21 replies to this topic

[General_Zhaoyun]

Although Mandarin is the lingua franca of China, there are many other languages spoken in China, by minorities. It has been estimated to have more than 2400 different dialects in China.

This link provides a good information on the languages of China

http://www.ethnologu....asp?name=China

It seems that Jurchen/Manchurian is an extinct language in China.

[Yun]

Here's a great site I just found, where you can learn the writing systems of the Khitan, Jurchen, Tibetans, and Mongol Empire (Phags-pa)!

Two very interesting scripts to check out: Naxi, the only surviving pictographic script in the world (if you visit Lijiang in Yunnan, be sure to look for a Naxi who can write some words for you), and Nushu - a "Women's Writing" developed secretly by uneducated women in Hunan in the 15th century.

http://www.ancientsc....html#east_asia

[Kulong]

I saw a man who could write the Naxi script when I visited Lijiang. It's pretty amazing but of course, to me he was just drawing pictures and I wouldn't know what he was writing

But I did learn one Naxi word though, the word for "family" or "home" is a simple house with a man and a woman inside. This is quite interesting because traditionally, families in ancient times all live together.

[浪淘音]

Although Mandarin is the lingua franca of China, there are many other languages spoken in China, by minorities. It has been estimated to have more than 2400 different dialects in China.

This link provides a good information on the languages of China

http://www.ethnologu....asp?name=China

It seems that Jurchen/Manchurian is an extinct language in China.

there are still people who speak it, i met one

also, there is an ethnic Manchu female model, forget her name at the moment but she can still speak Manchu

[qrasy]

there are still people who speak it, i met one

also, there is an ethnic Manchu female model, forget her name at the moment but she can still speak Manchu

No, Manchu is not extinct.

From the site:
Manchu

[mnc] 60 (1999 Zhao Aping). Ethnic population: 1,821,180 (1990 census). Heilongjiang, a few Manchu-speaking villages in Aihui and Fuyu counties. The ethnic group is in Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning provinces. There may also be members of the ethnic group in North Korea and Siberia. Alternate names: Man. Dialects: Bala, Alechuxa, Jing, Lalin. Classification: Altaic, Tungus, Southern, Southwest

But Jurchen is said to be extinct. (I don't know for sure)

[Karakhan]

there are still people who speak it, i met one

also, there is an ethnic Manchu female model, forget her name at the moment but she can still speak Manchu

could you post a pic? you got my interest

[Pansesus]

could you post a pic? you got my interest 

Hmm I don't know if he is talking about Aixinjueluo Beiyi, she is a royal descendant, now working as a model in HongKong.

[qrasy]

What is 'Aixinjuelo Beiyi' in Characters?

Manchu: look more similar to North Chinese or South Chinese? (eye shape etc.?)

Edited by qrasy, 18 July 2005 - 03:22 AM.

[urofpersia]

Hmm I don't know if he is talking about Aixinjueluo Beiyi, she is a royal descendant, now working as a model in HongKong.

Aiyoh, pics like that should get a warning label. Getting a nose-bleed in the middle of the afternoon can be embarrassing if you have people around you.

[qrasy]

What is 'Aixinjuelo Beiyi' in Characters?

Found Info: 愛新覺羅·貝怡

Aiyoh, pics like that should get a warning label. Getting a nose-bleed in the middle of the afternoon can be embarrassing if you have people around you. 

About warning Pansesus, it's Moderator/Administrator task.
Nosebleed? How about its effects on under-age users?

[chinese student]

Excuse me,who can help me translate the sentence into chinese?
Computers may one day turn night into day with good old,natural sunlight.
哪位大侠帮帮忙呀？

[General_Zhaoyun]

Excuse me,who can help me translate the sentence into chinese?
Computers may one day turn night into day with good old,natural sunlight.
哪位大侠帮帮忙呀？

The sentence can be translated into chinese as follow:

In modern chinese
电脑可能有一天会把夜晚转换成阳光普照的白天。

In classical chinese
电脑亦转黑夜成白天也。

[General_Zhaoyun]

Found a good chart on the languages of China.. (it's in chinese anyway..I'll see if I can translate that later):

Basically, China's Language Branches are divided into Sino-Tibetan Languages (han-language, Tibetan, Miao etc), Altaic-Languages (Uighur, Mongolian, Tungusic Manchurian etc.), South Asiatic Languages (Wa, Bulan etc), South Island (Polynesian - Aborgines in Taiwan), Indo-European Languages (Russian, Tajikstan language)

See the chart below

[ophelia]

About the different languages of China, check out this PEAR STORIES EXPERIMENT

I find it really interesting ( so that I did some research myself about narratives in different languages, including mandarin and English). I also suggest to listen to some of the audio recordings available on the website, it's real fun and you can realize a lot of things about the differences and similarities in narrative techniques in different cultural and linguistic traditions.

Edited by ophelia, 23 February 2010 - 03:37 PM.

[Caidanbi]

Here is a website to learn Hezhe, it is not an extinct language, but it is very endangered... http://www.hlraohe.g...n/fgly/hzyy.htm



Here is another one, but it's in Russian, since they also live in Russia under the name Nanai: http://www.geocities...isuke/nanai.htm