Mandarin Chinese Mandarin Facts 1. Most spoken language around the world.

2. Spoken in China, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia.

3. No alphabet 4. Traditional and simplified characters.

5. Over 100,000 characters 中文 6. Pinyin-system to write Chinese with the Roman alphabet 7. There are 4 tones 8. Easy grammar: no conjugation of verbs, no singular or plural, articles, no gender specific nouns.

Zhongwen, Zhongguohua, Putonghua, Guoyu, Hanyu

Why learn Chinese?

1. Left side and right side of the brain.

2. Chinese characters increase IQ.

3. China’s economic rise 4. Learn about the culture

Chinese Basics

Pinyin 1. Romanization C=ts Q=ch X=sh Zh=j Other sounds can be be pronounced as they are written.

Initials

Chinese Basics

Pinyin 1. Romanization Ai = long i EI = long a Ui = way Ao = ow Ou = long o Finals

The 4 Tones

Using “ma” Practice sounds and tones

Chinese?

Dialects 1. There are many dialects spoken in China.

2. Each province and even regions within provinces have their own local language.

3. Tulsa to NYC vs. Beijing to Hong Kong Mandarin

How do the Chinese communicate?

• Chinese characters!

• Also, most Chinese have learned to speak Mandarin since it is the official language of China.

Oracle Bones

• People in China began writing around 1,500 BC.

• Animal bones-shoulder of an ox and turtle shell • Priests could tell the future.

• Strips of bamboo • Silk cloth • Paper-100 BC

Characters 1. Chinese symbols 2. Pictograms 3. Traditional or Simplified 4. Over 50,000 characters 5. 3,000-5,000 to read a newspaper 6. Radicals

Hanzi

汉字 Radicals

Hanzi

汉字 How would you look up a Chinese character?

Radicals 1. Number of strokes and the radical.

2. A radical is a classifier 3. 214 or 187

Why simplify?

“ One state, one people, one language.” • Chairman Mao implemented this change after the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

• Language and literacy reforms in China opened peasants and workers to a better more sustainable life.

• 80% could not read before 1949.

Educational Reformer

Traditional vs. Simplified

• There is a debate over which characters should be used.

• Traditional characters are learned in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

• Which do you prefer?

Characters

Simple Characters

All strokes

Yong3 Forever

Complex characters

Zhe2-Talkative 64 strokes Biang2(Biao1biao1) noodles 58 strokes

Chinese Basics

The Book of Hundred Family Surnames ( 百家姓 ) Last name first Over 10,000 surnames 85% of the population has the top 100 surnames.

I can’t marry you!

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

1.

Common Chinese Surnames 2.

References

• http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/tps/1000bce.htm#language • http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/china_1000bce_lang uage.htm

• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3025796.stm

• “How Hand Writing Trains the Brain,” Wall Street

Journal October 2010

• http://endphysics.com/chinese_characters_iq.html

• honghua Xinshi Dachi dian 7504114774) 《中 华姓氏大辞典》 (Great Dictionary of Chinese Surnames) by Yuan Yida (ISBN