The Chinese culture is rich, unique and vibrant. Through its music, ceramics, art, religion and philosophy it continues to entertain and delight the world and if you have a passion for culture, you are probably intrigued by it. Any world explorer would want to hop onto a plane to explore the East and it is no secret that China has been dubbed as the next rising star when economists forecast global development.
Travelling to China is the most obvious step to get closer to this captivating culture, but an understanding of the Chinese language will make the journey rich, deepen your connection with the people and intimately connect you to their customs and traditions. You’ll also learn that Chinese is not a singular language and its history is as complex as its regional influences.
The gift of cultural perspective is only the tip of the iceberg. Learning a new language has a multitude of economic, social and personal benefits and this article will explore some of the reasons why we think Mandarin should be the next language you learn.
The Most Spoken Language in The World
Do you want to learn a language that will allow you to communicate with over a billion people?
While English is the most used language across the globe due to its colonial past, the majority of speakers of English are second language speakers. Chinese on the other hand, has the greatest number of native speakers globally and over 20% of the world population regard Mandarin as their home language.
It’s important to realise that even though standard Chinese is considered as the national language, it’s only one of the many languages that makes up the Chinese linguistic landscape. With 13 official languages and over 300 living Chinese dialects it would be tricky to master Chinese in its entirety, unless you plan to settle in China and become a linguistic professor?
For this reason most Chinese languages courses are presented in Mandarin.
If you plan to become a global citizen, or make friends all over the world, we’re almost certain that learning Chinese will be a good step in the right direction.
Linguistics Will help you Understand Chinese Culture
Any cultural experts will reason that there’s no better way to learn about a culture than to immerse yourself in its language. The intimate relationship between culture and language makes it possible for students to learn about regionally specific social groups, their character and behaviours.
A country’s identity is beautifully weaved into its people and your exposure to their traditions and local dialects will paint a new and informed perspective on a country's character.
Putongua, roughly translated as ‘common speech’, is favoured in mainland China. The majority of Chinese understands it, but only 10% of people in China talk Mandarin fluently. The people of China speak, work, live and laugh in dialects that are linked to specific geographical regions and learning different variants of the language will thus expose you to a broader slice of the real Chinese culture.
Getting to know the Chinese writing system, characters and vocabulary will probably be the toughest part for beginner learners. Its recognised stylistic writing, tones and pronunciation can be scary, but it’s comforting to know that expert linguists say that Mandarin is generally easier than learning French, Finnish or even English.
Are you ready to spend less time on grammar and more time on learning words and listening to pronunciation?
The Chinese don’t use phonetic writing like most languages, but compose pictograms and semi-phonetic ideograms. Speaking and reading comes easier once you master the writing characters and what makes it easier is their easy and simplistic approach to tenses, absence of constructs like cases or gender and it is without complicated grammar.
Regional Dialects Will Make Asian Travel Easier
What language do the Chinese speak?
Standard Chinese is the most widely spoken language in China, but it also features heavily in Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Taiwan and Tibet. Being able to read and speak Mandarin fluently will allow you to hold a conversation, ask for directions or even socialise comfortably with locals.
But you'll realise just how various dialects come into play the moment you start to travel further out away from main metropolitan areas. Start by researching your destinations, like reading this article, and get to know the places you plan to visit. You will quickly know whether learning Mandarin will help you along the way or not.
You are bound to make friends if you can speak Standard Chinese with ease, but if you want to dive into regional Chinese linguistics, we’ve put together a list of the best ones you can learn.
Cantonese (Yue) – Guangzhou, Hong Kong & Macau
This official language has its roots in Guangzhou, Canton, and is a well-known variant of Chinese. 60 million speakers use it in one of the three dialects for Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau. Unfortunately it’s been slowly fading into the background with the increased precedence of Mandarin. Cantonese is closer to ancient Chinese in sound, but you might need to learn and practice it, even if you know Mandarin or speak other dialects. Read this article if you are interested in learning Cantonese.
Shanghainese and Wu Chinese – Eastern Region
Shanghai, the South-eastern Jiangsu province and the Zhejiang province hosts the bulk of the estimated 85 million Wu speakers and from these there are an estimated 14 million who use the most coherent form or dialect of Wu Chinese, called Shanghainese.
Among the six major southern Chinese varieties, Wu is considered as the most ancient, but unfortunately it has declined in popularity during the 80s due to Government interventions to migrate citizens to Standard Beijing Mandarin and is by some seen as a ‘kitchen language’.
If you plan to travel or work in Shanghai, learning Wu Chinese is your best choice. This vibrant city has a way of stealing hearts and if you are used to speaking Wu you'll be able to talk and mingle with 7-8% of the Chinese population.
Min Chinese – Fujian province, Taiwan, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Hainan
Min is a good language to learn for those who already understand and know the characters of Mandarin Chinese. Min Nan is quite popular with an estimated 10 million speakers from the Fujian province while the 2 million Min Bei speakers are generally found in north-western Fujian.
Other variants of Min Chinese include Min Dong, Min Zong and Pu-Xian Min. Read more about learning to speak Min here.
Xiang – Hunan Province
Also known as Hunanese, the Xiang groups of languages and dialects come from the Hunan province. New Xiang is influenced by mandarin and more used than old Xiang, which is a bit like Wu. With an estimated 38 million speakers and speakers in influential places, Xiang still remains a good option for learners.
Open Doors to Global Opportunities
China’s economic growth in 2021 has shown the best results it has the last 25 years and if you are interested in international business and commercial activity you’d be a fool if you don't consider the opportunities that China present.
Learning Chinese will enable you to conduct business dealings with one of the biggest populations in the world and a lot of international global imports originate from China. You can also imagine that the ability to speak another language will be a competitive advantage when you apply for international vacancies.
Your understanding and linguistic abilities in Chinese will also open doors in international teaching. Many young South Africans move to China for a couple of years to teach English and even though Chinese proficiency is not a prerequisite, it will certainly give you a head start if your dreams include a job in China.
Improve your Memory, Language Skills and Mind Power
Learning a new language, including Chinese, will bring a whole host of personal benefits to your life that you might’ve never even considered. One of the biggest is the improved cognitive abilities you’ll gain which includes better problem-solving, improved memory, greater multitasking and you’ll even help your brain to stay young and agile.
Another benefit is the fact that learning, failing and practicing a language while you talk to native speakers will lead to improved confidence. You will also benefit from improved communication and listening skills and by learning more languages you automatically increase the skills and vocabulary in your own native language.
It’s Now Easier to Learn Chinese
The internet has made learning Mandarin much easier than what it used to be. You can review content that's suited to your level of proficiency, whether it's through downloading an app, reading an article or watching YouTube lessons. There's a free course on almost anything and with Superprof tutors in your area you can get the assistance you need while you learn the grammar, tones, characters and pronunciation of this vibrant language.
You'll need to establish your goals during your first lessons and with their guidance you'll work out a study plan that suits your schedule and level of Chinese, whether you are already enrolled in a course or just want to learn Mandarin in your free time.
Most of our tutors offer their first lesson for free, so what are you waiting for?
Book your first Mandarin lessons today, start to learn about Chinese culture and take a step towards the life of your dreams.
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