Editing Chinese language (section)

=== Rise of northern dialects ===
After the fall of the [[Northern Song]] dynasty and subsequent reign of the Jurchen [[Jin dynasty (1115–1234)|Jin]] and [[Mongol]] [[Yuan dynasty|Yuan]] dynasties in northern China, a common speech (now called [[Old Mandarin]]) developed based on the dialects of the [[North China Plain]] around the capital.{{sfnp|Norman|1988|p=48}}
The 1324 ''[[Zhongyuan Yinyun]]'' was a dictionary that codified the rhyming conventions of new ''[[sanqu]]'' verse form in this language.{{sfnp|Norman|1988|pp=48–49}}
Together with the slightly later ''[[Menggu Ziyun]]'', this dictionary describes a language with many of the features characteristic of modern Mandarin dialects.{{sfnp|Norman|1988|pp=49–51}}

Until the early 20th century, most Chinese people only spoke their local variety.{{sfnp|Norman|1988|pp=133, 247}} Thus, as a practical measure, officials of the [[Ming]] and [[Qing]] dynasties carried out the administration of the empire using a [[Mandarin (late imperial lingua franca)|common language based on Mandarin varieties]], known as {{zhi|s=官话|t=官話|p=Guānhuà|l=language of officials}}.{{sfnp|Norman|1988|p=136}} For most of this period, this language was a [[koiné]] based on dialects spoken in the [[Nanjing]] area, though not identical to any single dialect.{{sfnp|Coblin|2000|pp=549–550}} By the middle of the 19th century, the Beijing dialect had become dominant and was essential for any business with the imperial court.{{sfnp|Coblin|2000|pp=540–541}}

In the 1930s, a [[Standard Chinese|standard national language]] ({{zhi|s=国语|t=國語|p=Guóyǔ}}), was adopted. After much dispute between proponents of northern and southern dialects and an abortive attempt at an artificial pronunciation, the [[National Languages Committee|National Language Unification Commission]] finally settled on the Beijing dialect in 1932. The People's Republic founded in 1949 retained this standard but renamed it {{zhi|s=普通话|t=普通話|p=pǔtōnghuà|l=common speech}}.{{sfnp|Ramsey|1987|pp=3–15}} The national language is now used in education, the media, and formal situations in both mainland China and Taiwan.{{sfnp|Norman|1988|p=133}}

In [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]], Cantonese is the dominant spoken language due to cultural influence from Guangdong immigrants and colonial-era policies, and is used in education, media, formal speech, and everyday life—though Mandarin is increasingly taught in schools due to the mainland's growing influence.{{sfnp|Zhang|Yang|2004}}