Shanhainese would be 吴语, rather than the 汉语 of Mandarin. And the choice of Beijing Han as the linga chinois was an active choice, not an accident of broadcasting.
Likewise, the first BBC broadcasts were deliberate in their choice of RP as the chosen voice. It had to be “respectable”. If you didn’t speak it, you weren’t allowed on the airwaves until much later.
Shanhainese would be 吴语, rather than the 汉语 of Mandarin. And the choice of Beijing Han as the linga chinois was an active choice, not an accident of broadcasting.
Likewise, the first BBC broadcasts were deliberate in their choice of RP as the chosen voice. It had to be “respectable”. If you didn’t speak it, you weren’t allowed on the airwaves until much later.
Thanks. Those are the “different historical reasons” I was alluding to but I couldn’t remember many details. Thank you for adding them.
I’m glad to have been able to add more details.
And thank you for the polite reply; I may have been unduly brusque as I misunderstood your “just who happened to be on” comment.