As the official language of Mainland China, Taiwan, and Singapore, Mandarin has many regional variations which are usually referred to as Mandarin dialects. Whether you’ve already learned a Chinese dialect or it’s your first time learning Chinese, choosing which dialect to learn, gathering resources and forming a successful strategy can be difficult for a language that few people attempt. To save you some time, here are a few videos I found in minority Chinese dialects. These subgroups include Taihu, Taizhou, Oujiang, Wuzhou, Chu-Qu, and Xuanzhou. However, some regions are known for preferring their local dialect and are stereotyped as speaking “bad” Mandarin. Booking an online language tutor is beneficial for two reasons. ‘Chinese’ in fact refers to a family of languages that comprises at least seven different linguistic groups, each with various dialects and sub-dialects sitting under them. Unlike other dialects, the vocabulary of Gan Chinese is primarily ancient and contains words that are rarely used in Mandarin today. One of the reasons for this is the fact that many regions were geographically isolated. Some words even have pitch variation in one single syllable. We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe, Sign up for our weekly blog newsletter for a chance to win a free FluentU Plus subscription (value $240), Get regular language learning tips, resources and updates, starting with the "Complete Guide to Foreign Language Immersion" e-book. As a result, these two provinces share a common version of Wu Chinese called 吴越话 (wú yuè huà), which literally means “Wuyue speech.”. Of course there's Chinese, but you may know as Chinese is actually an umbrella of many other languages. It’s pronounced the same way as in Mandarin. That is as accurate as anyone can say. (Download). Mandarin 679,250,000 (71.5%) all of North and Southwest The North varieties of Chinese are usually known as the Mandarin dialects. All these variations of Chinese have a representative dialect, for example in Standard Mandarin it is the Beijing dialect. This is largely because Mandarin has been the official national language since 1913. There are many cases when words spelled in pinyin (the standardized alphabetical transliteration of Chinese characters) are the same, but the way it is pronounced changes the meaning. Major Chinese Dialects spoken: The differences in dialect are due to the different pronunciation and vocabulary. Of course there's Chinese, but you may know as Chinese is actually an umbrella of many other languages. Take myself. I’m a testimony to this, as my language partner is from Jiangxi province but rarely ever speaks her local dialect. You enrolled in a few courses, downloaded a few apps and flipped through flashcards a few times each day. This isn’t particularly surprising considering how much more isolated people were back then which often allowed for … These dialects are all mutually unintelligible. How many chinese dialects? Unfortunately, with the government providing little support for Chinese dialects, many of them are quickly dying off. Each of these eight “dialects” contains their own subdialects and regional variations – many of which could officially count as a dialect too. Neighboring towns tend to speak varieties of Chinese which can be mutually understood, but if you go just a little further away to another town, communication often breaks down completely. I was born in a big city consisting of several districts and many peripheral small cities and in each of the places mentioned before, people don't speak the … Practice your Hakka listening skills and pick up a few new useful vocabulary words, such as “good morning” and “excuse me,” with this video by YouTuber inmimisbowl: Learn how to talk about your daily routine in Hokkien, and practice your listening skills with this fun YouTube video by Felicia Zoe. Based on the number of speakers, Mandarin is the most dominant spoken dialect of Chinese. The language situation in China can be broadly divided into “families” — that is, collections of topolects that are more or less similar. These dialects are all mutually unintelligible. This Chinese dialect is native to Jiangxi province but also spoken in Hunan, Hubei, Anhui and Fujian provinces. Linguists have split Chinese into somewhere between seven and ten main language groups—the largest being Mandarin (also known as Northern), Wu, Min, and Yue—and each group also has a number of sub-dialects. And if you break those groups down further into regional variants, you find more than 200. It’s the second most commonly spoken dialect in China with 73.4 million native speakers. These are the Chinese languages spoken mostly by the Han people, which represents about 92 percent of the total population. The official dialect of China is Mandarin, also call “Putonghua”. Due to so many speakers in China and Taiwan, Mandarin is considered to be the main language in education, media and government. Even in some regions, Mandarin is spoken more commonly than the local dialect. In Chinese, different words stress different pitches. Around the Yangtze Delta and Shanghai, the Wu dialect can be heard. Updated February 12, 2019. Chinese spoken language has hundreds of dialects that vary depending on one's home province, city, and even county. Mandarin is also the official language of Taiwan. Huizhou (0.3%) Pinghua, others (0.6%) Main article: Sinitic languages. Cantonese originated in ancient