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{{Infobox language|boxsize=300px|pronunciation=[hwa.y˨˩˨]|nativename=華語|nation=[[China]]|name=Standard Chinese|fam1=Serican|fam2=Sinitic|fam3=Mandarin}}
{{Infobox language
| name = Standard Chinese
| image = Jiatai Era Mencius title page.jpg
| imagesize = 300px
| nativename = 華語
| pronunciation = [hwa.y]
| states = [[China]]
| ethnicity = [[Chinese people]]
| fam1 = Serican
| script = Chinese characters
| nation = [[China]]
|boxsize=200px|fam2=Sinitic|fam3=Mandarin|fam4=Namging Mandarin}}'''Standard Chinese''' (華語, ''hwaü'', /hwa.y/, lit. 'Chinese language'), commonly known as '''Mandarin''', is the standard variety of Chinese and official language of [[China]]. It is based on the Namging dialect of Mandarin with significant influence from Cantonese during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The current dialect began its genesis after the [[Canton War]] and formally organized during the early 20th century by Chinese linguists, eventually being selected by the Chinese republican government in 1938. ▼
 
▲|boxsize=200px|fam2=Sinitic|fam3=Mandarin|fam4=Namging Mandarin}}'''Standard Chinese''' (華語, ''hwaühwãü,'', /hwa.y/, lit. 'Chinese language'), commonly known as '''Mandarin,''', is thea standard variety of Chinese andused as the official language of [[China]]. It is based on the NamgingMandarin dialect of MandarinNamging with significant influence from Cantonese. during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The current dialect began its genesisstandardization after the [[Canton War]] and formallywas organizedadopted duringas the earlyofficial 20thlanguage centuryand bylingua Chinesefranca linguists,of eventuallyChina beingin selected1938. byThe thelanguage primarily written with Chinese republicancharacters, though informal Latin script is governmentused in 1938countries such as [[Tauland]] and [[Tussenland]].
The language is written with Chinese characters and has possessed one officially recognized romanization system since the 1940s. Today, this standard variety is mostly spoken within China. Nevertheless, it has varying degrees of influence in countries such as [[Mongolia]], [[Serindia]], [[Soenda]], [[Poeja]], [[Tauland]], [[Viet Nam]], [[Pinang]], and the [[Westerzee|Westerzee province]] of [[Tussenland]], among others.
 
== History ==
Modern Standard Chinese is a descendant of the Mandarin of the late Ming and [[Qing|Western Qing]] imperial courts, which were based on the dialect of the city of Namging. During the early 19th century, the basis for standard speech was gradually moving to Beiging. This process was interrupted with the [[Canton War]] of the 1850s. As a consequence, imperial Mandarin was split; the ancient Namging dialect remained prestigious in the southern [[Kingdom of Canton|Ye dynasty]], while the Beiging pronunciation quickly became popular in the post-war Qing dynasty and among emigrants to [[Poeja]] and [[Mongolia]]. The later half of the century saw the introduction of a large [[Cantonese]] influence on the Mandarin dialect of Namging. In a few generations, this resulted in numerous phonological changes, including the revival of the ''-m'' coda and ''ŋ-'' initial, [x] becoming a glottal [h], general de-palatalization, as well as the loss of any retroflex sounds acquired up until that point.
The basis for the Standard Chinese of today began forming after the [[Canton War]], where the [[Qing|Qing dynasty]] was split into two states. At that point in time, the court dialect of the empire was mainly based on that of Namging, though there was a conscious shift in favor of the dialect of Beiging, the capital. As a result of the War, the two court dialects of Namging and Beiging were forcibly isolated from one another, with the former being used in the [[Kingdom of Canton|Ye dynasty]] and the latter becoming predominant in the northern Qing dynasty.
 
Starting in the 20th century, this new evolution of the Namging dialect was extensively studied and formalized. In 1938, with the abolition of the Qing and Ye dynasties, the new dialect was adopted as the national standard by the Chinese Republic.
During the period of partition, the Namging dialect became increasingly influenced by Cantonese, which had been standardized and adopted as one of the primary languages of the southern government. Several phonetic shifts occurred in Namging Mandarin over these seven decades, with many of these changes resembling those of 17th century Mandarin. Notables ones include the revival of the ''-m'' coda and ''ŋ-'' initial, [x] becoming a glottal [h], general de-palatalization, as well as the loss of any retroflex sounds acquired from northern Mandarin dialects up until that point.
 
By the early 1920s, the new dialect of Namging (what now is Standard Chinese) began being studied by linguists in [[China]] as well as in [[Japan]] and [[Tauland]]. As a consequence of the Sinwei coup 辛未 in 1931, the Siehwei Society became increasingly successful in promoting the new Namging dialect as the ''lingua franca'' of a united Chinese Republic. Support from organizations in the Qing dynasty, Mongolia, Corea, and Japan allowed the Society to gain prominence. Two years after the annexation of the Qing dynasty, the standardized dialect was designated the standard variety and official language of China in 1938.
 
== Geographic distribution ==
Standard Chinese is predominately used within the [[China|Chinese Republic]]. However, Chinese populations in America, Indonesia, [[Tauland]], and other regions do tend to employ the variety as a ''lingua franca'' between Chinese communities of various ethnolinguistic backgrounds.
 
== Phonology ==
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==== Semi-vowels ====
Semi-vowels, also known as glides, can act as initials, medials, or finals in Standard Chinese syllables. They may have different orthographic representations depending on their position. [/j, ɥ, w] are considered to be/, the three semivowels, correspondingcorrespond to their vowelvocalic equivalentscounterparts [i, y, u]. The table below shows how each glide sounds and appears orthographically in different positions.
{| class="wikitable"
!Glide
!
!Initial
!Medial
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|-
!/j/
|j [j]
| colspan="2" |i
|i [j]
|i [i]
|-
!/ɥ/
|y [ɥ]
|ü [y]
|—
|-
!/w/
| colspan="3" |w
|w [w]
|w [w]
|w [u]
|}
In final position, glides are considered to be part of diphthongs (for example, /s<u>a'''i'''</u>/ 塞). Meanwhile in medial position, glides often transform diphthongs into triphthongs (/s<u>ai</u>/ 塞 ''vs.'' /s<u>'''w'''ai</u>/ 帥).
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|
|}
 
==== Tones ====
Standard Chinese has five tones, along with a neutral tone (sometimes classified as toneless).
{| class="wikitable"
!No.
|1
|2
|3
|4
|5
|6
|-
!Diacritic
|ā
|á
|ã
|à
|ȧ
|a
|-
!Name
|陰平
|陽平
|上
|去
|入
|輕
|-
!Description
|Dark level
|Light level
|Rising
|Departing
|Entering
|Neutral
|-
!Contour
|/˥/ 55
|/˩˧/ 13
|/˨˩˨/ 212
|/˧˩/ 31
|/˥/ 5
|—
|-
!MC
|1
|2
|3
|5
| colspan="2" |—
|-
!Example
|巴 ''bā''
|麻 ''má''
|傻 ''sã''
|把 ''bà''
|札 ''zȧ''
|嗎 ''ma''
|}
Unlike more northern varieties of Mandarin, Standard Chinese preserves the entering tone (入, ''jù'') found in southern varieties of Mandarin and southern Chinese languages like [[Cantonese]]. The entering tone is realized as a glottal stop /ʔ/.
 
== Vocabulary ==
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