Most Chinese are Han people, even if they speak different dialects. There are exceptions and some groups insist they are not quite the same - e.g. Hakka, of which I am one even though ethnically Hakka is probably Han also.
HK is next to Canton / Guangdong, they speak Cantonese / "Guangdonese?" Mandarin is the official language both in Taiwan and Mainland, I guess because the officials ("mandarins") speak it, but they call it Putonghua ("common/plain language").
I actually do not know if Szechuan people have their own dialect.
**** So to summarize: there is only one written language and the Mandarin is the closest spoken version of it. Different areas develop their own dialect and the difference is far greater than, lets say, Queen's speech to the Southern dialect. Mandarin and Cantonese is reasonably close (i.e. a chasm) but Fukinese may as well be Japanese to Mandarin or Cantonese speakers.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-04-24 06:22 am (UTC)Most Chinese are Han people, even if they speak different dialects. There are exceptions and some groups insist they are not quite the same - e.g. Hakka, of which I am one even though ethnically Hakka is probably Han also.
HK is next to Canton / Guangdong, they speak Cantonese / "Guangdonese?" Mandarin is the official language both in Taiwan and Mainland, I guess because the officials ("mandarins") speak it, but they call it Putonghua ("common/plain language").
I actually do not know if Szechuan people have their own dialect.
****
So to summarize: there is only one written language and the Mandarin is the closest spoken version of it. Different areas develop their own dialect and the difference is far greater than, lets say, Queen's speech to the Southern dialect. Mandarin and Cantonese is reasonably close (i.e. a chasm) but Fukinese may as well be Japanese to Mandarin or Cantonese speakers.