It has taken six years for scholars from the mainland and Taiwan to work together on the Cross-Strait Common Vocabulary Dictionary. The project was initiated in 2008 to reduce the differences in the meaning of words and phrases caused by the language evolving separately with little overlap for over six decades in the two regions.

Over the years, scholars have puzzled over thousands of word to compile this dictionary. The final version has more than 10,000 entries and over 10 million words.

As a member of the team from Taiwan, I have noticed some unanticipated phenomenon during my work on the dictionary that I think is worth sharing.

First, about 93 percent of the words used in the two regions have the same meaning and usage pattern, while only about 8,000 words and phrases are used in different way, indicating a smaller-than-expected difference. Among all the words used differently between Taiwan and the Mainland, the number of words unique to the mainland is about three times more than those only used in Taiwan. The number of words used exclusively on the mainland has grown quickly since 2014. It may reflect the fact that mainland culture is more diverse due to its vast territory.

Next, more new words and phrases are emerging including many loanwords derived from other languages. Every year, more than 1,000 new words related to fields such as international affairs, economics and other academic disciplines and celebrities appear, but the different translations adopted by the mainland and Taiwan have caused confusion among readers. We have discussed the need to set up a platform to unify the meaning of new nouns that are translated from other languages to make it easier for readers on both sides of the strait to have a common understanding. But the problem is that new words emerge so quickly that some words have multiple translations within the mainland or Taiwan.

Third, Internet slang spreads quickly, although some words remain popular only for a short while. Whether these kinds of words should be included in the dictionary remains a question. Scholars have to discuss words on a case by case basis to make a decision to include those that have a greater social influence and implication in the dictionary.

Finally, the language used in the two regions has been converging quickly. Thanks to the Internet there is now more frequent cross-strait communication, allowing the two sides, especially the young generation, to start developing a shared understanding of more words and phrases. The meanings many of the words that had differences when the drafting of the dictionary started have now converged.

Many slang terms that originated in the mainland or Taiwan have been passed to the other side via the Internet and become popular among young people, indicating the increasing convergence of culture on both sides.

After years of working on the dictionary, we have understood that the fundamental issue behind the language divergence between the mainland and Taiwan is the cultural difference, especially in terms of the political system and lifestyle. Explanations in a dictionary only solve part of the problem but different understandings stem from differences in experiences and value judgments. For instance, the interpretation of words like "land reform" and "export processing industry" varies reflecting the differences in policy and practices between the two sides. The Internet makes communication easier among the younger generations, but also creates room for more misunderstandings and conflicts.

Even so, we are very positive about the future cultural exchange between the young generation in Taiwan and the mainland, because the closer social and economic ties have given rise to more shared interests and topics for young people who also bear less of a historical burden. Over the past six years of working on the dictionary, I have felt this change and I have become increasingly optimistic about the future.

I hope the two sides can create more platforms for young people to share their talents, in technology, culture, business and other areas. If the youth can join hands in the future, will there be anything linked to cross-strait relations that can't be solved?

Yang Du is a Taiwan novelist