The Use of Pinyin and Simplified Chinese Characters in the People's Republic of China and Their Impact on Chinese Literacy and Language Learning in Modern China and the U.S

This thesis will examine the use of both traditional and simplified characters before and after the language reforms by the communist government, to address the question of whether these changes have been effective for the study of Chinese language in the context of literacy and its use as an international language.;In addition, this thesis will explore the aesthetics of Chinese characters and address questions of whether aesthetic choices should outweigh practicality in the reform of the written language.