Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-08-06
POLYGLOT CHINA.
Facts Not Generally Known Concerning tn,
Speech of That Great Empire.

Facts Not Generally Known Concerning the
Speech of That Great Empire.
From the Ostasintischer Lloyd.
Il is true that the inhabitants of Pekin,
Canton. Shanghai, Futwa and Annoy speak
Chinese. But as to other parts of the country
it is also true that citizen of the places named
cannot understand the inhabitants any more
easily than Berliner an Englishman or a
Partisan a Dutchnan. Thus the position of the
Chinaman in his own country. where various
sO-called dialects are spoken. is rather peculiar
The Chinese dialects have nothing in common
with the patois or conversational forms of
language. They are use by the highest and
lowest classes, the savants and uneducated. the
officials and the coolies. The dialect is Ian
guage BY itself. The various dialect FORMS it is
true. related to one another in somewhat
the same manner as the Arabic to the Hebrew.
Syrian and other Semitic tongues. or German
to English. Dutch. Danish, Swedish. &c.
If il is desirable TO classify the numerous d.
alects they may be divided into the Canton,
Hakka, Annoy, Swallow, Shanghai, Ningho, the
Hainanese and the Mandarin. The Youngest
of these dialects is the Mandarin. Mandarin
contrary to the general impression, is not
the universal language of China. The Canton
tongue resembles the ancient Chinese spoken
rim. The Hakka shows also traces of great an
tiquity. Ii is much older than the Mandarin
almost equaling in point of age the Canton
tongue or Cantonese. The same thing may be
said of the Swallow, Annoy and Shanghai dia-
lects. In general We may say that the lam
guages spoken in southeastern China show
traces of the ancient Chinese tongue. while the
Mandarin tongue is modern.
I'm addition to these main divisions." con-
tlnues the article, there are many other quasi
dialects. spoken in some instances by Thousands
of people. But the same word forms, or
dialects, are not used by all persons in a single
district. although the districts divisions
as rule are much smaller than those in the
countries of western. Europe. People distant
from one another only a few miles often use
totally different dialect forms. In some of the
larger cities. such as Canton, with more than
100000 inhabitants. one often finds several
dialect forms in use. The variations in the
Chinese tongue are SO great, indeed. that it is
not too much to say that there are as many
dialect forms in the fowery kingdom as days
in the year.
The most widely spread language is the
Mandarin. 1t Is used in one form another in
fourteen or fifteen of the nineteen provinces
composing China. There are also northern and
southern Mandarin tongues. The best northern
Mandarin dialect is spoken in Pekin. while the
best southern Mandarin is spoken in Nankn. A
third marked form of the same tongue is used
pie who speak the various Mandarian dialects.
however, can understand another readily.
IL we estimate the population of China at
800 900 600 of people at least 300 900 900 use the
Mandarin tongue. All persons, from whatever
part of China. who desire to enter political or
official life learn this tongue.
The other Chinese languages are spoken by
comparatively small numbers of people. About
10000, 900 Tor instance. speak Cantonese in one
form or another. 1t Is used in the greater
part of the province of Quang Tong. About
one-third of the people of this province use the
Hakka tongue. In its northeastern part the
Swallow dialect is also heard. Cantonese is
also spoken in the kusngsi province. There
are not so many dialectic forms of the Hakka
tongue as of the Cantonese Passing I'D the
coast we find about 5000. 900 people speaking
Swallow. In all probability 100000 Chinese
use the Annoy dialect. which resembles Swallow
about as closely as Portuguese resembles Span
lsh. Still further up the coast we find the
Eutwa dialect IL is used in a district about
$50 miles long and 800 miles broad containing
population of 100000 This country is for
the most part mountainous. The dialects of
Ningho and Shanghai, although only q few
miles apart. differ greatly. The Hainanese IL
spoken by the people Of Hainan. 1t is related
to the Annoy and Swallow Enthusiastically re-
sembling the Japanese-and is spoken by about
100000 people. The inhabitants Of about
Lutshu. between Japan and Formosa, also speak
Hainanese.
The introduction Of a uniform language in
China Is only a dream. Two hundred years
ago the Emperor Kang-hi founded schools in
various parts of the empire in the hope Of &C.
compishing that end. but the result WAS dis
appointing. 1t may be accomplished in the
fnture. when railroads in various parts Of the
country bring the people closer together. Cen
turtles will pass by before that time, how
ever The Mandarin tongue, il any,
VIII become the universal one in China"
Her Greatest Grandfather.