By Sarah Huang '27
Is Chinese a language? Standard Mandarin, or Putonghua, the standardized and only official language of China, based on Mandarin spoken in Beijing, is a language, but Chinese is NOT one singular language. It’s an umbrella term encompassing all the language groups and languages spoken in the region, including but not limited to Mandarin. These other languages are presently seeing a trend of waning speakers and relevance. With China being one of the top 10 most linguistically diverse countries, the loss of these languages could lead to a loss of history, culture, and heritage of what makes each region unique. Contrary to popular belief, the spoken varieties of Chinese (or fang yan) are not “dialects” of a single language. A dialect is speech or writing that is mutually intelligible. Most Chinese “dialects” are not mutually intelligible, making them distinct languages. With over 300 different languages present in the country, and neighboring villages who were unable to comprehend each other, the government needed to find a solution to ease communication and step into the age of modernization.
Thus, China established Standard Mandarin as the official language in 1912, embarking on a century long process to unite the country linguistically. But it wasn’t until the end of the 20th century did Chinabegin to more strictly enforce the propagation and usage of Standard Mandarin. In some provinces, the usage of regional languages for public service workers in the workplace was banned, and in a city, a TV show was taken off air because it wasn’t broadcasted in Standard Mandarin. The education of regional languages was removed, and their usage was discouraged and punished in schools. As a result, the newer generation as children growing up were not incentivized to learn the native language of their home, but instead, Standard Mandarin.
Ultimately, the process of standardizing the spoken language emerged successful. In 2018, Mandarin was being spoken by more than 80% of China’s population, up from 70% a decade past. However, this has come with the cost of decreasing speakers of regional languages. Languages spoken by small minority ethnic groups have begun to die out, and around 25 languages are critically endangered, where only the grandparent generation can speak it, but do so infrequently. A 2010 study by the Beijing Union University showed that half of native-born Beijing residents after 1980 preferred to speak Standard Mandarin over the Beijing dialect. In 2017, an online survey showed that among 10 language groups, Wu Chinese (spoken in Shanghai and Suzhou), the third most spoken language family in China, after Standard Mandarin and Cantonese, has the smallest number of active users between 6 and 20 years of age.
Due to the preeminence of Standard Mandarin, the diminishing presence of other languages has been a source of worry for many. The exact same government that used to stifle the usage of local languages decided in 2015 to establish a language resource protection project, suddenly aware that dying languages were worth preserving. Its efforts include allowing minority ethnic groups to teach their own languages, writing and archiving books, offering local language courses outside of school, and promoting cultural activities. Citywide action has also taken place, such as including announcements on buses and metros, but many have argued that this presence is not enough to stop the decreasing trend. What needs to happen is a balance of Standard Mandarin and formal local language education and exposure. Media should be made and allowed to be broadcasted in any language, encouraging the younger generation to be engaged with their heritage and culture.
Is a uniform Chinese identity a worthy trade for diminishing dialects? It is strange to see that regional languages have managed to coexist with the lingua franca throughout China’s long history, yet Standard Mandarin is now beginning to threaten their existence. Indeed, the interconnectedness and diversity that makes a metropolis thrive requires a shared language for communication, but urbanization and linguistic diversity can and should coexist.
Senior Editor: Sage Yan '24
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