5. Other languages
There are about fifty-six nationalities in the territory of China, most of them have their own languages. The language that has the least speakers is called "Lady Writings" in Hunan province, China. Only two old ladies know how to use it. Still, some other languages lost their vitality under the great impact the Han characters produced.
Take the Manchus as the example. There are about 9.8 million Manchus people in China, mostly live in northeast China. The history of the Manchus can be traced back to the Sudian people that lived two thousand years ago. They were called "Nugion" in Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty. Nugionian lived their life in the vast plains in northeast China, and some other people like the Hans, the Mongolians were merged into it gradually and this became a new combination----the Manchus.
The Manchus have their own language and characters. The Manchu language is a branch of Altaic phylum, and it was formulated according to the Mongol characters in 16th century. The Manchu language borrowed the Mongol characters and put periods or small circles with them. So it is called "the Manchu language with periods" or "new Manchu language". The Manchu people used to speak Manchu language before the Qing Dynasty. But the had gradually begun to master the Han language during the Qing Dynasty. After a hundred years, the situation changed a lot. Most of the Manchus had mastered the Han language and very few of them can still speak their own language. In the end, only one or two can speak the Manchu language among a thousand people.
Every language will leave their immortal trace to the world history. Some were thrive in the old days, but we can only see them on the historical relics today.
Four sections of peotry anthology, written in ancient Mongol Characters |
Ancient sutra, written in Hsi-Hsia characters which used to exist in northwest China during the 11th century |
Scripture written in Dongba Characters 1
Scripture written in Dongba Characters 2
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Guide book of divination, orientation and prediction, written in Ersusbaha language which had died away hundreds years ago |
" new Manchu language"
Characters are the crystallization of human wisdom, it will lose its life if it breaks away from us human. To cherish the culture our ancestors left to us, we should cherish our language and our characters. Because "mother language" is the profound sentiment deep in our soul.