The Language of the Han: Writing and Speaking Chinese

Abstract

The nature and evolution of the Chinese language are fundamental to Chinese culture and society. The great philosophers who established a written code of conduct which for over 2,000 years guided the conduct of government and human relationships probably had a greater effect on shaping Chinese thought and attitude than has any other major language or any other culture, more than Latin and Greek on Europe, or Sanskrit on India. Nowhere else is the written word still held in such high esteem. Chinese is one of the most ancient, difficult, complex and yet efficient languages to exist. It largely ignores formal grammar and syntax, relying on word order and particles to indicate tense and order. It is written in a series of symbols or ideographs known as characters, each expressing a word and possessing an intrinsic monosyllabic pronunciation and tone, both of which vary widely according to which part of China the speaker is from. The simplest character consists of one stroke, the most complicated has 48. There are about 7,000 to 8,000 in general use and it needs about 3,000 to read a newspaper. Each has its own meaning and each one has to be learned individually. This written language is common to all Chinese wherever they may be; it does not necessarily relate to the sound of what is said, and there is little concordance between sound and symbol.