Chinese at U of T
Why Study Chinese?
- Chinese, as a standardized form of the Beijing dialect (Mandarin), is an official language of the People’s Republic of China (mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao), the Republic of China (Taiwan and other islands), Singapore, and the United Nations . The name Chinese is also used for variants of spoken Chinese (dialects) that are actually mutually incomprehensible. The most populous dialect is Mandarin, followed by Wu, and Cantonese (spoken commonly in Hong Kong). All varieties of Chinese are tonal and analytic. It is common for Chinese speakers to be able to speak several varieties of the language; most speak Standard Mandarin as one variety. Such polyglots frequently code switch between Standard Mandarin and the local dialect(s), depending on the situation. A person living in Taiwan may mix pronunciations and words from Standard Mandarin and Taiwanese, and this mixture is considered socially appropriate under various circumstances.
- The Chinese written language employs Chinese characters, which are not just pictographs, but are highly stylized and carry abstract meaning. Written Chinese used by speakers of all Chinese spoken variants is called Vernacular Chinese and is most closely based on Mandarin. Cantonese has also developed written forms that correspond more closely to the spoken form of those variants, though these are used predominantly in informal contexts.
- Chinese culture is rich and varied with a long history. Knowledge of Chinese will certainly give you a deeper understanding of the long history of Chinese culture, people, literature, philosophy, and much more.
Programs
Study Elsewhere Opportunities
FAQs
- How do we transcribe Chinese in English?
In order to transcribe the sound of Chinese in the Latin alphabet, a romanization system called Pinyin is most commonly used. Most universities of North America and Europe use this system at the beginning of the instruction, as does the University of Toronto.
- How many characters does Chinese have?
A Sea of Chinese Characters published in 1994 by Leng Yulong and Wei Yixin lists more than 85,000 characters. However, many of the characters in large dictionaries like this are variant forms of other characters. For example, Hanyu Da Zidian another large dictionary published in the 1980's, has 56,000 characters. While the total number of characters is overwhelming, many of them also have overlapping meanings. For practical purpose, one only needs to have a small repertoire to be able to read and write adequately. It is said that it is only necessary to learn 2,000 characters to be able to understand 94% of all newspaper articles and books. An average educated person masters about 3,500 to 5,000 characters and can function properly in daily life and work.
- What is Chinese grammar like?
All Chinese dialects are isolating languages. They feature subject, verb, object word order like English and depend on this feature rather than changes in the form of the word through inflection.
- What is learning Chinese like?
Writing Chinese characters is perhaps the most difficult aspect for new learners whose native language employs a Latin alphabet. Pronunciation may also be difficult but since it is regular, one becomes accustomed to it, and it may not require too much effort. Grammar, on the other hand, is often considered easier than that of many other languages, especially for English speakers, who are accustomed to the same basic word order.
- What are simplified characters as opposed to the traditional characters?
Simplified Chinese is the result of reducing some strokes from the traditional characters to make it simpler to remember and write.
- Where are the simplified and traditional characters used?
Simplified Chinese is used in mainland China and Singapore and traditional Chinese is used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and overseas Chinese communities. Simplified Chinese is gaining popularity in Hong Kong as people have more and more business interactions with mainlanders.
- Is Chinese difficult to learn?
There is no easy language to learn; any language has its own difficult aspects to acquire. English speakers may find acquiring Chinese characters difficult, while people who know characters, such as Japanese speakers, may find that pronunciation of Chinese is more difficult.
