Past, Present, History of Mandarin Language

📌Category: Language and Linguistics, Science
📌Words: 949
📌Pages: 4
📌Published: 10 June 2021

One of the most complex languages comes from a rich history with a remarkable evolutionary pattern. Mandarin is the second most spoken language in the world, and has changed the way humans look at life. The vast history has provided us with different interpretations and dialects that had been used to show class and power. Currently the language has broken certain barriers for youth and adults through extensive learning and abstract ways of thinking. With a language that has survived for thousands of years, it would be a shame for it not to be put under the spotlight. Through the rich, powerful language, mandarin has the ability to teach and shed new light into our lives. 

 The history of mandarin is rich and full of information, information that cannot be hidden. Between the 7th to 11th centuries B.C (Zhou Dynasty), Archaic Chinese (old chinese) was implemented into people's lives. However, this was not available to great masses but instead for the scholars and the rich. The characters used were more along the lines of pictures and not what we see today. The symbol for water would look like waves, and the symbol for mountains would look like large hills. The people who did not speak this language in China created dialects which were very similar to its impersonation. This sprouted out into five subdivisions of Archaic Chinese. Middle Chinese was spoken during the Sui, Tang, and Song Dynasties (7th to 10th centuries A.D). This form of chinese became a more complex version of Old Chinese. Similar to english, scholars began using the same symbols and sounds for different words (Rebus Writing). Through its rich complex language, the history grows deep, and is a crucial part to what mandarin has become (Ancient Chinese Writing History: Facts, Characters & Styles).

Mandarin is the most spoken language in the world. With 1.3 billion people speaking it (⅕ of the world), there are many places where it is spoken. It is mostly spoken in China and countries around it. Because it is such a well known and complex language, many people have created many dialects similar to mandarin. The most well known dialect of mandarin is Cantonese. Cantonese has around 66 million speakers, and is spoken in the GuangDong province which includes two main cities, Hong Kong and Macau. With 40,000 different characters, many characters/words are reused for different meanings (Chinese Language History). Similar to english there are a few words that are spelled the same but have different meanings or interpretations. In english you can decipher what the word means by simply listening to the sentence completely. In Mandarin and Cantonese, they have different tones. Chinese tones are markings above the word that symbolize a different vocal pattern. There are four main tones which include flat tone, rising tone, dip tone, and falling tone. Each tone has a different vocal pattern that tells the speaker to either keep their voice neutral in pitch, lower the pitch of their voice, raise the pitch of their voice, or do both (like a swoop, up and down). Because there are four different tones, there can be up to four different meanings of the same word. However, there are an average of three meanings of the same word (Listen Up! The Five Chinese Tones and How to Use Them Like a Pro). The chinese characters have evolved and transformed over thousands of years and have grown more complex as time goes on. 

Chinese characters have grown over a span of 5000 years and have a rich history behind them. Chinese characters are pictographs that represent objects, materials, and living things in a form of artwork. Originally, the characters were very simple and could easily be distinguished for what they were representing. But as time grew, the characters became more and more complex, looking less like their original form. The oldest known chinese script was developed in the fourth millennium BC. This was called the Cuneiform script and originated in Mesopotamia (present day Iran and Iraq). Each chinese dynasty lasted around 200 years and edited the script/characters/language in minor ways. This eventually led to what ⅕ of the population speaks (Understanding Chinese Characters). As the language became more complex, the characters became more complex as well. Brush strokes are a vital part of creating characters. There are eleven main brush strokes that comprise the mandarin characters. Using the wrong brush strokes can lead to the ink falling down the wrong side of the page, ultimately changing the character completely. Most characters are meant to be close to perfect; using the write brush stroke causes the elegant lines to start out thick and become much more thin towards the end of the character. One of the biggest reasons that the brush strokes have to be used in the correct direction is because the chinese believe in harmony. The chinese believed that when you did not have balanced harmony they would fall ill or die. Similarly, the brush strokes were designed to have the most aesthetical, symmetrical, and balanced characters (Why Chinese Stroke Order is Important and How to Master it). Tradition has always found a role in the evolution and history of the chinese characters. 

Through the mysteries and highlights of mandarin, it can teach and shed new light into our lives. Mandarin has made a huge impact on the words economic status, and the way people live their lives. Though it is hard to master, it comes with many irrefutable benefits. Through its long lasting history, it has changed people, things, and the future. Mandarin is more than just a language, it is an art, an art that must be mastered. 

 

Work Cited

Bagley, Brook. “Listen Up! The Five Chinese Tones and How to Use Them Like a Pro”. FluentU. 30 December, 2019. https://www.fluentu.com/blog/chinese/2019/12/30/chinese-tones/.

“Chinese Language History”. Today Translations. https://www.todaytranslations.com/about/language-history/chinese-language-histy/.

Heather. “Ancient Chinese Writing History: Facts, Characters & Style”. Learn Chinese History.                28 June 2018. https://www.learnchinesehistory.com/chinese-writing-history/.

Mark J. Joshua. “Writing”. Ancient History Encyclopedia. 28 April, 2011 https://www.learnchinesehistory.com/chinese-writing-history/.

Sara Lynn Hua. “Why Chinese Stroke Order is Important and How to Master it”. DigMandarin. 3 December, 2020. https://www.digmandarin.com/why-stroke-order-is-important-and-how-to-master-it.html.

“Understanding Chinese Characters”. ChinaSage. https://www.chinasage.info/chinese-characters.htm.

 

 

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