Virtually every Taiwanese University begins with 國立 (National…). Referring to them as NTU, NCKU, NCTU, NFCKU, just confuses that crap out of people. Starting every univesity with N makes no sense because it’s superfluous. Tokyo University is called Todai. NTU should just be called Taida.
I propose a new system.
Taiwan University: Taida
Chinghua University: Chinghua
Jiaotong University: Traffic
Chengchi University (my parents’ alma mater): Political. As in, “My parents graduated from Political.”
Chenggong University: Success
That’s literally how locals refer to these universities in Chinese.
In my opinion, the initials of NTU, NCKU, and other national universities are often associated with clothing and souvenirs that somewhat seek to emulate American universities
Oh, you’re talking about the English nicknames? That’s not a problem for most people, as they just call them by their Chinese nicknames.
Also, I think calling them “Traffic” and “Success” would be confusing, since the Chinese names don’t actually mean those things. (Unless it’s already clear that you are being punny.)
I will say I was on a zoom conference once and one of the contributors from China kept referring to NTU as Taiwan University. I don’t know if this is a PRC thing or not–obviously they don’t think of it as “national.” I hadn’t thought about it wondered if maybe it’s added to emphasize Taiwan as a nation. I honestly don’t know why the word is there–possibly to distinguish one class of universities from another, but possibly also to emphasize that Taiwan is a nation.
Yes and it is apparently forbidden for PRC folks to say that.
I guess they could use “Administered by the Local Taiwan Authorities, Some of Whom are Dangerous Splittists Who Will Never Succeed in Dividing the Motherland” instead. I doubt that would make the acronyms you seem to hate any better.
The acronymnical dieties must have been watching - or perhaps there are just unprecedented levels of moqi tonight - because an institute with the grande olde name of ‘NTUEIMPLAI’ just started a froumosa thread! That’s like going for a jog and Usain Bolt pulls up alongside from out of nowhere.
