List of countries and territories where Chinese is an official language
The following is a list of countries and territories where
Today, Chinese has an official language status in two countries and three territories. In China, it is the sole official language as Standard Chinese, while in Singapore (as Mandarin) it is one of the four official languages. It is the sole official language as Standard Chinese in Taiwan, while in Hong Kong and Macau it is co-official as Cantonese, alongside English and Portuguese respectively. Chinese is also an official language in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and also one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Chinese was added as an official language in the United Nations in 1973, when the General Assembly made Chinese a working language.[2][3]
Chinese varieties as official languages
Cantonese
Location | Population (2017)[4] | Written variety | Standardised form |
---|---|---|---|
Hong Kong[5] | 7,191,503 | Traditional Chinese | N/A (Not mentioned by the government) |
Macau[6] | 648,550 | Traditional Chinese |
As special administrative regions of China, both Hong Kong and Macau list the ambiguous "Chinese" as one of their official languages, although in practice, the regionally spoken Cantonese dialect is used by the government as the official variant of Chinese rather than Mandarin as on the mainland.
Cantonese is also highly influential in the southern Chinese province of
Mandarin
Location | Population (2017)[4] | Written variety | Standardised form |
---|---|---|---|
People's Republic of China[8] | 1,379,302,771 | Simplified Chinese Written Mandarin |
Standard Chinese |
Republic of China (Taiwan) | 23,508,428 | Traditional Chinese Written Mandarin |
Standard Chinese Taiwanese Mandarin |
Singapore[9] | 5,888,926 (~3,000,000 ethnic Chinese) | Simplified Chinese Traditional Chinese Written Mandarin |
Singaporean Mandarin |
The
In Wa State, Mandarin Chinese is de facto the official language, even though the government tries to promote the use of Wa. This situation arose because Wa lacks an agreed standardisation (the dialects are very different and three different scripts are used for the language) and because of the significant presence of non-Wa minorities. Consequently, Chinese is used in the government, army, and business, and is taught in many schools.[10]
Status of other Chinese variants
In
Although Mandarin is the official variant of Chinese in Taiwan, Taiwanese Hokkien and Hakka are widely spoken and used in media. Additionally, they are taught at the primary school level and are used in public transportation announcements.[12] A thriving literary scene for both Taiwanese and Hakka also exists alongside Mandarin. In December 2017, Hakka was recognised as a national minority language, allowing it to be used for official purposes in townships where speakers form at least half of the population.[13] Taiwanese was also granted national language status after a legislative act in 2018.[14]
In Singapore, the public usage of varieties other than Standard Mandarin is discouraged as in China. The Singaporean government has actively promoted the Speak Mandarin Campaign (SMC) since the 1980s and forbids non-cable broadcasting and Chinese language medium of instruction in non-Mandarin varieties. However, since the mid-1990s, there has been a relaxation in allowing non-Mandarin broadcasting via cable networks and a massive following of Hong Kong television dramas and pop culture, which are in Cantonese.
See also
- East Asian cultural sphere
- Sinophone
- List of varieties of Cantonese
References
- ^ Mair, Victor H. (1991). "What Is a Chinese "Dialect/Topolect"? Reflections on Some Key Sino-English Linguistic Terms" (PDF). Sino-Platonic Papers. 29. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-05-10. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
- ^ Resolution 3189 (XXVIII) Archived 13 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine Inclusion of Chinese among the working languages of the General Assembly and the Security Council (18 December 1973)
- ^ Resolution 3191 (XXVIII) Archived 13 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine Inclusion of Chinese among the working languages of the General Assembly, its committees and its subcommittees and inclusion of Arabic among the official and the working languages of the General Assembly and its Main Committees: amendments to rules 51 to 59 of the rules of procedure of the Assembly
- ^ a b "The World Factbook". Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 2018-10-04. Retrieved 2013-07-20.
- ^ Hong Kong Basic Law (1990) - Article 9: In addition to the Chinese language, English may also be used as an official language by the executive authorities, legislature and judiciary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
- Macau Basic Law(1993) - Article 9: In addition to the Chinese language, Portuguese may also be used as an official language by the executive authorities legislature and judiciary of the Macao Special Administrative Region.
- ^ "Code of Professional Ethics of Radio and Television Hosts of China" (in Chinese). State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT). 2005-02-07. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
- ^ Constitution of the People's Republic of China (1982) - Article 4, Section 4: All ethnic groups shall have the freedom to use and develop their own spoken and written languages and to preserve or reform their own traditions and customs.
- ^ Constitution of Singapore (1963) - Part XIII, Article 153A, Section 1: Malay, Mandarin, Tamil and English shall be the 4 official languages in Singapore.
- . Retrieved 22 July 2023.
- ^ Wong, Wing. The Slow Death of China’s Dialects, McGill International Review, 21 Feb 2019.
- ^ 大眾運輸工具播音語言平等保障法 (An act for the protection of equality of languages for public transport announcements) (in Chinese)
- ^ "Hakka made an official language". Taipei Times. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
- Taiwan Today, 26 December 2018.