Can you refer to Mandarin as Chinese?

Can you refer to Mandarin as Chinese?

Not at all! There is absolutely NO negative cannotation in this word to Chinese people. When you say “mandarin”, you are basically referring to “Standard / official spoken Chinese” or “Pu-Tong-Hua”. Mandarin is the official state language of China and is the lingua franca of the country.

Will learning Mandarin help me learn Cantonese?

Of course Mandarin is a big help in learning Cantonese. Once you can speak Mandarin, you have most of the vocabulary for Cantonese. You just have to learn how to pronounce these words in Cantonese, and of course learn a few of the colloquial words that only exists in Cantonese.

What is the best Chinese dialect to learn?

You might consider learning Cantonese if you intend on settling in Hong Kong, Macau, or Guangzhou for example. If your goal is to learn the history of Chinese and connect with the roots of the language itself, then Cantonese would also be the best option.

What is the rarest dialect in China?

Wenzhounese
Due to its long history and the isolation of the region in which it is spoken, Wenzhounese is so unusual in its phonology that it has the reputation of being the least comprehensible dialect for an average Mandarin speaker.

What is the hardest Chinese dialect to learn?

The phonology of Hokkien is the most difficult to learn, given its complexity. If you already learned the Chinese character through Mandarin, learning Hokkien’s Chinese character would be considered easier.

Can you understand Cantonese if you speak Mandarin?

However, the two languages are distinct when spoken. Mandarin speakers typically cannot understand Cantonese speakers, and vice versa.

How many people in China still can’t speak Mandarin?

But according to a ministry of education statement last year, 30 percent of Chinese — 400 million people — still cannot speak Mandarin. Cantonese is the first language of roughly half the population of Guangzhou, China’s third-largest city and the provincial capital of Guangdong — where for many elderly residents, it is their only tongue.

Is Guangdong TV planning to switch from Cantonese to Mandarin?

Nonetheless reports in neighboring Hong Kong said the province’s official broadcaster Guangdong TV was planning to quietly switch most of its programming from Cantonese to Mandarin on September 1. An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.

Why do so many Americans speak Cantonese in the US?

Because of this large regional concentration, many Chinese immigrants and expatriates to the nearby regions of the pacific coast of the United States (Washington, Oregon, and California) speak Cantonese. Toisanese, another dialect, emerged from the Guangdong region.

Where is Cantonese spoken in China?

Cantonese is the first language of roughly half the population of Guangzhou, China’s third-largest city and the provincial capital of Guangdong — where for many elderly residents, it is their only tongue.