Guangzhou, also known as Canton City. Without further ado, here are the top eight: Mandarin, China’s official language as of 1913, with many Chinese speaking at least a little bit of Mandarin. (Nǐ chīfànle ma) — Have you eaten yet? You’ve spent months (maybe even years) dreaming of going to China. What language is spoken in China? While there are a few dialects that are quite different from Mandarin, the vast majority are undeniably similar. While their profile will probably display Mandarin as their native language, it never hurts to ask if they speak Shanghainese if you see they’re from Shanghai. However, a major dialect is not always the dominating dialect spoken in the corresponding city. — Have you eaten yet? Gan Chinese traces its origins back to the Qin Dynasty (221 BC) when troops were sent to Fujian and Guangdong territories. How Many Chinese Dialects Are There? Why does China have so many different dialects? Kejia, or Hakka, is the language of Hakka people who are spread out across pockets in Taiwan, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Guizhou, and beyond. Spoken by about 70% of the Chinese-speaking population — as well as by almost everyone learning Chinese as a second language — Mandarin has a whopping 700 million native speakers. You might be wondering how difficult it would be to learn not just a language but too many different dialects. southern's are very different from Mandarin so maybe we cant understand it at all. The language spoken in Beijing is often referred to as Mandarin or Putonghua. |Hard to count. I think there are like over 50 major dialects spoken all across the country and they differ a lot one from each other. What is a Mandarin Dialect? Note the word recognized? This dialect originated in the ancient Wu (吴) and Yue (越) kingdoms of China, which is modern-day Jiangsu province and northern Zhejiang province. I was born in a big city consisting of several districts and many peripheral small cities and in each of the places mentioned before, people don't speak the … This video shows 5 of them. In fact, the United Nations has declared April 20 to be “Chinese Language Day” because of the linguistic diversity in the country. Many of them have been screened in international film … Shan, Jun. Neighboring towns tend to speak varieties of Chinese which can be mutually understood, but if you go just a little further away to another town, communication often breaks down completely. In that process they acquire the lingua franca that enables them to … I think there are like over 50 major dialects spoken all across the country and they differ a lot one from each other. — Hello (literally, have you eaten yet?). In Cantonese, "ngo." But which are the most common? FluentU is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Mastering Chinese Dialects: How Many Are There and Which Should You Learn? © 2021 Enux Education Limited. However, it didn’t become the official language until 1909. China has eight major dialect groups: Putonghua (Mandarin), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan and Hakka and many sub-dialects. Understanding the … (nóng hō va?) Before you start internally screaming at me, hear me out. Cantonese is spoken in Guangdong province, including cities like Hong Kong, Macau and Guangzhou. However, the same character is pronounced differently depending on which dialect one speaks. Well, there are indeed a number of widely spoken dialects, but there are hundreds of recognized minority dialects. Xiang is a southern dialect concentrated in Hunan province. … Similar to Hokkien, the Hakka Chinese dialect is spoken throughout Southern China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, and it’s common in diasporas of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia and around the world. The language spoken in Beijing is often referred to as Mandarin or Putonghua. This article will not get into the non-Chinese languages spoken by minorities in China, such as Tibetan, Mongolian and Miao, and all those subsequent dialects. Even though the dialects from the seven groups are quite different, a non-Mandarin speaker usually can speak some Mandarin, even if with a strong accent. This is similar to how standard American English is influenced by the West Coast dialect. When we talk about ‘Chinese’, and how there are more than one billion Chinese speakers in the world, one might imagine one monolithic universally understood language. In China, there are a lot of different dialects. This is largely because tones are a vital part of the Chinese language, and tones (as well as other sounds) vary from “dialect” to “dialect”. Based on the distinctions online, there are 93 dialects of Mandarin. 侬好伐? Eight different dialects, any of which might technically be their own language, depending on how you define it. Interestingly, within each groups some dialects are mutually intelligible while there are others that are not. Spoken Chinese comprises many regional variants, called dialects. 