or are they the same thing???
2007-08-15 04:58:10 · 7 answers · asked by mystical_tears7 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Well, the word Chinese is just a cover word for all the different languages and dialects spoken in China. Mandarin Chinese is more specific. If you're wanting to learn Chinese then that is the one you probably want to learn as it's the common language spoken by almost all of China.
2007-08-15 05:02:26 · answer #1 · answered by ? 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Yes and no, which means that it depends on the person. Technically, Chinese is the name for a large number of different languages spoken by people who call themselves Han. Therefore, technically, Mandarin in the name of one of the Chinese languages. Practically, however, some people refer to the national language of China and Taiwan simply as Chinese, and refer to other languages differently, whereas others do not know what language you are refering to if you say Chinese, and respond only to the name Mandarin.
2007-08-15 13:53:42 · answer #2 · answered by Fred 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
teliing linguistically Chinese is not one language but several.......
and the most Common is Putonghua official language composed from Mandarin........
also for example in Hong kong they speak Cantonese
and they may have problems with understanding "Communists"
Chiense don't think they are different nations but...
fro example in Putonghua i love you:
wo ai ni
and in Cantonese:
Ngo oi nei
I don't know if i anot wrong but if languages there would be maybe
Mandarin
Cantonese
Wu
Jin
and..... some others......
on wikipedia theere is a nice map..........
2007-08-15 12:23:11 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Chinese is a language (or a people, but in this context it is a language).
Chinese is composed of many dialects.
Mandarin Chinese is one of the dialects. It is the official dialect used everywhere (China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, rest of the world).
Mandarin Chinese is spoken. When it is written, it is simply called written Chinese, or Chinese.
2007-08-15 12:09:14 · answer #4 · answered by Dennis 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Standard Mandarin is the official language in China, but not the only one.
2007-08-15 17:02:51 · answer #5 · answered by Darth Eugene Vader 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
'Chinese' is the language that contains words like ä½ å¥½å?
this is chinese!
And Chinese also inculding Mandarin and Cantonese and any other Chinese languages!
And Mandarin is one of the ways to speak of Chinese!
2007-08-15 12:58:04 · answer #6 · answered by Alex 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
yes, different class, all that stuff, basically, it is just a little different, but trying to speak one to the other would deffinatly be pointless
2007-08-15 12:07:38 · answer #7 · answered by Brian W 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