Is Chinese still Relevant today?

Interestingly, the hardest language to learn is also the most widely spoken native language in the world.

Want to know whether the Chinese language is still used today, this article will explain to you about the language and why it is so important and relevant even today.

 

Since the invention of the Chinese Pinyin tonal system has made learning Chinese a lot easier than it was previously. The importance of Chinese Pinyin is a crucial method when it comes to writing Chinese in a romanized alphabet. Hanyu pinyin spells the sound and includes tone marks to help give you the proper pronunciation. Knowledge of the written language opens up the culture of one of the world’s oldest civilizations.

Before China’s reform in the 1970s, China was an isolated country that didn’t accept any tourism. After 1970, China has become one of the leading tourist destinations. The Great Wall of China might be one of the most traveled places on Earth but other wonders of China include the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Terracotta Army in the Qin Empire Emperor’s Mausoleum, the Yangtze River, and the Potala Palace. Even if you’re just a casual traveler, learning some Chinese to understand street signs, order food, or just communicating with people you meet on the street, a most pleasant and enjoyable experience.

The importance of Chinese stands out as the most spoken language in the world with over an estimated billion people in China and various other parts of the world speaking it. One can easily assume this makes Chinese one of the most important languages on the planet. China as a country is growing by leaps and bounds as a world power and shows sign of slowing down.

Recent studies have shown that Chinese has become a popular choice for a second language among college students. Surpassing the previous favorite that includes Spanish, French, and German languages. This increasing popularity isn’t surprising since the growing appeal of Chinese culture in the west and worldwide.

Governments in the US and the UK are increasingly recognizing the importance of offering Chinese language classes in the school systems. Mandarin is the prominent version of Chinese, spoken by something like 885 million people out of the 1.3 billion who speak some form of Chinese.

In the United States, interest in learning Chinese used to come from Asian parents who wanted their children to keep up with the cultures they came from.

Now, more and more non-Asian parents see learning Chinese as a useful tool for their children, one that will help them compete for top jobs. The US government also sees the benefits of a good pool of Chinese speakers. Some of the school districts in the internationally-minded suburbs of Washington, DC, have offered Mandarin for decades.

List of countries with a Chinese (Mandarin) speaking population or Chinese is a widely spoken language.

• Chinese Speaking Countries in Asia
• China Hong Kong Macau
• Tibet (Tibet Autonomous Region within PR China)
• Singapore
• Taiwan (Republic of China)

Countries with a significant number of Chinese speaking population (more than 5 million)

• Indonesia (Java and Bali)
• Malaysia (Peninsular)
• Thailand

Mandarin is an official spoken language in China, Taiwan, and Singapore. Cantonese is an official spoken language in Hong Kong and Macau.

Chinese is becoming one of the most important languages when it comes to operating an international business.

The Chinese market is the biggest growing market even in this economic downturn. Expertise in Chinese has grown increasingly important to the overall global economy and many business owners are looking to break into this international market. Any business in the twenty-first century will be trying to do business in China and in doing so will be required Chinese speakers to negotiate agreements and develop these trade deals. Economists predict by 2020, China will without a doubt surpass the United States as the biggest international superpower.

The importance of Chinese is beneficial regardless if you do it for fun or for your career or even just for personal travel. When trying to uncover the importance of Chinese. One cannot discover a more fascinating and challenging language to learn.

All languages evolve with time and Chinese is no exception. To indisputably understand the importance of the Chinese language you have to learn the actual language yourself to help you receive the full benefit of this amazing language later. In fact, the latest research has shown that learning a second language helps fight against Alzheimer’s disease and slows down the aging effects of the brain.

You probably already have your own reasons to learn Chinese but in case you don’t have one already or still looking for more reasons to get motivated to learn Chinese.

This blog should help you answer the question “why learn Chinese?”

1 – Mandarin Chinese is the Most Spoken Language in the World

One of the biggest reasons to learn Chinese should because Mandarin Chinese is spoken by roughly a quarter of the world’s population which is estimated to be around two billion Chinese-speakers. Not all of them live in mainland China, but in parts of Taiwan, Singapore, and throughout southeast Asia.

 

2 – Chinese Influence on International Cultures

Second, traditional Chinese culture, from Confucianism and Chan Buddhism to martial arts and Chinese cuisine, has an enormous influence on East and Southeast Asian nations. The Chinese culture has also greatly inspired the western world through Marco Polo, G. W. Leibniz, Max Weber, Franz Kafka, Andre Malraux, Bertolt Brecht, Ezra Pound, and Luis Borges, among others.

 

3 – Traveling to China is Increasingly Foreigner Friendly

In the past, China wasn’t very accessible to outside visitors who wanted to travel there. But travel to China recently has become a lot easier back and forth.

 

4 – Fastest-Growing Economy in the World

Improve Business Opportunities by Learning New Languages. China is currently the fastest growing economy in the world and is already the biggest global market to break into. Any business in the twenty-first century will be trying to do business in China and in doing so will require Chinese speakers to negotiate agreements and trade deals.

 

5 – Reading Chinese Literature

The dialects are not mutually intelligible but the written language is shared between them all. Although you do not need to learn to read Chinese characters to speak the language, by doing so you open the door to an enormously diverse and rich literature. In fact, the earliest record of writing was in Chinese characters although very different in form from modern characters (of which there are many thousand).

 

6 – Growing Presence of Chinese Speakers all around the world

Communities of Chinese Speakers have been popping up outside Chinese in parts of the United States and Europe.

 

7 – Learn Chinese as a Hobby/Love of Learning Languages

Maybe you are just one of those people that just enjoy learning languages for the fun of it! Once you’ve mastered the urge to learn more becomes pretty strong. Contrary to popular opinion, not much confusion happens between languages.

 

8 – Rich Cultural History of Chinese on the World

Learning Chinese is immediately linked to learning Chinese culture. Learning becomes a more extraordinary and enjoyable experience. Chinese has a unique ideographic writing system, which provides visual comprehensibility.

The grammatical structure of Chinese is not only logical but also pragmatic, related to the particular way of Chinese thinking. Knowledge of the written language opens up the culture of one of the world’s oldest civilizations.

 

9– There are Scholarship Opportunities for Chinese Studies\

Because of the higher demand for people speaking Chinese, many of the world’s governments and agencies have been offering scholarships and other opportunities for individuals who are interested in Chinese studies and learning Chinese.

Mandarin Chinese is truly an amazing language to learn. I hope you find this blog helpful in narrowing and strengthening your reasons to learn Chine