Standard Chinese

Standard Chinese, often called Mandarin Chinese, is the main form of Chinese used in many places today. It is based on the Beijing dialect and is the official language of the People's Republic of China. It is also one of the six official languages of the United Nations, one of the four official languages of Singapore, and one of the national languages of Taiwan.

Like other Chinese languages, Standard Chinese is an analytic language with mostly compound words. It has five phonemic tones and follows a subject–verb–object word order. Compared to other Chinese varieties, Standard Chinese has fewer tones, vowels, and final consonants but more initial consonants. This makes it a special and important language for many people around the world.

Naming

In English

Scholars sometimes call Standard Chinese Standard Northern Mandarin or Standard Beijing Mandarin. Most people just call it Mandarin, although this word can also mean the bigger group of Mandarin dialects or the old form used by leaders long ago. The term Modern Standard Mandarin is used to show it is the newer form.

In Chinese

Scholars in China call the language Modern Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, but often drop the word "Modern."

The word Guoyu used to mean the old Manchu language but later came to mean the common language for everyone. In Taiwan, people still use Guoyu for Standard Chinese, though recent laws also recognize other languages like Formosan languages and Hakka.

The term Putonghua, meaning "common tongue," started being used in 1906. It was chosen to avoid calling it the "national language," which might make minority groups feel pressured. This term became official in 1955.

Until the 1960s, Huayu meant all Chinese languages, but now it usually means Standard Chinese, especially in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Hanyu means all spoken Chinese languages, while Zhongwen means written Chinese. Foreigners often use Hanyu when learning Standard Chinese.

History

Main article: History of Standard Chinese

The Chinese language has changed a lot over time, with many different ways of speaking. Important leaders like Confucius used a special way of speaking called yayan, not the local dialects. During the Han dynasty, people also used a common language called tōngyǔ.

In later times, the Chinese government used a special form of speech called Guanhua, meaning "official speech," especially in important meetings. This is where the word "Mandarin" comes from, as foreign visitors called it that because they heard officials using it. Even with efforts to make one way of speaking standard, many people still spoke differently.

In more recent history, leaders tried harder to create one common language for everyone. They chose the way people speak in Beijing as the basis for this common language. Today, this is called Standard Chinese or Putonghua in China and Guoyu in Taiwan. It uses the sounds of Beijing, words from many Mandarin areas, and grammar from modern books.

At first, not many people could use this standard well, but today most people in China can understand and use Standard Chinese.

Status

In both mainland China and Taiwan, Standard Chinese is used in most official places, like schools and news. Because of this, most people in these areas speak it, although they might say words a little differently or with different accents.

In places outside Asia where Chinese people live, like the Chinatown in Manhattan, more recent Chinese immigrants are using Standard Chinese more often. It helps everyone understand each other better.

In China, Standard Chinese became the official language a long time ago. But many people still speak their own local languages at home. The government wants everyone to use Standard Chinese to help people talk to each other, even if they speak very different languages. Over 80% of people in China can speak Standard Chinese, and the government hopes that number will keep growing.

In Hong Kong and Macau, people usually speak Cantonese, but they use Standard Chinese for official work and to talk to the government.

In Taiwan, Standard Chinese is the official language. It became more common after 1949 when many people moved there from mainland China. Before that, people spoke other languages like Taiwanese Hokkien. Now, schools and news use Standard Chinese, but other languages are also being taught and used more.

In Singapore, Mandarin is one of the four official languages. The government has encouraged people to speak Mandarin instead of other Chinese languages, which has changed how people talk over time.

In Malaysia, Mandarin is also used in Chinese schools and helps people from different language backgrounds talk to each other.

In some parts of Myanmar, Mandarin is used to help people communicate.

Education

In both mainland China and Taiwan, children start learning Standard Chinese in elementary school through immersion. By the second grade, most lessons are entirely in Standard Chinese, except in Taiwan where some local language classes are also offered a few hours each week.

As more people move within China, many jobs now require good Standard Chinese skills. Many university graduates take a test called the Putonghua Proficiency Test before looking for work.

Phonology

Standard Chinese pronunciation is based on the way people speak in Beijing. Each sound, called a syllable, can have different parts like a beginning sound, a middle sound, a main vowel, and sometimes an ending sound. These sounds also change depending on their pitch or tone.

There are four main tones in Standard Chinese, shown with marks above the vowels. For example, mā means "mother," má means "hemp," mǎ means "horse," and mà means "curse." Some smaller words, like the question word ma, have a shorter tone called the neutral tone. People often speak Standard Chinese with their own regional accents, which can change how certain sounds are made.

Grammar

Main article: Chinese grammar

Chinese is a simple language that does not change words much. Instead, it uses the order of words and small helper words to show meaning. Nouns do not change to show who they are or how many there are, and verbs do not change to show time.

Sentences usually follow the order of subject, verb, object, just like in English. Words that describe nouns, like adjectives, come before the noun. Words that describe verbs, like adverbs, come before the verb.

Chinese can also make sentences by first mentioning a topic and then saying something about it. For example, you might say, "As for the money Mom gave us, I already bought candy with it."

When counting things, Chinese uses special words called classifiers after numbers. For example, you would say "one hat," "three books," and "that pen" using different classifiers for each. The general classifier "ge" is becoming more common and replacing specific ones. The language also uses compounds and reduplication to form new words.

Vocabulary

In Standard Chinese, many old respectful words from ancient China are still used in everyday talk today. For example, jiàn means "my humble" and guì means "your honorable."

Standard Chinese and the Beijing dialect are similar but not exactly the same. One small difference is how people say "you" in a polite or informal way, which comes from the Beijing way of speaking. There are also words like "zánmen" meaning "we" including the listener, and "wǒmen" meaning "we" not including the listener, though most people don’t use these much outside Beijing.

Some words from the Beijing dialect are not yet part of Standard Chinese. For example:

• bèir means "very much"
• bànsuàn means "stagger"
• bù lìn means "do not worry about"
• cuō means "eat"
• chūliū means "slip"
• dà lǎoyemenr means "man, male"

Other Beijing words have become accepted in Standard Chinese, such as:

• èr bǎ dāo means "not very skillful"
• gēménr means "good male friend" or "buddy"
• kōu ménr means "frugal" or "stingy"

Writing system

Main articles: Written vernacular Chinese and Modern Chinese characters

Standard Chinese uses special symbols called characters to write words. Each character stands for a sound and often a meaning. Many of these characters come from older forms of Chinese, but some words need new characters because they didn’t exist before.

Sometimes, a character with a similar sound is used for a new word. For example, the word for “this” didn’t exist in older Chinese, so a character that looked like “to meet” was used instead.

Other times, a brand-new character is made by mixing parts that show meaning and sound together. This helps write words that didn’t have a character before.

Governments have made simpler versions of these characters, changing how some words look.

Traditionally, Chinese was read from top to bottom and right to left, but today it’s usually read from left to right.

Examples

Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Standard Chinese:

人人生而自由，在尊严和权利上一律平等。他们赋有理性和良心，并应以兄弟关系的精神相对待。

人人生而自由，在尊嚴和權利上一律平等。他們賦有理性和良心，並應以兄弟關係的精神相對待。

Rén rén shēng ér zìyóu, zài zūnyán hé/hàn quánlì shàng yīlǜ píngděng. Tāmen fùyǒu lǐxìng hé/hàn liángxīn, bìng yīng yǐ xiōngdì guānxì de jīngshén xiāng duìdài.

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.