Are you one of those people who can learn a language better if they know a little about its origins? Then this chapter is for you!
We will not go into too much detail. We have not studied Sinology, nor does this book intend to replace such a study. But a little bit of Chinese language history for the household needs we would like to teach here.
The Chinese language basically does not exist. In fact, there are many Chinese dialects, some of which are even more different languages than dialects that are spread all over China.
The two best known are "Mandarin" and "Cantonese".
Usage of the different Chinese language dialects
Mandarin Chinese
- 960 million native speakers
- dissemination:
- Large areas of north and southwest China
Gan Chinese
- 22 million native speakers
- dissemination:
- Central and North Jiangxi Province
- Eastern Hunan
- Parts of Fujian, Anhui and Hubei
Hakka Chinese
- 30 million native speakers
- dissemination:
- Eastern Guangdong Province
- Parts of Fujian and Jiangxi Province
Min Chinese (incl. Hockien as dialect of Min)
- 70 million native speakers
- dissemination:
- Fujian and Guangdong Province
- Hainan, Zhejiang and Jiangsu Province
- Taiwan and South East Asia
Wu Chinese
- 80 million native speakers
- dissemination:
- Shanghai and Zhejiang Province
- Jiangsu and Anhui Province
- Jiangxi and Fujian Province
- the northern tip of Hong Kong
Xiang Chinese
- 38 million native speakers
- dissemination:
- Central and southwest Hunan
- the northern Guangxi
- some parts of Guizhou, Sichuan and Shaanxi
Yue Chinese (including Cantonese)
- 60 million native speakers
- dissemination:
- the Pearl River Delta
- South East Gunanxi
- Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao