🇨🇳The Chinese Language: A Quick Dive into the History and Evolution

Today we are diving into an exploration of a language that has spawned witnesses of the rise and fall of an ancient civilization, shaping the thoughts and communication of billions. This is Chinese. The term Chinese language is an umbrella term that refers to the group of languages native to China that form part of a genetic branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family, including its written form and its spoken forms. Today when people refer to Chinese, they are usually referring to standard Chinese or Mandarin, which is based on the Beiding dialect. And there are many other Chinese languages often referred to as dialects which are used in different regions and communities. Chinese is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world with about 1.6 billion people using Chinese for daily communication and is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Its scripted Chinese characters are known for their unique pictorial and symbolic nature, are often referred to as living hero glyphs, but have you ever wondered how this language came into being? How has it developed and evolved over time? In this video, we will take you into the world of Chinese, exploring its origins, understanding its evolutionary journey, and revealing how significant historical events have shaped its development. Are you ready? Let's get into the video. The origin and early development of the Chinese language are intrinsically tied to the history of China itself, and the roots of Chinese can be traced back to the Sino-Tibetan language family, which also includes Burmese, Tibetan, and a number of smaller language groups of Southeast Asia. Let's talk about the Old Chinese, also known as Archaic Chinese, is the oldest known state of Chinese language. It is generally considered to have been spoken during a period extending from the early Shang Dynasty through to the end of the Han Dynasty. The earliest known font of written Chinese is the Oracle-Bond script, dating back to the Shang Dynasty. These writings were inscriptions made on totters, shells, and animal bones. Oracle-Bond script primarily served two purposes, divination of auspicious or ominous events, and record-keeping. Oracle-Bond script contains several hundred characters, many of which are quite similar to modern Chinese characters. It reveals the ancient Chinese had a complex writing system and a rich mythology since the Shang Dynasty. The following Zhou Dynasty saw the development of the bronze script, referring to the such as bronze or iron. These inscriptions primarily appeared from the late Shang Dynasty to the Warring States period. Bronze script shows clear development and evolution from the Oracle-Bond script and displays a greater consistency in characters. While there are no contemporary grammars from the period, linguists have been able to reconstruct a lot of Old Chinese phonology through the rhyme in classic texts like Shi Jing and Yi Jing, as well as through phonetic elements in Chinese characters. Please note that our understanding of ancient languages like Old Chinese is always evolving, and while scholars have made significant progress, many questions about Old Chinese still remain unanswered. Before China was unified under the Qin Dynasty, each of the six major warring states in Zhou Dynasty developed its own unique style of writing. Over centuries, this evolved into what's known as the Script of the Six States, Liu Guo Wen Zi, or falling under the umbrella term Grace Seal Script, Da Zhuan. But when these states were brought together, this diversity in writing styles became a problem. It slowed down communication, trade, taxation, and transportation, and different scripts could even symbolize different political ideologies. Emperor Qin Shi Huang saw this as a challenge to his unified empire. So in 2020 BC, just a year after he unified the Chinese state, he ordered a sweeping reform. Everything from weights and measures to sentry to currencies was standardized, and so was the writing script. The Qin's small sealed characters, Xiao Zhuan, or Qin Script, Qin Zhuan, became the gold standard, and any characters that differed were cast aside. This unification of a script was more than just a practical measure. It symbolized the coming together of a diverse land under one rule, one language, and one emperor. In ancient China, the primary medium for writing was bamboo and wooden slips, known as Jian Du. Though silk was sometimes used like in famous Chu Xiu manuscripts, it was generally too expensive for everyday documents. But with the invention of paper by Cai Lun during the Han dynasty, these traditional writing materials began to fall out of favor. By the 4th century AD, bamboo had been largely abandoned, replaced by the more convenient and accessible paper. Its greatly facilitated communication across the vast empire, helped in administration, and also laid the groundwork for the development and evolution of the Chinese characters that we see today. The period of the 3rd to 4th century CE marked the transition from Old Chinese to Middle Chinese, coincided with the fall of the Han dynasty and the period of the Three Kingdoms, a tide of political fragmentation and social changes. Middle Chinese, also known as the Qie Yun system, was used during the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties, best known from the phonetic knowledge given in the Qie Yun rhyme dictionary published in 601 CE. The book was a guide to proper reading of classical texts using the Fan Qian method to indicate the pronunciation of Chinese characters. The Qie Yun and later redactions, notably the Guang Yun, are important documentary sources used in the reconstruction of historical Chinese phonology. When classical Chinese poetry flowered during the Tang dynasty, the Qie Yun became the authoritative source for literary pronunciations and it repeatedly underwent revisions and enlargements. The Tang dynasty is often regarded as a high point in Chinese civilization, with great advancements in poetry, literature, and arts. Poets like Li Bai and Du Fu are famous even today for their contributions to Tang poetry. The cosmopolitan nature of the Tang capital, Chang'an, along with international trade on the Silk Road resulted in a period of cultural exchange and diversity that greatly enriched Chinese society and its language. One of the most critical historical events during this period was the bloom of Buddhism, which was first introduced from India to China in the Han dynasty. This led to the absorption of a large number of sacred and In addition to the flourishing cultural exchanges, the Tang dynasty continued and developed the imperial examination system that had been established during the Sui dynasty. This system began to select talents from across the entire nation to contribute to the construction of the state. The imperial examination system facilitated the advancement of education at the time, greatly promoting the dissemination and popularization of the written Chinese language throughout the country. During the Song dynasty, a significant phonetic shift took place, which marked the beginning of modern Chinese. The most prominent features of this period were the development of more tones and the emergence of final consonants such as ng and an. The Song dynasty saw a significant increase in the use of the vernacular language in literature. The zi poetry form, which used the vernacular rather than classical Chinese, became increasingly popular during this period. Another important aspect to highlight from this period is the development of printing technology. The Tang dynasty saw the widespread adoption of woodblock printing, a method involving the carving of entire pages of text onto wooden blocks. This technique allowed for the mass production of texts primarily used for religious scriptures, calendars, and scholarly works. The Diamond Sutra, Jinganjing printed in 868 CE, is one of the earliest and most complete printing books, showcasing the advanced state of woodblock printing during the Tang dynasty. The following Song dynasty is notable for the widespread use of movable-type printing, invented by Bisheng around 1040 CE. Movable-type printing involved carving individual characters onto small blocks, typically made of clay or wood. These could be rearranged and reused, allowing for more flexible and efficient printing. This technological advancement allowed for the wider circulation of texts contributing to the spread and standardization of Chinese language. Before discovering early modern Chinese, I would like to thank this video's sponsor, NordVPN, which I personally use as a language enthusiast, content creator, and word traveler. While learning a language, a VPN can help you access some educational websites and apps that have regional restrictions. You can get exposure to media like films, TV shows, and radio from regions where that language is spoken. With a VPN, you can connect to servers in those regions, allowing you to access streaming services and websites with native content. I have a lot of accounts on different language learning and content creating websites, so I need to fill in a lot of personal information. A VPN ensures that this sensitive information is transmitted securely, preventing potential cyber threats. While traveling, NordVPN helps me to relocate my devices. For example, I can connect to my friend's account without a problem. I can also access local websites without changing my phone. If you would like to try NordVPN, you can get a full bonus month on top of a two-year plan by clicking the link below. And don't worry, it's risk-free with NordVPN's 30-day money-back guarantee. If you are interested, please check out the description box. This era, often associated with the Ming and Qing, saw significant linguistic changes. The Ming era brought about a new wave of standardization in Chinese, especially in its written form. The Ming dynasty was a golden age for literature. Notably, vernacular literature began to flourish during this period. Many novels, including the four great classical novels of Chinese literature, Though the last one, Hongloumen, was completed in the Qing dynasty, it was started in the late Ming dynasty. During the Ming dynasty, the court officials generally spoke in Mandarin dialect. Their language particularly thought of the higher social classes in Nanjing and later Beijing after the capital moved there. Significance influenced the standard spoken language. Moreover, the Ming period saw the publication of numerous dictionaries and language guides, which contributed to the standardization of the Chinese language. During the following Qing dynasty, the last imperial dynasty of China, the Manchu conquerors established the Qing dynasty, leading to the introduction of Manchu words onto Chinese. This period also saw the trend towards Baihuawen, vernacular Chinese, particularly in novels and dramas. Some of the greatest masterpieces of Chinese literature, such as Green of the Red Chamber, Hongloumen, were written during the Qing dynasty, and they played an