Chinese: The Next Big Thing
Above: Mandarin Chinese (Source: People's Daily)
Do you want to learn the next major business language? Then learn Chinese. No, I am not predicting that Chinese will replace English as the world's default lingua franca--- not quite. But the influence of the Chinese language is growing--- and many non-Chinese are now studying it. China is a large powerful, country; and citizens of large, powerful countries generally expect that those who want to do business with them will make at least some effort to learn their language.
Mandarin is becoming an increasingly popular second language in Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Several school systems in Britain have recently established Mandarin as a core part of their curriculum. Mandarin is even popular in Argentina, thanks to burgeoning trade between China and the South American nation.
The growing economic power of China is one of the hottest topics in the media these days, and I need not rehash all the statistics here. You probably read something about the Chinese economy this morning on CNN.com. What I will say is this: if the present trend continues, it is only a matter of time before Chinese becomes a major world language--- on the same scale as English.
Chinese is Difficult, but not Impossible to Learn.
Chinese is not one of the world’s easier languages. Its difficulties include a tonal system (by which the meaning of a word varies according to voice pitch), and an ideograph writing system that causes an initial shock among those of us used to alphabets.
So, yes, Chinese is difficult. In my opinion, though, Mandarin is not as difficult as Arabic or Thai. Moreover, the recent surge in interest in the Chinese language has created market incentives for publishers. There are scores of audio CD courses and software programs that can help you learn Chinese. If you prefer to learn in a classroom setting, you can probably find a Mandarin course in your area—a statement that wouldn’t have been true just a few short years ago.
What is "Mandarin"?
The language called “Chinese” was originally a collection of related (but often mutually unintelligible) dialects. Cantonese, for example, is a dialect of Chinese.
Mandarin is essentially the Beijing dialect of Chinese. However, political, cultural, and economic forces have made Mandarin the “standard” throughout the Chinese-speaking world.
