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Study Chinese
Chinese (汉语/漢語, Pinyin: Hànyǔ, 华语/華語, Huáyǔ or 中文, Zhōngwén) is a language (or language family) that forms part of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. About one-fifth of the people in the world speak some form of Chinese as their native language, making it the language with the most native speakers. Though it should be noted that the differences in dialects with in China are akin to the differences between the Romance languages of Europe. Saying that someone who speaks Manderin and someone who speaks Cantonese both speak Chinese is like saying a French speaker and an Italian speaker both speak 'Romance'. Thus it could be argued that there are more native 'Romance' (Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Sardinian etc) speakers than 'Chinese' speakers.
In general, all varieties of Chinese are tonal and analytic. However, Chinese is also distinguished for a high level of internal diversity. Regional variation between different variants/dialects is comparable to the Romance language family; many variants of spoken Chinese are different enough to be mutually incomprehensible. There are between six and twelve main regional groups (depending on classification scheme), of which the most populous are Mandarin, Wu, and Cantonese, in that order. The identification of the varieties of Chinese as "languages" or "dialects" is a controversial issue.
The standardized form of spoken Chinese is based on the Beijing dialect, a member of the Mandarin group; it is described in the article "Standard Mandarin". Standard Mandarin is the official language of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China on Taiwan, as well as one of four official languages of Singapore (together with English, Malay, and Tamil). Chinese—de facto, Standard Mandarin—is one of the six official languages of the United Nations (alongside English, Arabic, French, Russian, and Spanish). Spoken in the form of Standard Cantonese, Chinese is one of the official languages of Hong Kong (together with English) and of Macau (together with Portuguese).
For more information about China and the language visit this site: Info2China.com
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Language schools for the Chinese Language:
| ID: 0393 Name: A Chinese Learning Center Address: 263 Hongqi Nanlu Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300191, China Telephone: 86-22-23679472 Fax: 86-22-23360347 E-Mail: jingml@tjut.edu.cn Website: http://www.tjut.edu.cn/gjjy/ Description: Chinese language programs at College of International Education at TUT for international students to be fluent in Chinese. Participants range from beginners to the advanced. School-guided tours throughout China and elective courses with cultural specialties such as Kungfu (Chinese martial arts), Chinese painting, calligraphy, traditional musical instruments, Beijing opera, etc.are also available. |
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| ID: 0424 Name: Mandarin House Address: Multi locations in Shanghai and Beijing Telephone: +86 13916026700 Fax: +86 21 62882309 E-Mail: info@mandarinhouse.cn Website: http://www.mandarinhouse.cn/ Description: Welcome to Mandarin House, a professional and friendly Chinese Language Institute. We provide year round Mandarin courses at all levels for local expatriates and overseas students. Mandarin House has carefully selected staff and faculty who are enthusiastic in helping each student meet their individual goals. Our Quality System covers areas such as: academics, teachers, lessons, testing, facilities, accommodations and social programs. Most importantly, we respond to student feedback to make sure their time at Mandarin House is enjoyable and productive. Our reputation for providing quality education meets the highest standards, and many of our former students recommend Mandarin House to their friends as the perfect place to learn Chinese. |
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