. Evidence does.
Decode freely. Question boldly. China’s children deserve Pinyin-level wins in every language.
P.S. No firewalls here. Questions? Fire away. In the shadow of face-saving, truth is the real credential.
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