Languages of China

Mandarin vs. Cantonese: Which Chinese language should I learn ...

src: www.brainscape.com

The languages of China are the languages that are spoken in China. The predominant language in China, which is divided into seven major language groups (classified as dialects by the Chinese government for political reasons), is known as Hanyu (simplified Chinese: ??; traditional Chinese: ??; pinyin: Hàny?) and its study is considered a distinct academic discipline in China. Hanyu, or Han language, spans eight primary varieties, that differ from each other morphologically and phonetically to such a degree that they will often be mutually unintelligible, similarly to English and German or Danish. The languages most studied and supported by the state include Chinese, Mongolian, Tibetan, Uyghur and Zhuang. China has 299 living languages listed at Ethnologue. According to the 2010 edition of the Nationalencyklopedin, 955 million out of China's then-population of 1.34 billion spoke some variety of Mandarin Chinese as their first language, accounting for 71% of the country's population.

Standard Chinese (known in China as Putonghua), a form of Mandarin Chinese, is the official national spoken language for the mainland and serves as a lingua franca within the Mandarin-speaking regions (and, to a lesser extent, across the other regions of mainland China). Several other autonomous regions have additional official languages. For example, Tibetan has official status within the Tibet Autonomous Region, and Mongolian has official status within Inner Mongolia. Language laws of China do not apply to either Hong Kong or Macau, which have different official languages (Cantonese, English and Portuguese) than the mainland.

Video Languages of China

Spoken languages

The spoken languages of nationalities that are a part of the People's Republic of China belong to at least nine families:

The Sino-Tibetan family: 19 official ethnicities (including the Han and Tibetans)
The Tai-Kadai family: several languages spoken by the Zhuang, the Bouyei, the Dai, the Dong, and the Hlai (Li people). 9 official ethnicities.
The Hmong-Mien family: 3 official ethnicities
The Austroasiatic family: 4 official ethnicities (the De'ang, Blang, Gin (Vietnamese), and Wa)
The Turkic family: Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Salars, etc. 7 official ethnicities.
The Mongolic family: Mongols, Dongxiang, and related groups. 6 official ethnicities.
The Tungusic family: Manchus (formerly), Hezhe, etc. 5 official ethnicities.
The Koreanic family: Korean language
The Indo-European family: 2 official ethnicities (the Russians and Tajiks (actually Pamiri people). There is also a heavily Persian-influenced Äynu language spoken by the Äynu people in southwestern Xinjiang who are officially considered Uyghurs.
The Austronesian family: 1 official ethnicity (the Gaoshan, who speak many languages of the Formosan branch), 1 unofficial (the Utsuls, who speak the Tsat language but are considered Hui.)

Below are lists of ethnic groups in China by linguistic classification. Ethnicities not on the official PRC list of 56 ethnic groups are italicized. Respective Pinyin transliterations and Chinese characters (both simplified and traditional) are also given.

Sino-Tibetan

Sinitic
- Chinese/Han, Hàn, ?, ?
  - Chinese Muslim/Hui, Huí, ?
  - Mandarin Chinese/Guanhua, Gu?nhuà, ??, ??
  - Jin Chinese, jìn, ?, ?
  - Wu Chinese, ngu¹, ?, ?
    - Shanghainese
  - Huizhou Chinese, Hu?, ?
  - Yue Chinese, Yuè, ?
    - Cantonese
  - Ping Chinese, Píng, ?
  - Gan Chinese, Gàn, ?, ?
  - Xiang Chinese, Xi?ng, ?
  - Hakka language, Kèji?, ??
  - Min Chinese, M?n, ?, ?
    - Southern Min
    - Eastern Min
    - Pu-Xian Min
    - Leizhou Min
    - Hainanese
    - Northern Min
    - Central Min
    - Shao-Jiang Min
- Bai, Bái, ?
Tibeto-Burman
- Tujia, T?ji?, ??
- Qiangic
  - Qiang, Qi?ng, ?
    - Northern Qiang
    - Southern Qiang
  - Pumi/Prinmi, P?m?, ??
  - Baima, Báim?, ??, ??
  - Tangut, X?xià, ?? (extinct)
- Bodish
  - Tibetan, Zàng, ?
    - Central Tibetan (Standard Tibetan)
    - Amdo Tibetan
    - Khams Tibetan
  - Lhoba, Luòb?, ??
  - Monpa/Monba, Ménb?, ??, ??
- Lolo-Burmese-Naxi
  - Burmish
    - Achang, ?ch?ng, ??
  - Loloish
    - Yi, Yí, ?
    - Lisu, Lìsù, ??
    - Lahu, L?hù, ??
    - Hani, H?ní, ??
    - Jino, J?nuò, ??, ??
  - Nakhi/Naxi, Nàx?, ??, ??
- Jingpho-Nungish-Luish
  - Jingpho, J?ngp?, ??, ??
  - Derung, Dúlóng, ??, ??
  - Nu, Nù, ?
    - Nusu, Nùs?, ??
    - Rouruo, Róuruò, ??

