Knowra Chinese language Chinese language Chinese is a group of related languages and varieties spoken primarily in China and neighboring communities. Their written forms commonly use Chinese characters, though spoken varieties can differ substantially.
Sinitic languages : A branch of Sino-Tibetan containing Chinese languages and varieties, including Mandarin, Wu, and Cantonese. This linguistic family groups the varieties commonly called Chinese.
Mandarin Chinese : The largest Chinese language group, including the standard varieties used in mainland China and Taiwan. Mandarin is often treated as the default Chinese variety, though it is only one branch.
Oracle bone script : The earliest substantial Chinese writing system, inscribed on bones and shells during the late Shang dynasty. Its inscriptions provide the earliest extensive evidence for the history of Chinese writing.
Standard Chinese : A standardized variety based primarily on Beijing Mandarin and used in education and public communication. It enables communication across many regions where local Chinese varieties differ.
Diglossia : A social arrangement in which distinct language varieties serve different contexts or levels of formality. Classical and vernacular Chinese long occupied different roles in writing and public life.
Chinese characters : Logographic characters used to write Chinese and adapted for writing several other languages. A shared writing tradition connects varieties whose spoken forms may be mutually unintelligible.
Cantonese : A Yue Chinese language spoken chiefly in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and overseas communities. Cantonese differs substantially from Mandarin in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar.
Old Chinese : The reconstructed language spoken during the Zhou dynasty and represented in early Chinese texts. It is an ancestor of later Chinese varieties, not identical to their classical written form.
Pinyin : The official Romanization system for Standard Chinese, using Latin letters and tone marks. Pinyin supports pronunciation instruction, dictionaries, and digital text entry.
Vernacular Chinese : Written Chinese modeled on spoken language, which became dominant in modern literature and public communication. Its rise changed the relationship between written Chinese and everyday speech.
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