history of chinese language

Chinese characters are considered the “pearl” of Chinese culture and the most accurate representation of the depth and meaning of the Chinese language. Chinese Language and Civilization. Chinese characters, also known as Hanzi (漢字) are one of the earliest forms of written language in the world, dating back approximately five thousand years. Chinese includes many regional language varieties, the main ones being Mandarin, Wu, Yue and Min. By learning this language you would be able to cover a fair bit of the whole world. Earlier stages of Chinese still have a deep influence on the current language, and we should at least be aware of such influences. The word autumn in various historic Chinese scripts It is difficult to determine the specific time when Chinese characters emerged. The Chinese language is the group of languages used by Chinese people in China and elsewhere. Just how important is the legend of Cang Jie? There are over a billion people around the world that speak a variation of Chinese. It's an irrevocable part of Chinese civilization, and as much a part of China's history as anything else. Chinese languages, principal language group of eastern Asia, belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. Linguists believe that there are 297 living languages in China today. Your fun Chinese language taster. China is a country with a long history, and to understand modern China we must know something of its past. Here, we’ve outlined China’s history in a basic introduction and hope you have a … History of Mandarin Chinese. A guide to Chinese history from the beginning to the present age, including event history, lists of rulers, the political systems, the history of literature and philosophy, religions, technology and inventions, economy and arts, arranged by the dynasties. There are several hundred languages in China.The predominant language is Standard Chinese, which is based on central Mandarin, but there are hundreds of related Chinese languages, collectively known as Hanyu (simplified Chinese: 汉语; traditional Chinese: 漢語; pinyin: Hànyǔ, 'Han language'), that are spoken by 92% of the population.The Chinese (or 'Sinitic') languages … Get started with profiles of key events and historical figures, along with articles about cultural and scientific contributions. At the same time, in its numerous dialectal forms, it has more speakers than any language … In China, when it comes to the spoken language, there are tons of dialects that are almost languages in and of themselves. A History of the Chinese Language provides a comprehensive introduction to the historical development of the Chinese language from its proto Sino-Tibetan roots in prehistoric times to Modern Standard Chinese. The oldest characters we see today are the scripts on the tortoise shells and animal bones in the Shang Dynasty (17th- 11 the century BC) and scripts carved on bronze wares. But, because they share a common history and a good deal of common vocabulary and grammar, it is much easier for a speaker of one Chinese language to learn another Chinese language than for a complete outsider to do so. and … Similar History Discussions History Forum Date; Why didn't the Chinese Communists try creating separate ethnic groups/"nations" for the speakers of various Chinese-language variants? Chinese is not an alphabetic language, like most written languages in the world. Learning Mandarin Gives You Access To Authentic Chinese Culture. Since there’s a large gap between dialects, it was thought to unite the spoken language, coining what came to be known as 普通话 (Pǔtōnghuà), or the “common language” ( known to the non-specialist general public as “Mandarin Chinese” ). The earliest Chinese written language was the pictographic characters that belong to the so-called Oracle-Bone script. Chinese is a language that will open doors for you and allow you to connect with Chinese people and their culture on a much more personal and meaningful level. The early forms of Chinese characters were pictographs (graphic representations of real objects), but characters became more stylized and came to represent ideas as well as objects. Chinese exists in a number of varieties that are popularly called dialects but that are usually classified as separate languages by scholars. The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures History The history of the Department of Asian Languages at Stanford goes back to the academic year of 1938-39 when Shau Wing Chan (1907-1986) was appointed Instructor of Chinese and Literature for a program established by the School of Letters. Mulan, Disney’s latest live-action offering, is a new adaptation of a beloved Chinese ballad. The Chinese writing systems uses a logographic system (a series of symbols that represent a … The same applies to the language. Mandarin Chinese, also known as Huayu (華語“language of the Chinese”), Guoyu (國語 “national language”), or Putonghua (普通話”common language”), is the official language of the PRC (since 1982) and the Taiwan (since 1932). China is one of the world's four ancient civilizations, and the written history of China dates back to the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), over 3,000 years ago.. As one of the Chinese languages, Mandarin uses Chinese characters for its writing system. Cantonese language, variety of Chinese spoken by more than 55 million people in Guangdong and southern Guangxi provinces of China, including the important cities of Canton, Hong Kong, and Macau. Asian History: Oct 13, 2019: How similar is the word order in Chinese languages? 