A huge number of people communicate in Chinese. It is spoken by residents of China, as well as representatives of the Chinese people in other Asian countries. But while in other countries, residents of different cities and provinces understand each other perfectly, then the Chinese are getting harder. 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 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 areas. That is why the inhabitants of the northern regions can, albeit with difficulty, understand each other, because their dialects are much similar, unlike the inhabitants of the southern provinces.
The main reason for the appearance of dialects in the Chinese language is the fact that 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 writing, and this contributed to the formation of new language systems. But at the same time, these differences practically did not affect the written language.
The formation of Chinese writing
The history of Chinese writing dates back 4,000 years. Its main feature is that changes in spoken language practically did not affect writing. Hieroglyphs are used for writing. The difficulty is that one character can mean different words.
Then the hieroglyphic system developed in order to simplify their spelling and introduce a single letter throughout the country. At the beginning of the twentieth century, it was decided to simplify the writing of hieroglyphs, because, according to the government, the complex spelling of characters slowed down the development of the economy. And in 1964, the simplified spelling of hieroglyphs received state status. And such hieroglyphs became the main letter in the territory of China.
The main types of adverbs
How many dialects are there in Chinese? Most linguists adhere to this classification:
- Northern dialects (guanhua).
- Ghan.
- Hakka (Kejia).
- Ming.
- U.
- Xiang.
- Yue (Cantonese).
Some linguists add three more to these groups: pinhua, jin, and anhui. These are the main dialects of the Chinese language.
Guanhua
This is also called the group of northern dialects. This is the most common dialect of the Chinese language - it is spoken by about 800 million people. These include the Beijing dialect of putonghua, which was adopted in the 50-60s. The twentieth century as the official language of China, Singapore and Taiwan.
Western linguists gave another name to this dialect of the Chinese language - "mandarin". This is due to the translation of the word "guanhua" - "official letter". And Mandarin officials in Chinese are called guan. The northern group of dialects has several branches, depending on the geographical location. Guanhua is the most common dialect of Chinese.
Business negotiations are being held at Putonghua, it is spoken by members of the government and also taught at educational institutions. This dialect is worth learning, especially if you want to do business in China.
Adverbs gan and hakka
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. In total, 20 million people communicate in this dialect.
The dialect Hakka (Kejia) is also common in the province of Jiangxi, but in its southern regions. This dialect is also found in the central and northwestern regions of Guangdong province 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 in a separate language.
The phonetic component of hakka is very similar to Middle Chinese. It is based on the Meixiang dialect, which is common in Guangdong. More than 20 million people speak this language.
Adverbs min and u
The Chinese dialect of min is one of the oldest. Ming is also another name for Fujian province, it is there that this dialect is most common. Minsk language groups are also found in the southeastern part of China, including on the islands of Hainan and Taiwan.
Dialect y is the most extensive after putonghua. This branch is also called the Shanghai dialect. Therefore, if you want to establish contact with the people of China, it would be nice to learn it. Its area of distribution is quite large: in most of Zhejiang, in Shanghai and in the southern regions of Jiangsu. Also, the adverb is found in the provinces of Anhui, Jiangxi and Fujian. Phonetically, the languages of this group are distinguished by soft and light sound.
Adverbs Xiang (Hunan) and Yue
About 8% of the country's population speaks a dialect of Chinese. This dialect is divided into two branches: Novosyansk and Starosyansk. Of greatest interest to linguists is the Starosyansk branch. And the development of the Novyosyansk branch was influenced by the dialect of putonghua.
The Yue language group is also called Cantonese. She received this name from the British, who by Canton meant the province of Guangzhou. Huess dialects are common in Guangdong and other nearby areas. The main among this group of dialects is Guangzhou. Cantonese is also spoken in Hong Kong.
Pinghua, Anhui, and Jin Adverb Groups
These linguistic groups are not all linguists singled out separately, but are often included in the traditional classification. The Pinghua dialect is part of the Cantonese dialect group, and their main dialect is Nanning. As for 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 dialect group of u. The jin dialect is most similar to guanhua.
Why study other dialects?
What is the most common dialect of Chinese? This is putonghua, so many believe that studying other dialects is not necessary at all. Of course, for doing business you should study the most widespread dialect, but if you want to visit other provinces you should study the features of their culture.
In addition, many elderly Chinese people do not speak Putonghua, because it is not their native dialect, because it became state only in the 50-60s. Also, Chinese people are very sensitive to their traditions, and their dialect is part of a centuries-old culture. Thus, you will demonstrate 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? Many Chinese do not speak English, and those who speak it 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 depends on the key. From what intonation you say the word, its meaning depends. This tonal system in each dialect is somewhat different from others in the predominance of certain intonations.
China is one of the fastest growing economies, so learning the Chinese language is very promising. The peculiarity of the Chinese mentality is such that they follow traditions, and you will attract them more if you speak their language. Of course, the grammatical component is complex, and it is difficult for foreigners to master their written speech, therefore it is enough to learn the most necessary words and phrases.
The Chinese language is very interesting and multifaceted. By studying various dialects, you can better learn the culture of the state. This is an amazing country in which the inhabitants of the southern provinces may not understand the inhabitants of the north. And that motivates me to learn more about Chinese culture.