Chinese official language

[CHUNG Yoon-Ngan <chungyn@mozart.collective.com.au>]

   Chinese official language

   During the Zhou Dynasty (1122BC to 256BC) Ya3 Yan3 or standard
spoken language was used as the official language. Ya3 Yan3 was a
dialect spoken in the region around the Zhou capital Hoa4 (present day
location near Xi An city in Shaanxi province). Not only the officials of
the Zhou Court using this dialect as official language but representatives
from all the vassal States also used this language when they arrived in
the capital. Ya3 Yan3 was the language for communication between all the
vassal States, like declarartion of wars, signing friendly pacts and other
official functions .

   Kong3 Zhong4 Ni2 or Confucius (551BC to 479BC) used Ya3 Yan3 language
to teach his 3000 students who came from different regions of the country.

The official language of the Han4 Dynasty (206BC to 220AD) was called
Tong Yu3 common language which was being used continuously by the
successive Dynasties right up to the Song4 Dynasty (960AD to 1279AD). 

Su Dong Po (1036AD to 1101AD), the well-known official, scholar and poet
during the Song4 Dynasty was demoted and banished to Hui4 Zhou in
Guangdong province in 1094AD. Su Dong Po established a school in Hui4 Zhou
and he used Tong Yu3 as the medium of instruction to his pupils.

Beijing was the capital of the Dynaties of Yuan2 (1206AD to 1368AD), 
Ming2 (1368AD to 1644AD) and Qing (1644AD to 1912AD). The courts of these
Dynasties adopted the spoken language in the region of Beijing as the 
Guan Hua4 or official language. During the Qing Dynasty the Manchus paid
special attention to and were very strict with the official languange.
Ofiicials and judges could be dismissed if they were caught for not using
the official language during official functions. Students were encouraged
to learn Guan Hua4.

In 1903 a scholar named Zhu Wen2 Xiong2 called the official language as 
Pu3 Tong Yu3. He argued that it was a common language for all the 
provinces.

In 1912 Dr Sun Yet-Sen established the Republic of China. Many people
from Guangdong province lobbied him to adopt Cantonese as the official
language of the new Republic. However, Dr Sun rejected the suggestion
and adopted Guo2 Yu3 or Mandarin in Portuguese as the official language. 
Guo2 Yu3 is a standard spoken language of the northern provinces and
Manchuria. In Malaysia and Singapore the people of Chinese descents call
it Hua2 Yu3. To them the terminology of Guo2 Yu3 means Malay language.

I wonder what Chinese terminology is being used for Guo2 Yu3 by the
Chinese in USA and Canada and other parts of the world. 


CHUNG Yoon-Ngan