Many people speak Chinese. It is spoken by the people of China, as well as representatives of the Chinese people in other Asian countries. But if in other countries the inhabitants of different cities and provinces perfectly understand each other, then the Chinese are more complicated. There are many dialects in Chinese that can be very different from each other. Despite the fact that in 1955 the main dialect was chosen - Putonghua, other dialects continue to exist. This is due to the fact that these dialects are part of a centuries-old culture.
Why so many adverbs?
Linguists divide the Chinese territory into two large dialects - northern and southern. Important historical events took place in the northern part of the country, and everything was calm in the southern part, but it was divided into separate regions. That is why the inhabitants of the northern regions can, albeit with difficulty, understand each other, because their dialects are in many ways similar, unlike the inhabitants of the southern provinces.
The main reason for the appearance in Chinesedialects - this is what many Chinese people moved from province to province, and their contacts with representatives of other peoples. As a result, there was an exchange of vocabulary, phonetics and features of written speech, and this contributed to the formation of new language systems. But at the same time, these differences practically did not affect the written language.
Formation of Chinese writing
The history of Chinese writing goes back 4,000 years. Its main feature is that changes in oral speech practically did not affect writing. Hieroglyphs are used for writing. The difficulty lies in the fact that one hieroglyph can denote different words.
Further, the hieroglyphic system developed in order to simplify their writing and introduce a single letter throughout the country. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was decided to simplify the writing of hieroglyphs, because, according to the government, the complex writing of characters slowed down the development of the economy. And in 1964, the simplified writing of hieroglyphs received state status. And such hieroglyphs became the main letter in China.
Main types of adverbs
How many dialects are there in Chinese? Most linguists adhere to this classification:
- Northern dialects (guanhua).
- Gan.
- Hakka (Kejia).
- Min.
- U.
- Xiang.
- Yue (Cantonese).
Some linguists add three more to these groups: pinghua, jin and anhui. These are the main dialects of Chinese.
Guanhua
This is another name for a group of northern dialects. It is the most widespread dialect of the Chinese language - it is spoken by about 800 million people. This includes the Beijing putonghua dialect, which was adopted in the 50s-60s. XX century as the official language of China, Singapore and Taiwan.
Western linguists have given another name to this dialect of Chinese - "Mandarin". This is due to the translation of the word "guanhua" - "official letter". And mandarin officials are called "guan" in Chinese. The northern group of dialects has several branches, depending on the geographical location. Guanhua is the most widely spoken Chinese dialect.
Putonghua is negotiated in business, spoken by members of the government, and taught in educational institutions. This dialect is worth learning, especially if you want to do business in China.
Gan and Hakka dialects
The Gan dialect is spoken by residents of Jiangxi Province, namely the central and northern parts. It is also common in other Chinese provinces: Fujian, Anhui, Hubei and Hunan. A total of 20 million people speak this dialect.
The Hakka dialect (kejia) is also common in Jiangxi province, but in its southern regions. Also, this dialect is found in the central and northwestern regions of Guangdong and in the west of Fujian. In addition, there are people who speak this dialect in Taiwan and Hainan. But in the West, this dialect is distinguished inseparate language.
Hakka's phonetic component is very similar to Middle Chinese. It is based on the Meixian dialect, which is common in Guangdong. More than 20 million people speak this dialect.
Min and wu
The Min dialect of Chinese is one of the oldest. Min is also another name for Fujian Province, where this dialect is most common. Min language groups are also found in the southeastern part of China, including the islands of Hainan and Taiwan.
The Wu dialect is the most extensive after Mandarin Chinese. This branch is also called the Shanghai dialect. Therefore, if you want to establish contact with the people of China, then it would be nice to learn it. Its distribution area is quite large: in most of Zhejiang province, in Shanghai and in the southern regions of Jiangsu province. Wu is also found in the provinces of Anhui, Jiangxi and Fujian. Phonetically, the languages of this group are distinguished by their soft and light sound.
Xiang (Hunan) and Yue dialects
Chinese Xiang is spoken by about 8% of the country's population. This dialect is divided into two branches: Novosyansk and Starosyansk. Of greatest interest to linguists is the Starosyanskaya branch. And the development of the Novosyanskaya branch was influenced by the Putonghua dialect.
The Yue language group is also called Cantonese. It received this name from the British, who by Canton meant the province of Guangzhou. Yues dialects are common in Guangdong and other areas,those nearby. The main among this group of dialects is Guangzhou. Cantonese is also spoken in Hong Kong.
Pinghua, Anhui and Jin dialect groups
These language groups are not singled out separately by all linguists, but are often included in the traditional classification. The Pinghua dialect is part of the Cantonese group of dialects, and their main dialect is Nanning. And about the Anhui group, linguists have different opinions: some believe that it belongs to the Gan group, others believe that they are part of the northern dialects, and another group that they belong to the Wu dialect group. Jin is most similar to guanhua.
Why learn other dialects?
Which dialect of Chinese is the most common? This is Mandarin, so many people think that learning other dialects is not necessary at all. Of course, for doing business, you should learn the most common dialect, but if you want to visit other provinces, you should study their culture.
In addition, many older Chinese do not speak Mandarin, because it is not their native dialect, because it became state only in the 50s and 60s. Also, the people of China are very sensitive to their traditions, and their dialect is part of a centuries-old culture. In this way, you will show respect for the Chinese and it will be easier for you to communicate with them.
Why is it best to learn basic Chinese phrases before traveling to China? Manythe Chinese do not speak English, and those who do speak a bizarre mixture of Chinese and English. Therefore, to make it easier for you to communicate with the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom, learn the basic phrases in several dialects.
When learning Chinese, also pay attention to the fact that everything in it depends on tonality. The way you pronounce a word determines its meaning. This tonal system in each dialect differs somewhat from others in the predominance of certain intonations.
China is one of the fastest growing economies, so learning Chinese is very promising. The peculiarity of the mentality of the Chinese is such that they observe traditions, and you will win them over if you speak their language. Of course, the grammatical component is difficult, and it is difficult for foreigners to master their written language, so it is enough to learn the most necessary words and phrases.
Chinese language is very interesting and multifaceted. By studying different dialects, you can get to know the culture of the state better. This is an amazing country in which the inhabitants of the southern provinces may not understand the inhabitants of the northern ones. And it motivates me to study Chinese culture more.