10. The generally accepted classification of Chinese language groups is: 1. Gan Chinese – A dialect closely related to the Hakka dialect. For example, while Mandarin only has four tones, Hokkien has eight. Also called Hsiang and Hunanese, the Xiang Chinese dialect is spoken in Hunan province, northern Guangxi and parts of Hubei and Guizhou provinces. Shan, Jun. Chinese “dialects” are not so. While this might sound impossible for a rare Chinese dialect, there are a few cards you can play to use YouTube to your advantage. All Rights Reserved. Today, 60 million people speak it. This is probably the most studied area of Chinese dialect differentiation. Linguists believe that there are 297 living languages in China today. As of this month, the project has collected more than 10 million entries for 123 Chinese dialects and ethnic minority languages after surveying the language resources of over 1,700 locations. Chinese “dialects” are not so. But this isn’t as easy as it sounds, as there are literally hundreds of topolects within China, and the majority of the population can speak at least two (usually three or more!) According to linguists there are seven (or 10) main groups of Chinese languages. There … 2. In the list of those groups below, the population estimates are based upon a total Han Chinese population of 950 million (Ramsey, 87). In Mandarin, it is pronounced "wo." Unlike the Wu and Hokkien dialects, Xiang Chinese shares many similarities with Mandarin and has been greatly influenced by it, as well as by the Gan Chinese dialect. For common languages like Mandarin, Spanish and German, it’s easy to find videos on YouTube or guides on Google to perfect your pronunciation. The Main Chinese Dialects. The greater the distance between the speakers of a language, the harder it will be for them to understand each other. These varieties form a dialect continuum, in which differences in speech generally become more pronounced as distances increase, although there are also some sharp boundaries. On October 31st, 2000, the Law of Universal Language and Character of the People's Republic of China came into force, which stipulates Mandarin as China's universal national language. There are too many kinds of dialects in one city, let alone in a province or in the whole southern area. Advertisement. We also participate in other affiliate advertising programs for products and services we believe in. Plus, we’ll share some tips for learning a minority language. Simply search for “speaking (your target language) for 24 hours” or “speaking only (your target language) for a day.” While you might not come across channels that consistently produce content in your target language, you’ll find some entertaining videos that expose you to it. Out of every Chinese dialect, Gan is most similar to Hakka in terms of pronunciation and phonetics. or 侬过得还好伐? Some of these dialects are limited to very small geographical areas, while others have speakers all across the country and beyond. Mandarin is the largest and others likewise have several sub-dialects. What Are the Different Chinese Dialects? It began with Middle Chinese, then was influenced by Proto-Tai and became Proto Eastern Yue and finally was further divided into the Guang Fu and Yong Xun dialects. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or its affiliates. Mandarin and Cantonese, although they are often referred to as individual languages, are each technically classified as a dialect of the Modern Standard Chinese language, commonly known as Guoyo or Putonghua.Mandarin is considered a native language by about two-thirds of China’s inhabitants, making it the most dominant spoken Chine… Of all seven dialects, Xiang Chinese is perhaps the most difficult to find resources for online. Which one of them you like the most? Due to political situations, China classifies them as dialects. There are seven primary dialects of Chinese: Mandarin, Wu (Shanghainese), Gan, Xiang, Min, Hakka, and Yue (Cantonese). This dialect can further be divided into five subgroups: Chang-Yi, Lou-Shao, Hengzhou, Chen-Xu and Yong-Quan. countless dialect here.in south,maybe two adjacent city have two dialects. Each region where Mandarin is spoken has developed its own version (or dialect) of the language. https://www.thoughtco.com/about-chinese-dialects-629201 (accessed February 5, 2021). In terms of the spoken languages, much of … There is generally less variation between dialects in Northern China, and most of them are mutually-intelligible, aside from accent differences and regional slang. Beijing being the center of government in China accounts f… And if you break those groups down further into regional variants, you find more than 200. Currently, the site has tutors available for Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien, Shanghainese, Taiwanese and “other” Chinese dialects. The extensive 1987 Language Atlas of China groups Chinese local varieties into the following units: Jerry Norman, a former professor of linguistics at the University of Washington author of “Chinese (Cambridge Language Surveys)” (Cambridge University Press, 1988) once said that “The Chinese dialectal complex is in many ways analogous to the Romance language family in Europe. An Explanation of the Various Chinese Languages, The History of Putonghua and Its Use Today, Differentiating Between Shanghainese and Mandarin, Who Are the Hakka? A great place to start is a website like italki. But for minority languages, you’re extremely limited as to the amount of authentic content created in your target language. To get an idea of what a few of the most common dialects sound like, take a look at this video by Monkey Abroad that features 25 different dialects. Major Chinese Dialects spoken: The differences in dialect are due to the different pronunciation and vocabulary. I understand that not everyone is able to do this, but if you ever get a chance to visit China, make sure to go to the place where your dialect is spoken. Brooke Bagley is a freelance writer and passionate language learner. There are many (perhaps hundreds of) Mandarin dialects. Globalization, the death of distance—whatever you want to call it, it’s people leaving the place their forefathers called home and venturing to new parts of the world. In fact, the United Nations has declared April 20 to be “Chinese Language Day” … Mandarin is known for using tones to differentiate words and consists of four major tones and five if you count the neutral tone. The Beijing dialect, a subdialect of Mandarin, is the phonological basis for Standard Chinese, and is thus well-understood throughout the entire country. Spoken Chinese comprises many regional variants, called dialects. 