Chinese is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world today: it is spoken by about 1.3 billion people. For the Slavic peoples, it is one of the five most difficult adverbs to comprehend (along with other eastern languages). Chinese has nothing to do with Russian as they both belong to different language families. But for those who nevertheless decided to learn the Chinese language, it will not hurt to start with the main thing - to understand the structure, dialects, and peculiarities.
Mandarin Chinese - the language spoken in China
The earliest examples of Chinese writing were discovered by archaeologists on stones and tortoise shells in the 14th century BC. Most of the signs were already used at that time to denote whole words.
The language group of the Chinese language is a collection of dialects. This gives linguists a reason to consider it as a separate linguistic branch of the Sino-Tibetan (Sino-Tibetan) language family.
Like the languages of all other peoples, Chinese has undergone many changes throughout history. For about four centuries, the language of the central northern city of the country, which was called Beiping, then Beijing and then Beijing, became more and more popular and prestigious over time.
Today, the name of the Chinese language depends on the sphere of its use and area:
- guanhua or “speech of mandarins” - official, bureaucratic (hence its western name “mandarin”). Today this dialect is used in the northern and western parts of the country;
- go yui - national, widespread in Taiwan;
- Putonghua - "common", "colloquial", derived from the Peking dialect.
Putonghua is the official, state modern language of the PRC, Singapore and Taiwan today. This name refers to oral speech, the written form of the adverb is called "baihua".
Mandarin is widespread in the Beijing area, is used throughout the state as the main language (it is spoken by almost 90% of the Chinese population) and is one of the 6 working languages at the UN.
The spread of the Chinese language in the world is the merit of the Hanban state organization, which is promoting it in other countries. The program includes the provision of grants to study the language in the PRC for students, competitions for the level of proficiency in it and the exchange of teachers with the world's leading universities.
The list of countries that speak Chinese today includes:
- Indonesia;
- Laos;
- Cambodia;
- Myanmar;
- Vietnam;
- Singapore;
- Thailand;
- Macau;
- Taiwan.
And although English remains the international language of communication, the media is increasingly raising the issue of the global offensive of the state language of the Celestial Empire.
Chinese characters
Chinese writing is strikingly different from other known in the world by the complete absence of letters. The Chinese use hieroglyphs instead.
You can often come across various kinds of Chinese alphabets, among which the most common are Zhuyin Fuhao in Taiwan and pinyin in China. Chinese characters in combination with their own alphabets are used today in Korea and Japan.
For those who do not know what language in China, you can answer this way: one of the most difficult, at least for Europeans. It is by this criterion that the Chinese language is listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
Hieroglyphs differ from alphabetic symbols in that each of them is assigned a certain meaning and not necessarily only phonetic.
The state language in China consists of more than 80 thousand hieroglyphs, but most of them are no longer used and are found only in classical Chinese literature.
Facts to know about these written symbols:
- to understand 80% of ordinary Chinese text, it is enough to learn about 500 of the most common characters. To understand 90-99% of the text, you will have to master 1,000-2,400 characters.
- to read non-specialized literature and newspapers, you need to master about 3 thousand hieroglyphs;
- Chinese one-volume dictionaries most often contain about 6-8 thousand characters. The most complete collection of hieroglyphs includes 85,568 characters.
Today, there are two types of Chinese written signs: the simplified one is used on the mainland of the country, the traditional one is used in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and a number of other countries.
Previously, the Chinese wrote in a column from top to bottom, and the columns themselves were located from right to left. Today it is customary to write horizontally from left to right.
The vertical format is sometimes continued to be used by Taiwanese people in fiction. In other areas, the priority is still given to the horizontal style.
Scientists have developed a large number of systems for converting (transcribing) the Chinese language into an alphabetical format. The most popular is the hanyu pinyin system, which has received official recognition in China itself and in the UN.
Phonetic rules
The phonetic structure of the state language of the PRC is formed by its tones. There are 4 of them in total and an additional 5th, neutral.
You can master the pronunciation rules using a special transcription, which makes it possible to write hieroglyphs in Latin.
For beginners, this division into tones seems unusual, given that the similarity of pronunciation has spawned a large number of homophones - words that sound the same.
Briefly about keys:
- The first tone should be pronounced lingeringly and slowly. It creates a sense of incompleteness of the sentence.
- The second tone involves an increase in intonation from a medium to a high level, as if the person is asking again or asking a question.
- The third tone begins with a decrease in the key, and ends with a sharp increase in it. Very much like an expression of bewilderment.
- The fourth tone has a falling direction and is used for imperative phrases.
- The fifth tone is pronounced easily, with an emphasis on unstressed vowels and the end of the word.
Learning Chinese begins with mastering the keys. For this, for example, you can use live speech or its recording and try to imitate it.
