Ancient Imperial Language of China – 2,000 Years Ago How Did it Sound Like? Has this Ancient Language Survived? Who Speaks it Today? Youll be Surprised. You have heard it. You, your parents, or grandparents may still be speaking this ancient, archaic language! Yes, its HOKKIEN (Fujian/Minnan Hua) Hokkien is: 1. The surviving language of the Tang Dynasty(618-907AD), China s Golden Age of Culture. Note: The Hokkien we hear today may have evolved from its original form 2,000 years ago, but it still retains the main elements of the Tang Dynasty Language. 2. Hokkiens are the surviving descendants of the Tang Dynasty -- When the Tang Dynasty collapsed, the people of the Tang Dynasty fled South and sought refuge in the Hokkien ( Fujian ) province. Hence, Hokkien called themselves Tng-lang (Tang Ren or People of the Tang Dynasty) instead of Hua Lang (Hua Ren). 3. Hokkien has 8 tones instead of Mandarins 4. Linguists claim that ancient languages tend to have more complex tones. 4. Hokkien retains the ancient Chinese pronunciation of K-sounding endings (for in stance, Hak Seng (student), Tua Ok (university), Thak Chek (read a book/study) -- the k sounding ending is not found in Mandarin. 5. The collection of the famous Three Hundred Tang Dynasty Poems sound better when recited in Hokkien/Teochew if compared to Mandarin. 6. Consider this for a moment: Today, the Hokkien Nam Yim Ochestral performance still has its roots in ancient Tang dynasty music. Heres the proof: The formation of today Nam Yim ensemble is typically seen in ancient Tang dynasty paintings of musicians. More Astonishingly: Although not genetically-related, Hokkiens, Koreans and Japanese share many similar words (which are different from Mandarin). Thats because Hokkien was the official language of the powerful Tang Dynasty whose influence and language spread to Japan and Korea (just like Latin – where many words were borrowed by the English, French, Italian, etc). Here are just a few words in Hokkien, Japanese & Korean for your comparison: Hokkien Korean Japanese Sin Boon (news) Sin Mun Shinbun - newspaper Cheng Hu (government) Chong Bu Pang (room) Pang Chhia (car/vehicle) Cha Mui/Mng (door) Mun Phio (ticket) Pyo Eng Wan (eternal) Yong Won Chaek (book) Chae Ki (flag) Ki Ki Kang (river) Gang/kang Poh Hiam (insurance) Poh Ham Sio Sim (caution) Cho sim Mo Kui (demon) Ma gui Cham (attend/join/mix) Cham sok Kantan (simple) Gan Dan Sin Sei Kai (new world) Shin Sae Gae Kok Ka (nation) Kuk Kka Hya (elder brother) Hyaeng Choon Pi (prepare) Jun Bi Si Kan (time) Si Kan Kam tong (emotion, feeling) Kam Jong Kanjoo Kamsia (gratitude, thanks) Kam Sa Kansha Keat Hoon (marriage) Kyol Hon Kekkon Oon Tong (exercise) Un Dong Undoo Tua Ok (university) Tae Hak Daigaku Aun Chuan (safety) An Jon An Zen Mua Chiok(satisfaction) Man Jok Manzoku Ai Lang (lover) Ae In Aijin Seng Kong (success) Song Kong Seikoo Chhiu Sat (suicide) Cha sal Jisatsu Pu Do (grapes) Po do Budoo Chin Por (progress) Chin bo Shinpo There are 49 Million Hokkien Speakers: Mandarin-speaking folks should not look down on other Chinese friends who do not speak Mandarin . In fact, they are speaking a language which is much more ancient & linguistically complicated than Mandarin. Mandarin is just: 1. A Northern Chinese dialect (heavily influenced by non Han Chinese) that was elevated to the status of National Language by Sun Yat Sen for the sake of China’s national unity. 2. Mandarin was never spoken by imperial Tang Dynasty ancestors. It was probably spoken by the Northern (Non-Han) Jurchen, Mongols and Manchu minority.
Posted on: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 05:59:31 +0000