Home>News Center>China
       
 

Greater numbers speak Mandarin
(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-12-26 22:56

More and more Chinese nowadays are able to communicate with Chinese Mandarin, says a survey that indicates that 53 per cent of the population can communicate with the language known as putonghua.

Conducted by the State Working Committee of Chinese Language, a nationwide survey on the use of the principal Chinese language was released yesterday in Beijing after six years of hard work.

Over 470,000 people in 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across the country responded to the survey, which is "the first of its kind in the history," said Tong Lequan, head of the survey group.

The coexistence and different uses of Mandarin and dialects are a unique proclivity of the current Chinese language, said Tong.

As a standard language, Mandarin is widely used as the communication medium during public activities while people use the dialect native to their area or province when communicating within their family or with other native speakers.

Only 18 per cent of those surveyed speak Mandarin while talking to the family members, while 42 per cent speak at school, work or play.

Sixty-six per cent of the urban residents speak Mandarin, a 21 per cent higher rate than rural residents.

The survey also showed that the young have better Mandarin fluency, with just 31 per cent of those aged 60 to 69 able to speak the language,while the figure has more than doubled among those younger than 29.

Among many Chinese, speaking Mandarin is perceived as a sign of good breeding. The survey showed only 10 per cent of the illiterate can speak Mandarin while those with 87 per cent with college degrees are fluent.

Tong said with the change of generations and the spread of the education, Mandarin will gain more ground.

Hu Hongguang, a middle school teacher who speaks Mandarin in class in Central China's Hubei Province said there are three criteria to judge the popularization of the language: how it is used in schools and whether it is used as a working language and as the mainstream tongue on social occasions.

The main difficulties about speaking putonghua, the answer "no situation the putonghua is used" and "hard to change the accent" came out as the main obstacles.

Many parts of China are now seeing a situation of what linguists call diglossia, where there is one public language and one local language that is used among friends and family.

"I never speak Mandarin at home though I speak it all day in the office," said Yin Yu, 25. "It is so strange when you speak Mandarin while everybody else is speaking a dialect."

Moreover, Yin said her dialect gives her a feeling of home, however, she said the use of dialects will not decrease the influence and popularity of Mandarin. "It is a complementary to Mandarin," she said.

Use of dialects may even be strengthening in some areas, said Wang Chengxi, 27.

As a boy grew up in the northern part of the country, Wang speaks wonderful Mandarin but he began to learn the Cantonese when he started to work in Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong Province in 2001..

He said the prevalence of the local dialect have excluded outsiders from social networks. "I am learning Cantonese because I want to better integrate into local society," he said.



 
  Today's Top News     Top China News
 

Tidal waves kill more than 3,800 in Asia

 

   
 

Stable price increases expected in 2005

 

   
 

Fiscal income growth to decline

 

   
 

Pakistan, China to set up free trade area

 

   
 

Revision of death penalty system urged

 

   
 

Millions celebrate Christmas across globe

 

   
  Beijing opens first fast bus line
   
  Getting the trade balance right
   
  Fiscal income growth to decline
   
  Pakistan, China to set up free trade area
   
  Stable price increases expected in 2005
   
  Revision of death penalty system urged
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  News Talk  
  It is time to prepare for Beijing - 2008  
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 亚洲成a人片在线不卡一二三区| 国产初次破初视频情侣| 一出一进一爽一粗一大视频| 日本久久久免费高清| 国产又色又爽又黄刺激在线视频| 一进一出60分钟免费视频| 欧美日韩成人午夜免费| 免费观看的黄色网址| 午夜性色吃奶添下面69影院| 成人免费无毒在线观看网站 | 日本一卡二卡≡卡四卡精品| 五月天亚洲色图| 欧美婷婷六月丁香综合色| 四虎国产精品永久地址99| 麻豆女神吴梦梦| 国产欧美久久久精品影院| 最新国产你懂的在线网址| 国产黄三级高清在线观看播放| japanese国产中文在线观看| 成人一级片在线观看| 中文字幕在线视频在线看| 日本一区二区三区在线看| 久久午夜夜伦鲁鲁片无码免费 | 白嫩少妇喷水正在播放| 吃奶呻吟打开双腿做受在线视频| 调教女m视频免费区视频在线观看| 大尺度无遮挡h彩漫| 一区二区三区电影网| 成人欧美一区二区三区的电影| 久久久99久久久国产自输拍| 日本高清免费不卡视频| 久久综合香蕉国产蜜臀av| 猛男猛女嘿咻视频网站| 十七岁高清在线观看| 精品福利一区二区免费视频| 四虎精品久久久久影院| 色吧首页dvd| 国产一区二区四区在线观看| 1024你懂的国产精品| 国产韩国精品一区二区三区| 一色屋精品视频任你曰|