JIANGHUAI MANDARIN
THE ORIGINS OF PUTONGHUA
We know Chinese as the most widely spoken language on the planet, but in actuality this macro language can be split into many regional sub- groups. In Hubei, Southwestern Mandarin, Jianghuai Mandarin and the Gan languages are most commonly used. Of these, Southwestern Mandarin dialects are the most common – such as the Wuhan and Shishou dialects. But the tongue which left the greatest mark in history is probably Jianghuai Mandarin, which influenced the official language of China today.
Also known as Lower Yangtze Mandarin, Jianghuai Mandarin is part of the SinoTibetan family of languages and is spoken in parts of Hubei, Anhui and Jiangsu, all north of the river. This group of Mandarin dialects is distinguished from its counterparts by the retention of features in Middle Chinese that have now been dropped in modern Putonghua (Standard Chinese). For example, while Putonghua has four tones, many Jianghuai dialects have five tones.
While this characteristic may make the language seem rather archaic, Jianghuai has had more than once paved paths for the future. Peking Opera had its beginnings in parts of Hubei and Anhui where Jianghuai was spoken. Going even further back into the past, it seems that Ming Dynasty Mandarin – used between 1368 and 1644 – was based largely on the Jianghuai dialect as well.
The importance of Jianghuai even extends to it being the standard of Baihua, which was the written form of Chinese used by the common people (as opposed to Guanhua, the official language used in formal settings). This was the language used for novels throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties, before Baihua was replaced by the Beijing dialect in late Qing. Even so, Jianghuai could be said to have retained at least a smatter of relevance, for it influenced the Beijing dialect as well.
Today, the Beijing dialect has gradually morphed into Putonghua, which is not just the official language of China but also Taiwan, and one of the four official languages of Singapore. In its own form, Jianghuai has also been experiencing a revival in Jiangsu, overtaking the oncedominant Wu language.