Kra-Dai

(Possibly the ancient B?iyuè ??)

Kra
- Gelao, G?l?o, ??
Kam-Sui
- Dong, Dòng, ?
- Sui, Shu?, ?
- Maonan, Màonán, ??
- Mulao/Mulam, Mùl?o, ??
Hlai/Li, Lí, ?
Tai
- Zhuang (Vahcuengh), Zhuàng, ?, ?
  - Northern Zhuang, B?ibù Zhuàngy?, ????, ????
  - Southern Zhuang, Nánbù Zhuàngy?, ????, ????
- Bouyei, Bùy?, ??
- Dai, D?i, ?
  - Tai Lü language, D?ilèy?, ???, ???
  - Tai Nüa language, Déhóng D?iy?, ????, ????
  - Tai Dam language, D?in?y?, ???; D?id?ny?, ???
  - Tai Ya language, D?iy?y?, ???
  - Tai Hongjin language, Hónghé D?iy?, ????, ????

Turkic

Karluk
- Uyghur, Wéiwú?r, ???, ???
- Äynu, Àin?, ??
- Uzbek, W?z?biékè, ????, ????
Kipchak
- Kazakh, H?sàkè, ???, ???
- Kyrgyz, K??rkèz?, ????, ????
- Tatar, T?t??r, ???, ???
Oghuz
- Salar, S?lá, ??
Siberian
- Western Yugur, Yùgù, ??
- Fuyu Kyrgyz, Fúyú Jí'?rjís?, ??????
- Tuvan, túw?, ??
- Old Uyghur, Huíhú, ?? (extinct)
Old Turkic, T?jué, ?? (extinct)

Mongolic

Mongolian, M?ngg?, ??
Oirat, wèil?tè, ???
- Torgut Oirat, t??rhùtè, ????
Buryat, bùl?yàtè, ????
Daur, Dáwò'?r, ???
Southeastern
- Monguor, T? [Zú], ?[?]
  - Eastern Yugur, Yùgù, ??
- Dongxiang, D?ngxi?ng, ??, ??
- Bonan, B?o?n, ??
- Kangjia, K?ngji?, ???, ???
Tuoba, Tuòbá, ?? (extinct)

Para-Mongolic

Khitan, Qìd?n, ?? (extinct)
Tuyuhun, T?yùhún, ??? (extinct)

Tungusic

Southern
- Manchu, M?nzh?u/M?n, ??/?, ??/?
  - Jurchen, N?zh?n, ?? (extinct)
- Xibe, X?bó, ??, ??
- Nanai/Hezhen, Hèzhé, ??
Northern
- Evenki, Èw?nkè, ???
- Oroqen, Èlúnch?n, ???, ???

Korean/Choson

Korean, Cháoxi?n, ??, ??

Japanese

Hmong-Mien

(Possibly the ancient Nánmán ??, ??)

Hmong/Miao, Miáo, ?
Mien/Yao, Yáo, ?, ?
She, Sh?, ?

Austroasiatic

Palaung-Wa
- Palaung/Blang, Bùl?ng, ??
- De'ang, Déáng, ??
- Wa/Va, W?, ?
Vietnamese/Kinh, J?ng, ?

Austronesian

Formosan languages, G?osh?n, ??
Tsat, Huíhu? ??

Indo-European

Russian, Éluós?, ???, ???
Tocharian, t?hu?luó, ??? (extinct)
Saka, s?i, ? (extinct)
Pamiri, (mislabelled as "Tajik", T?jíkè, ???)
- Sarikoli, sèl?ikù'?r, ????
- Wakhi, w?h?n, ??
Portuguese (spoken in Macau)
English (spoken in Hong Kong and in Weihai)
German (spoken in Qingdao)
French (spoken in Zhanjiang)

Yeniseian

Jie (Kjet), Jié, ? (extinct)

Unclassified

Ruan-ruan (Rouran), Rúrú, ?? (extinct)

Mixed

Wutun, W?tún, ?? (Mongolian-Tibetan mixed language)
Macanese, T?sh?ngpú, ??? (Portuguese creole)

Maps Languages of China

Written languages

The following languages traditionally had written forms that do not involve Chinese characters (hanzi):

The Dai - Tai Lü language or Tai Nüa language - Tai Lü alphabet or Tai Nüa alphabet
The Kazakhs - Kazakh language - Kazakh Arabic alphabet
The Koreans - Korean language - Chos?n'g?l alphabet
The Kyrgyz - Kyrgyz language - Kyrgyz Arabic alphabet
The Manchus - Manchu language - Manchu alphabet
The Mongols - Mongolian language - Mongolian alphabet
The Naxi - Naxi language - Dongba characters
The Sui - Sui language - Sui script
The Tibetans - Tibetan language - Tibetan alphabet
The Uyghurs - Uyghur language - Uyghur Arabic alphabet
The Xibe - Xibe language - Manchu alphabet
The Yi - Yi language - Yi syllabary