4. They are also seen as an enduring record of the amazing history of the Chinese people. Like the Romance languages, the Chinese languages are mutually unintelligible (that is what makes them different languages). Taking a highly accessible and balanced approach, it presents a chronological survey of the various stages of the Chinese language, covering key aspects … This wave, considered the largest influx of immigration to Malaysia , brought with it several different Chinese subgroups along with their respective dialects and cultures , such as those of the Hokkien, Cantonese, and Hakka people. Chinese history dates back over 5000 years and has a rich culture of art, music and poetry. Since 939, Vietnam regained its autonomy; Chinese language did not directly affect in Vietnam. Kids learn about the history of Ancient China. It is a written language of pictures. United Nations Chinese Language Day . These languages are geographically defined, and are found in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Tibet. Home to over 60% of the world's population and centuries of human history, there's a whole lot to learn about Asia. For as long as there have been civilized humans, there has been some form of China. The Chinese writing system is one of the oldest known written languages – some of the earliest examples of ancient Chinese writing date back to over 4,000 years ago. Chinese is only one of a very few contemporary languages whose history is documented in an unbroken tradition extending back to the second millennium BC. Chinese characters have a history dating back more than two thousand years. Discover the over-3,000-year history of China: a brief history with a China history timeline and introductions to the dynasties and periods. Chinese is one of the two world languages with over a billion speakers. Asian History and Culture. Nearly one-fourth of the world’s population still use Chinese characters today. You would be surprised to know that around one-fifth of the entire world population speaks Chinese as their native language. Chinese (simplified Chinese: 汉语; traditional Chinese: 漢語; pinyin: Hànyǔ or also 中文; Zhōngwén, especially for the written language) is a group of language varieties that form the Sinitic branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages, spoken by the ethnic Han Chinese majority and many minority ethnic groups in Greater China.About 1.2 billion people (or approximately 16% of … More people speak a variety of Chinese … In Vietnam alone, Cantonese (Yue) speakers Throughout the world it is spoken by some 20 million more. BBC Languages - Learn Chinese in your own time and have fun with Languages of the world. It forms part of a language family called the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. There are three different types of Chinese; Old Chinese, Middle Chinese and Modern Chinese. As an art form, Chinese calligraphy remains an integral aspect of Chinese culture. China History, Language and Culture History of China. Ahead of the film’s release, Professor Lan Dong of the University of Illinois Springfield explores the origins of the legend – and the real history that might have inspired the tale… Educational articles for teachers, students, and schools including the culture, art, religions, clothing, geography, empire, government, daily life, people, and dynasties of Ancient China. Author and physician, Adeline Yen Nah, in her book Chinese Cinderella said of the written syntax of her native tongue:Chinese is a pictoral language, not a phonetic one. Chan was a graduate student in English at Stanford, earning his M.A. Let's take a look at 10 facts you should know about this complicated and very different language. In time, Chinese-medium schools were established for the benefit of the poorer Chinese community. Taking a highly accessible and balanced approach, it presents a chronological survey of the various stages of Chinese language development, covering crucial … Ancient Chinese Language History, Ancient China Sinitic Language, About Mandarin was spoken, Historians are of the view that the archaic vocabulary The History of the Chinese Language The Chinese Language has been around since 1122 B.C.E. Chinese is considered one of the biggest languages in the world. Chinese is the language with the largest number of users in the world, and the script with the longest history. Mandarin Chinese is the most popular language in China, with over 955 million speakers out of China’s total population of 1.21 billion people. A History of the Chinese Language provides a comprehensive introduction to the historical development of the Chinese language from its Proto-Sino-Tibetan roots in prehistoric times to Modern Standard Chinese. 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