Re: about mandarin

[sllee <sllee@asiawind.com>]

Sir/Madam (I wish I know how to address you),

I never said or implied that Mandarin is not a Chinese language. All the
hundreds of dialects  used in China, including the ones in Xinjiang, are
Chinese languages. My point is the ancient Han tongue was most likely
close to Hakka or Cantonese, which are all now used in the south. The
reason is if you look at the map of East Jin dynasty, it is actually south
of the Yangzi River. However, all the northern tribes are now part of the 
Chinese population. 

Again, let me emphasize, this website is not about superiority or
inferiority of any ethnic group, but an exploration of the historical of
Hakka Chinese and attempt to find a future for the culture. It is a way to
preserve diversity rather than discrimination.  In fact, among the three
tongues I can speak (Mandarin, Cantonese, and Hakka),  I use Mandarin most
of the time. Hope that clarifies.

SL Lee
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On Wed, 1 Jul 1998, DEsTiNySchILd wrote:

> i get the impression that u think mandarin is a non chinese language. well
> mandarin is. it can only be classified as sinitic theres no other choice. if
> u look at all the non chinese languages from the north u d kno mandarin, if
> anything, is chinese. the language atleast . but then again thats wut we all
> have in common a dead language frum 5 millenia ago which gave rise to
> various groups speaking languages descended frum the tongue of a small tribe
> who called themselves hua. i doubt if 1% of the ancestors of modern chinese
> were of that tribe.
> 
> 
>