7 Video Resources for Learning Chinese the Way Natives Use It, An Easier Way to Learn Chinese: Comprehensible Input, 4 Free Online Chinese Lessons and Other Resources That’ll Make Learning a Breeze, Yes, You Can Get Chinese Video with Pinyin Subtitles: 4 Options. Each language group contains a large number of dialects. "What Are the Different Chinese Dialects?" And there you have it: seven of China’s most commonly spoken dialects, where they’re spoken, how they came to be and how to learn them! A large population of Han Chinese people migrated to Jiangxi province as a result, and during the Han Dynasty, the Gan dialect grew as the population of the Yuzhang Commandery stationed in Jiangxi increased to 1,670,000 in AD 140. Aside from languages, Brooke runs her freelance writing business, Writing & Thriving, and specializes in B2B copywriting, content marketing and holistic health and wellness. Like Wu Chinese, Hokkien has eight tones and differs greatly from Mandarin. The differences among them are analogous to the differences in … While Mandarin is spoken in distinctive dialects throughout China, standard Mandarin is mostly influenced by the Northern Beijing dialect. Within mainland China, Cantonese is one of the few dialects with its own television channels, and Cantonese pop music is still popular across China. This is largely because tones are a vital part of the Chinese language, and tones (as well as other sounds) vary from “dialect” to “dialect”. This dialect is sometimes classified as a dialect … As mentioned at the beginning of this post and according to Day Translations, China is home to over 302 individual languages, and 276 of them are indigenous. Dialects are spoken by fewer and fewer people every generation. and why?China has many languages, dialects and accents. |Hard to count. There are seven primary dialects of Chinese: Mandarin, Wu (Shanghainese), Gan, Xiang, Min, Hakka, and Yue (Cantonese). Cantonese, or Yue, is also a southern dialect. The differences among them are analogous to the differences in … 食饱未? Jerry Norman, a former professor of linguistics at the University of Washington author of “Chinese (Cambridge Language Surveys)” (Cambridge University Press, 1988) once said that “The Chinese dialectal complex is in many ways analogous to the Romance language family in Europe. Want a real definite answer? Finally, Mandarin is easy compared to many other Chinese dialects. It’s spoken throughout the country and is taught (and used) in all schools. What is a Mandarin Dialect? If we’re talking a broader classification, most linguists divide Chinese into 7-10 dialect groups. Chinese spoken language has hundreds of dialects that vary depending on one's home province, city, and even county. But this isn’t as easy as it sounds, as there are literally hundreds of topolects within China, and the majority of the population can speak at least two (usually three or more!) 4.Xiang 45,600,000(4.8%) Hunan . With no contact and interaction with their nearest neighbors, it is not impossible for them to only understand the dialects spoken within th… Over the past few decades, China has produced a significant number of films that use dialect. In Singapore Mandarin also has a status of official language (1 out of 4). southern's are very different from Mandarin so maybe we cant understand it at all. Wu Chinese is a dialect of Chinese that is predominantly spoken in the eastern region of China. Please check your email for further instructions. Many dialects, particularly in northern and central China, have apical or retroflex vowels, which are syllabic fricatives derived from high vowels following sibilant initials. In Wu, it is pronounced "ngu." Linguists classify these varieties as the Sinitic branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. Things are quite different and complicated when it comes to dialects in southern regions in China. Tone, in terms of language, is the pitch in which syllables in words are uttered. While every Chinese person is taught Mandarin, however, not everyone speaks it at home in their local city. For instance, Mandarin has four tones and Cantonese has six tones. What are the global forces pushing them to the sidelines, and can any of them be saved? So dialects in the south are usually named after the town, county or even village. Used primarily in Shanghai, southern Jiangsu province and Zhejiang province, Wu Chinese is spoken by 85 million people. However, the modern Chinese dialects are classified into seven major groups. There are eight tones in Wu Chinese compared to the four or five in Mandarin. 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