essential role in popularizing vernacular Chinese. The move of the imperial court to Beijing led to the Northern Mandarin dialect, Gaoming Prestige, which later evolved into the basic for modern standard Mandarin. Kangxi Dictionary, compiled under the Kangxi Emperor, this comprehensive dictionary played a significant role in standardizing characters and pronunciations. Another important historical event is the end of the imperial examination system. The imperial examination system, which had significantly influenced Chinese society and its use of language for over a millennium, ended in 1905. The system had prioritized the use of classical Chinese, and its abolition was a critical step in the transition towards the broader use of vernacular Chinese in the early 20th century. In 1930, as part of an effort to modernize China and promote national unity, the newly formed Republic of China's Ministry of Education established the Commission on the Unification of Pronunciation. This move marked a significant step toward the standardization of the Chinese language. The Beijing dialect, because of the capital's political and cultural significance, was taken as the foundation of this new standard language. An interesting fact, you know what, ancient Chinese languages sounded nothing like the Mandarin we hear today. Cantonese is the closest to ancient China's language among the contemporary Chinese languages. Although Mandarin holds the status of modern China's official language, it didn't develop into what we hear today until the Yuan in the 14th century. Cantonese appeared much earlier, during the fall of the Han Dynasty in 2020 AD. In those long periods of war, many northern Chinese fled south, carrying the old Chinese language with them and settling in southeastern China. In the next 2,000 years, northern China has seen multiple changes in the range of different dynasties, with the East Lingua Franca being heavily influenced by that of other ethnic groups in the neighboring areas such as Mongolia and Manchuria, while in the south, where the ancient northern Chinese settled, wars and turmoil were less common, allowing the ancient Chinese to remain intact and retain their original characteristics. That's why Cantonese is more similar to ancient Chinese in terms of pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. There are two important events during this phase. One is the New Cultural Movement. This movement emerged as a reaction against the conservative cultural traditions of Confucianism. The primary figures such as Chen Duxiu and Hu Shi were intellectuals who studied abroad and were influenced by Western thoughts. They advocated for individual freedoms, women's rights, democracy, and science. These scholars criticized the classical Chinese language which was difficult for the average person to understand as a symbol of the conservative 80s tradition that they sought to change. They started to write in vernacular Chinese or Baihuawen in order to reach a wider audience and promote literacy. A very important figure I must mention here is Lu Xun. His novel Kuangren Riji is the first novel written in Baihuawen. The May 4th Movement was a significant anti-imperialist cultural and political movement growing out of protests in Beijing on May 4th, 1919. The demonstrations were the response to the Chinese government's weak response to the Treaty of Versailles, especially regarding the Shandong Problem. The use of vernacular Chinese in literature and public discourse as advocated by the movement further complemented the standardization efforts leading to the wide adoption of modern standard Mandarin in the years that followed. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the government launched a major language reform initiative which included the standardization of grammar and vocabulary, the promotion of Mandarin as the national language. In the 1950s and 60s, the Chinese government carried out a series of character simplifications to improve literacy rates. Complex traditional characters were simplified, reducing the number of strokes needed for writing. For example, the traditional character for Dragon Long was simplified to this. Language standardization in 1955, the Chinese government established a language standardization committee that created the scheme for the Chinese phonetic alphabet known as Pinyin. Pinyin used the Latin alphabet to transcribe the Mandarin pronunciations of Chinese characters and has been instrumental in teaching Mandarin both within China and internationally. During the modern era, numerous Western languages have entered the Chinese language, particularly in areas such as science, technology, food, culture, sports, and other aspects of daily life. For example, 博客 comes from blog, pizza comes from pizza, cafe comes from coffee, 派对 comes from party, 爵士 comes from jazz, T恤 comes from t-shirt. With the rise of digital communication, a new era of language change began. Internet slang abbreviations and emoji became prevalent. For instance, 666 is commonly used in online gaming communities to mean cool or awesome. Whether it's Chinese or any other language, the story of their evolution is a testament to our human capacity for innovation, adaptability, and creativity. It invites us to appreciate not just the languages we speak but also the extraordinary journey they have taken to reach us in the form we know today. If you like this video and think it's 666, please click on the like button, write 666 in the comments, and don't forget to subscribe to the channel. See you in the next video guys! Bye!