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The Chinese language is unique precisely because of its distinct history and development. But it is also a language in constant flux. The standardized form of spoken Chinese is Standard Mandarin (Putonghua/Guoyu), based on the Beijing dialect. Standard Mandarin is the official language of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan), as well as one of four official languages of Singapore. Of the other varieties, Standard Cantonese is common and influential in Cantonese-speaking overseas communities, and remains one of the official languages of Hong Kong (together with English) and of Macau (together with Portuguese). Min Nan, part of the Min language group, is widely spoken in southern Fujian, in neighbouring Taiwan (where it is known as Taiwanese or Hoklo) and in Southeast Asia (where it dominates in Singapore and Malaysia and is known as Hokkien).
Spoken Chinese is distinguished by its high level of internal diversity, though all spoken varieties of Chinese are tonal and analytic. There are between six and twelve main regional groups of Chinese (depending on classification scheme), of which the most populous (by far) is Mandarin (c. 850 million), followed by Wu (c. 90 million), Min (c. 70 million) and Cantonese (c. 70 million). Most of these groups are mutually unintelligible, though some, like Xiang and the Southwest Mandarin dialects, may share common terms and some degree of intelligibility.
The Chinese spoken language consists of numerous dialects which differ from each other so much that Chinese from Beijing can hardly communicate with an inhabitant of Guangzhou in south China. The unifying element of the Chinese cultural area is not the Chinese language but the Chinese script.
Therefore it is no wonder that e.g. on Chinese television (besides live broadcasts) every telecast is transmitted with Chinese character subtitles. In 1955 the so-called Mandarin "Putonghua" (common speech) was declared official language. It is based on the "Beijinghua" the dialect of Beijing.
Young Chinese learn Mandarin at school but when talking to elder Chinese or people in the country even an experienced learner of Mandarin might have problems to make himself understood. The Chinese language at least the basics aren't particularly difficult to learn. The grammar is fairly simple. There is no declension or conjugation, no gender and no plurals.
The real problems of mastering Chinese lie in the 4 tones, the Chinese characters and the vast number of proverbs which are preferably used by educated people. The Chinese proverbs usually consist of only a few characters but their background is a whole story which has to been known in order to understand the meaning of the sentence.
Origins of writing in China
The Chinese writing system is one of the oldest known written languages. Most linguists believe that writing was invented in China during the latter half of the 2nd millennium BC and that there is no evidence to suggest the transmission of writing from elsewhere.
The Four periods of Chinese writing
Earliest recognisable examples of written Chinese date from 1500-950 BC (Shang dynasty) and were inscribed on ox scapulae and turtle shells - "oracle bones".
Written Chinese evolved out of a 'pictographic' script - meaning that each character was a picture of an idea or thing into a 'logographic' system, in which each character stands for a spoken syllable.
Da zhuan (Greater Seal). This script appeared mostly on cast bronze vessels and appeared primarily between 1100 - 700 B.C
Xiao zhuan (Lesser Seal). This is the elegant, flowing script we normally associate with Chinese writing. This version of Chinese calligraphy was the predecessor for the more streamlined version of modern writing. The lesser seal script was originally found on bamboo scrolls, but you can still find this beautiful Chinese calligraphy on silk writings and landscape paintings.
Lis shu (Clerkly Script). This is the modern Chinese writing system. This set of symbols became popular in part for its flowing script that was fast and efficient to write. Also, this writing system was much easier to use with pens, brushes and paper, which is part of the reason it was adapted as the main Chinese calligraphy method.
Current Chinese writing includes two main methods of writing symbols, the Wenyan method which uses classical Chinese symbols, and the Baihua method which includes vernacular Chinese symbols. The two systems combine to bridge the gap between ancient Chinese writings and modern day vocabulary.
By: Shabina Sanad
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