Mandarin and Cantonese

Discussion in 'China' started by isabelledark, Mar 25, 2007.

  1. isabelledark

    isabelledark Member

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    Hi again all,

    can anyone please tell me why china has two native languages please because I'm still fairly ignorant about this?
     
  2. kkboy

    kkboy Member

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    China is not mere two language , Mandarin and Cantonese , If the Cantonese could called to a kind of language of china,there was 56 kinds of language of china ,(the 56 nationality of china) the section of difference caused the pronounce is differ, i am sorry i didnt explain myself utlilize my poor english ,i m a chinese.
     
  3. AlexKCarpenter

    AlexKCarpenter Member

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    sure, if you still have any interest, i could explain for u.

    Chinese, in strict meaning, is not a single language rather than a language groups, covering different dialects which vary in words, tone, even grammar. while almost all dialects share only one set of writing system, except Cantonese, which developed rapidly in dozen years. Of course there are minor ethnic groups, and they have their native languages( which is not Chinese).

    if you have any further question, i will be here.
     
  4. AlexKCarpenter

    AlexKCarpenter Member

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    sure, if you still have any interest, i could explain for u.

    Chinese, in strict meaning, is not a single language rather than a language groups, covering different dialects which vary in words, tone, even grammar. while almost all dialects share only one set of writing system, except Cantonese, which developed rapidly in dozen years. Of course there are minor ethnic groups, and they have their native languages( which is not Chinese).

    if you have any further question, i will be here.
     
  5. mai

    mai Member

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    China's official language is Mandarin.
    Mandarin is based on a variety of Chinese spoken in North China
    However because of the sheer size of China and other reasons, there are many varieties of Chinese. Cantonese is spoken in the South and it is famous because it is spoken in Hong Kong , but there are other varieties of Chinese which have more speakers , for example the Wu variety (Spoken in Shanghai and the Jiangnan area). Basically Chinese varieties are mutually unintelligible, but belong to the same group of language.
     
  6. Sitka

    Sitka viajera

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    There are maybe a dozen different regional language families in China. Cantonese is focused around the SE - Hongkong, Guangzhou, etc. Mandarin (Pu tong hua - the people's tongue) is the government sanctioned language that is taught, to various levels, around the country and is used for official business. However, most regional areas have dialects that are more commonly used and become more and more different the further you wander from Beijing (the dialect on which Mandarin is based). In many areas, especially rural areas, there is little ability to speak/understand it. In others - re: Shanghai - there is a lot of snobbery about not speaking the local dialect.

    The writing is more uniform because of Mao's simplified characters. However, there are many areas that use older traditional characters such as Taiwan and parts of Hong Kong.
     
  7. wiccan_witch

    wiccan_witch Senior Member

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    There are still places in China where one village speaks a different language to the next.
     
  8. HazelAdams

    HazelAdams Banned

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    are you kidding me? china have many native languages, but official language is Chinese
     
  9. wiccan_witch

    wiccan_witch Senior Member

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    Again...how do you define 'Chinese'?! :rolleyes:

    Most people refer to China's official language as 'Mandarin Chinese'.
     
  10. Naiwen

    Naiwen Member

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    Yes, China has many dialects and "Mandarin Chinese" is the official language there.
     
  11. -Yggdrasil-

    -Yggdrasil- Einherjar

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    My missus can understand Cantonese but she can't speak it.
     
  12. Naiwen

    Naiwen Member

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    So you wife is Chinese? Wow.
     
  13. -Yggdrasil-

    -Yggdrasil- Einherjar

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    Yeah, she's Chinese.

    Why does everyone think I'm married when I say missus? :rofl: We are engaged. :)

    She's 100% westernised to Australian standards. She has no accent whatsoever in fact, most people are shocked when they hear her voice. She just looks Asian. ;) and honestly I don't even notice.
     
  14. Naiwen

    Naiwen Member

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    Because Missus implies she's your wife, anyways, I am Chinese, hi.
     
  15. -Yggdrasil-

    -Yggdrasil- Einherjar

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    Oh hey there.
    Nah, missus just means your missus. Your woman. Where I'm from. :p
     
  16. rubberloverhk

    rubberloverhk Guest

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    Easy, Cantonese and Mandarin are spoken languages

    You can speak Mandarin in anywhere of China, usually without problems.

    You can speak Cantonese probably only in Guangdong Provinces, Hong Kong and Macau without problems, but problems could happen sometimes, especially in Guangdong if you speak only Cantonese. As a result, it's not wise to learn Cantonese for only a small group of people who will understand and btw, Cantonese is far more difficult to learn!! Mandarin is much easier
     

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