Chinese Dialects: Mandarin, Wu, Cantonese and Others

Since it was first spoken in 1122 BCE, Chinese has dramatically evolved from its primitive roots. While the modern Chinese language can be traced back to a language known by linguists as Proto-Sino-Tibetan, today Chinese is a complex and varied language that includes 12 distinct dialects.

Dialects are regional variants of a language that contain unique vocabulary and/or distinct pronunciations specific to that region's culture.

Among the most popularly spoken Chinese dialects are:

• Mandarin, spoken by about 836 million people
• Wu, spoken by approximately 77 million people
• Cantonese, spoken by around 71 million people
• Min (including Taiwanese), spoken by about 60 million people
• Jin, spoken by around 45 million people
• Xiang, spoken by approximately 36 million people
• Hakka, spoken by about 34 million people
• Gan, spoken by around 31 million people

Spoken Chinese Dialects versus Written Chinese

Given the vast number Chinese dialects, it's no surprise that many of these dialects differ in huge degrees from each other. In fact, Chinese dialects are typically not intelligible to each other – meaning that a person who speaks one Chinese dialect likely will not be able to communicate verbally with someone speaking a different Chinese dialect.

However, while the various dialects may be verbally unintelligible, the written version of the language is standardized so it is universally understood regardless of the specific dialect spoken. This difference in the spoken dialect versus the written word is referred to as diglossia. Differently from English, a language that has an easy translation from speech to text, Chinese and Arabic are characterized by diglossia.

It's important to note that, while Chinese dialects can significantly differ from each other, they all share some characteristics, including:

• They are tonal. This means that the tone used to pronounce the syllable will affect the meaning of the word. Different dialects will vary in the number of tones they use.
• There are sub-dialects. Each of the 12 Chinese dialects can be further classified into various sub-dialects.

Types of Chinese Dialects

Here is a closer look at the distinctions between some of the more common Chinese dialects:

• Cantonese: This Chinese dialect includes a variety of sub-dialects spoken in Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau, Guangxi and parts of Southeastern Asia. Because Cantonese sub-dialects can vary dramatically in their number and types of tones, some are unintelligible to each other.
• Gan: Spoken in Jiangxi and parts of Fiji, Gan is a Chinese dialect marked by aspirated initials, which refers to the voiceless initial that is breathed but not specifically articulated. Gan is closely related to Hakka.
• Hakka: Translated to "guest families," Hakka is a Chinese dialect spoken in Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and parts of southern China. Unique features of Hakka include its nasal and occlusive endings and its range of tones (between four and seven, depending on the sub-dialect).
• Mandarin: As the most popularly spoken Chinese dialect, Mandarin is the official language of Singapore and the People's Republic of China. "Standard Mandarin" may also be simply referred to as Chinese.
  Among the unique features of Mandarin are its four distinct tones and its notable dropping of final consonants in pronunciation. Interestingly, the loss of final consonants means that Mandarin includes more compound words than any other Chinese dialect.
• Min: Spoken in Fiji, Malaysia and the Philippines, Min is the only Chinese dialect that doesn't have its roots in Middle Chinese, an early version of the Chinese language first spoken in 6th Century CE. Min includes the largest range of sub-dialects, all seven of which are typically mutually intelligible.
• Wu: This Chinese dialect is spoken in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai. While Wu is one of the few Chinese dialects to maintain "voiced initials," the fact that it is spoken primarily in mountainous regions means that sub-dialects of Wu are often unintelligible to each other. Because mountain towns tend to be more isolated than other urban areas, sub-dialects of Wu evolved dramatically differently.
• Xiang: Spoken in Hunan, Sichuan and Guangxi, Xiang is a Chinese dialect that includes the sub-dialects "Old Xiang" and "New Xiang." New Xiang reflects some Mandarin influences.

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