Many modern forms of spoken Chinese languages have their own distinct writing system using Chinese characters that contain colloquial variants. These typically are used as sound characters to help determine the pronunciation of the sentence within that language:

Written Cantonese
Ch? nôm - Vietnamese
Written Hokkien
Shanghainese

Some formerly have used Chinese characters

The Jurchens (Manchu ancestors) - Jurchen language - Jurchen script
The Koreans - Korean language - Hanja
The Khitans (Mongolic people) - Khitan language - Khitan scripts
The Tanguts (Sino-Tibetan people) - Tangut language - Tangut script
The Zhuang (Tai people) - Zhuang languages - Sawndip

During Qing dynasty, palaces, temples, and coins have sometimes been inscribed in five scripts:

Chinese
Manchu
Mongol
Tibetan
Chagatai

During the Mongol Yuan dynasty, the official writing system was:

'Phags-pa script

Chinese banknotes contain several scripts in addition to Chinese script. These are:

Mongol
Tibetan
Arabic (for Uyghur)
Latin (for Zhuang)

Other writing system for Chinese languages in China include:

Nüshu script

Ten nationalities who never had a written system have, under the PRC's encouragement, developed phonetic alphabets. According to a government white paper published in early 2005, "by the end of 2003, 22 ethnic minorities in China used 28 written languages."

src: i.pinimg.com

Language policy

The Chinese language policy in mainland China is heavily influenced by the Soviet nationalities policy and officially encourages the development of standard spoken and written languages for each of the nationalities of China. However, in this schema, Han Chinese are considered a single nationality and the official policy of the People's Republic of China (PRC) treats the different varieties of Chinese differently from the different national languages, even though their differences are as significant as those between the various Romance languages of Europe. While official policies in mainland China encourage the development and use of different orthographies for the national languages and their use in educational and academic settings, realistically speaking it would seem that, as elsewhere in the world, the outlook for minority languages perceived as inferior is grim. The Tibetan Government-in-Exile argue that social pressures and political efforts result in a policy of sinicization and feels that Beijing should promote the Tibetan language more. Because many languages exist in China, they also have problems regarding diglossia. Recently, in terms of Fishman's typology of the relationships between bilingualism and diglossia and his taxonomy of diglossia (Fishman 1978, 1980) in China: more and more minority communities have been evolving from "diglossia without bilingualism" to "bilingualism without diglossia." This could be an implication of mainland China's power expanding.

Ethno-Linguistic Map of China (1967 AD) - Distribution of ...

src: www.drben.net

Study of foreign languages

It is also considered increasingly prestigious and useful to have some ability in English, which is a required subject for persons attending university. During the 1950s and 1960s, Russian had some social status among elites in mainland China as the international language of socialism. Japanese is the second most-studied foreign language in China.

In the late 1960s, English replaced the position of Russian to become the most important foreign language in China. After the Reform and Opening-up policy in 1988, English is taught in the public schools starting in the third year of primary school, languages other than English are now considered to be "minor languages" (??? ; Traditional Chinese:??? xi?o y?zh?ng) and are only really studied at the university level apart from some special schools which are called Foreign Language Schools in some well-developed cities. Japanese and Korean are not considered as "minor languages" by most of the Chinese people. Russian, French, and German are widely taught in Universities and colleges nowadays.

In Northeast China, there are many bilingual schools (Mandarin-Japanese; Mandarin-Korean; Mandarin-Russian), in these schools, students learn other languages other than English.

The Economist, issue April 12, 2006, reported that up to one fifth of the population is learning English. Gordon Brown, the former British Prime Minister, estimated that the total English-speaking population in China will outnumber the native speakers in the rest of the world in two decades.

Literary Arabic is studied by Hui students.

Literary Arabic education was promoted in Islamic schools by the Kuomintang when it ruled mainland China.

Portuguese is taught in Macau as one of the official languages there and as a center of learning of the language in the region, although use has declined drastically since its transfer from Portugal to the PRC.

Use of English

In Mainland China English is used as a lingua franca in several fields, including in business settings, and in schools to teach Mandarin Chinese to people who are not Chinese citizens.

Map of languages spoken in China | Language, China and History

src: i.pinimg.com

References

This article incorporates text from Encyclopædia of religion and ethics, Volume 8, by James Hastings, John Alexander Selbie, Louis Herbert Gray, a publication from 1916 now in the public domain in the United States.
This article incorporates text from Burma past and present, by Albert Fytche, a publication from 1878 now in the public domain in the United States.

Dr Sam Willis (@DrSamWillis) on Twitter | cartography | Pinterest ...

src: i.pinimg.com

External links

Bible recordings in various minority languages of China

Source of the article : Wikipedia

Languages of China

Kamis, 12 Juli 2018

Languages of China

Video Languages of China