Dialects
When asked what language they speak in China, newcomers most often answer - in Chinese. And this will be true, but only partially. This language consists of many dialects, which can differ significantly from each other, not only in different provinces, but even in different areas of the same settlement.
The variety of dialects is so great that sometimes it is almost impossible to understand their speakers. You can master the languages of the People's Republic of China only by learning the official language of China, which is common to all, which to one degree or another every Chinese person speaks and which is taught to foreign students in local universities.
The division of the Chinese language into a large number of dialects is due to geographical and historical background. Linguists conditionally subdivide the entire territory of the state into southern and northern.
Historically, the main political events took place in the northern regions at different stages. This part of the country was integral.
The South has always consisted of many isolated territories. Locals have lived in this part of China for centuries. They did not need to learn other dialects, which led to a significant difference between the dialects that exist today.
Therefore, in the northern part of modern China, all dialects are more or less similar. But in the south, residents of different villages speak completely different languages.
Determining how many dialects there are in the Chinese language, linguists distinguish nine groups. Six of them are used in the center of the country and in the coastal southern regions. These include:
- Wu dialects can be heard in the area of Ningbo and Shanghai cities.
- Northern Minh dialects - the area of distribution of the city of Fuzhou.
- South Min dialects - they are spoken around the cities of Xiamen and Shantou, as well as in Taiwan.
- Hakka dialects are common in Meixian city and suburban regions, in the northeastern part of Gaundong province, in the southern settlements of Jianxi province.
- Cantonese is spoken in the east and center of Guangdong province, including the city of Guangzhou (Canton).
- Xiang dialects are spoken in Hunan province.
These six groups are common dialects in about a quarter of the Republic of China. They are used by almost a third of the total population. They differ in much the same way as French and Italian.
Additionally, there are three subgroups that make up the Mandarin Chinese dialect, characteristic of the northern regions of the country. These three groups are:
- northern dialects, including the dialect of Beijing;
- southern;
- central.
The last two groups are common in the cities of Chongqing, Nanjing and their environs. They differ from each other in the same way as American, British and Australian English. This suggests that in general they can be understood.
Mandarin is the most common Chinese dialect. It is used by about 960 million people inside and outside China (about 71% of all Chinese speakers). The second most popular dialect is Cantonese.
Chinese language exam
The Chinese language proficiency exam is called Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi. It is designed for people who are not its carriers:
- foreign students;
- representatives of ethnic groups who live in China;
- overseas Chinese planning to legalize in the Republic.
The results of this exam are recognized all over the world. The obtained certificate is valid for 2 years.
To take the test, you need to register on the website and then apply for the exam itself. In the application form, you must indicate which language level you intend to confirm.
There are 6 of them: the higher the number, the better the knowledge of the language. The fourth level is required for admission to Chinese universities.
Payment for the exam is also made on the website. For the 4th level, you will have to pay 400 yuan (3,847 rubles / $ 60). After that, an admission ticket will be sent to the mail.
Statistics and facts about the Chinese language
For those who are planning to study the Chinese language, it will be useful to know some facts about it:
- Some linguists tend to view Chinese dialects as a separate language family.
- Many Chinese characters have the same outline, differing by only one line, which is caused by the use of the same stems (radicals).
- Most Chinese surnames are monosyllabic and written in one character.
- Learning Chinese helps to develop an ear and a sense of rhythm thanks to its varied keys, and is recommended for those who dream of becoming good musicians.
- The pinyin syllabary has been used in China since 1958. The tonalities in it are conveyed by signs located above the letters.
- There are no words for "yes" and "no" in Chinese. Instead, it is necessary to use synonymous constructions.
- Special signs should be used to indicate the quantity. For example, to say "6 apples" in Chinese, you need to put the symbol 个. There are about 240 such signs in Chinese.
Useful information for tourists
When planning a visit to China, you should remember a few rules:
- Few people speak English at train and bus stations, so stock up on an online translator if you're unsure of your knowledge of Chinese.
- Tourist toilets have a star rating like hotels. But here's toilet paper, it's better to carry it with you. The same applies to the supply of napkins - not all cafes issue them.
- In the PRC, tap water is of very poor quality. You need to brush your teeth and wash vegetables with bottled water, and just in case you should stock up on pills for indigestion.
- Before traveling, consult a physician regarding vaccinations.
- Take with you a raincoat or umbrella, repellent, sun glasses, power adapter, flashlight (interruptions in light in the PRC are not uncommon).
Outcomes
The difficulty of the Chinese language for Europeans lies in the use of hieroglyphs instead of letters and in a complex phonetic system. In addition to the official state language in China, there are many dialects that can differ significantly from each other and cause difficulties in communication.
To enter a Chinese university, you will have to pass a state exam confirming the 4th level of language proficiency.
