Where to Get Characters (was:Language Difficulty)

From: "Adam Walker"

> Nasty little Mandarinisms.  BTW  anyone know an online resource for
> nonstandard/"dialect" characters???
Nope, but if you find one, let me know! :)

The "Guo2 Tai2 Shuang1Yu3 Ci3dian3" by Yang2 Qing1 Chu4 is a *totally* cool
reference overall, a little pricey if you're on a shoestring (but hey,
you're working, you sinonut you, so indulge), but seemed to be gaining
popularity when I left. You should be able to find that at Caves or Eslite.
Trouble is, he coins his own characters, which I never saw getting accepted
into the mainstream. "Pu3tong1hua4 Min3nan2yu3 Ci2dian3" has no one
claimant, but is mainland-produced and was becoming more available when I
left (it's also in simplified characters, if that's an issue). They seem to
really dig for character equivalents, which I liked. Found that
serendipitously at a backstreet bookshop, but saw it elsewhere before
leaving. There was also a kind of Taiwanese "Readers' Digest" which featured
funky new characters to meet the newly emerging written literature in
Taiwanese (that month's copy at C or E, and then you subscribe).

Cantonese? I still defer to Sidney Lau. Comprehensive, it's not, but a
*great* starting point. (Should you go to HK, *great* bookstore a block over
from the Chungking Mansions in Kowloon -- don't remember the names of any of
those streets. Nathan? and then a block west)

Shanghainese? Heh, heh. *I* have the great one. Another serendipitous find.
Going to Shanghai? We'll talk. :)

Kou