When was the Chinese language standardized?
During the Qin dynasty (221–207 bc) the first government standardization of the characters took place, carried out by the statesman Li Si.
How did the Chinese language start?
Roots of Chinese language Most linguists classify all of the variations of spoken Chinese as part of the Sino-Tibetan family and believe that there was an original language, called Proto-Sino-Tibetan, similar to Proto Indo-European, from which the Sinitic and Tibeto-Burman languages descended.
When was putonghua created?
Mandarin, also known as Putonghua, was introduced in schools in the 1980s and only became a core part of the curriculum in 1998.
When did Mandarin become the official language of China?
1911
All of the official spoken languages were once dialects. Mandarin was one of the 10 major dialects in China and it officially became the national language for China in 1911 after Dr. Sun Yat Sen overthrew the Qing Dynasty. Mandarin was the dialect spoken in the Northern regime and especially Beijing.
Is Standard Chinese a foreign language in China?
Increased interest in China from those outside has led to a corresponding interest in the study of Standard Chinese (a type of Mandarin Chinese) as a foreign language, the official language of mainland China and Taiwan. However, the teaching of Chinese both within and outside China is not a recent phenomenon.
Within China, Mandarin became the official language in the early 20th century. Mandarin also became the official language of Taiwan when the Kuomintang took over control from Japan after World War II. In 2010, 750,000 people (670,000 from overseas) took the Chinese Proficiency Test.
When was the first vernacular language spoken in China?
During and after the Yuan dynasty (1206–1368) the vernacular was used also in the theatre. Modern Standard Chinese has a threefold origin: the written post-Classical language, the spoken standard of Imperial times (Mandarin), and the vernacular language of Beijing.
When did Westerners start teaching Chinese in China?
However, the teaching of Chinese both within and outside China is not a recent phenomenon. Westerners began learning different Chinese varieties in the 16th century. Within China, Mandarin became the official language in the early 20th century.