Mandarin dialect
- noun
- /ˈmændərɪn ˈdaɪəˌlɛkt/
:
dialecto mandarín
- Many people around the world are learning the Mandarin dialect as it is the official language of China.
Examples
-
The Mandarin dialect is taught in schools throughout China.
-
She is fluent in both Cantonese and Mandarin dialect.
-
Many Chinese communities overseas use the Mandarin dialect for communication.
-
The Mandarin dialect is spoken by millions of people.
-
Do you speak the Mandarin dialect?
-
The Mandarin dialect is widely spoken in northern China and is known for its distinctive tones.
-
She enrolled in a course to improve her pronunciation in the Mandarin dialect before traveling to Beijing.
Synonyms
1
5.3
The official standard form of Chinese spoken in China, based on Beijing speech
1
3.7
The main form of Chinese spoken in Beijing and used as China's official language
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines two literal, contentful nouns: 'Mandarin' (the Beijing-based Chinese variety) and 'dialect' (a regional/varietal form of a language), so the meaning — the dialectal variety called Mandarin — is directly derivable from the parts. This compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the MWE.
Etymology
Mandarin dialect comes from the old word Mandarin, which meant 'counselor' and was used for government officials. Because these officials spoke a common northern speech, Mandarin dialect came to mean the official, standard Chinese used across the country.