Research Process - Chinese Dialects (06 January 2012)

http://chineseculture.about.com/cs/language/a/dialects.htm

7 Language Groups:

1.Putonghua (Mandarin) - based on Beijing dialect

2.Gan (South-Central)

3.Kejia (Hakka) (Southern Mainland and Taiwan)

4.Min (Eastern and Southern regions)

5.Wu (inc Shanghai) - Eastern region

6.Xiang (South Central inland)

7.Yue (Cantonese) (Southern region)

Each groups consists of a number of dialects. These languages are mostly spoken by the Han people of China. There are also non-Chinese languages spoken by minorities in China such as Tibetan, Mongolian and Miao.

Mandarin has been the official national language since 1913.

They all share the same writing system.

Comparison of dialects:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynbRQeeEma4



Chinese pronounciation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U72hN_g9pss&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL0076E6C693D1AC01

23*/21 Initials (Consonents)
24*/37 Finals (Vowels)

Pinyin Tones - Finals
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M48ortJRwEE&feature=autoplay&list=PL0076E6C693D1AC01&lf=results_main&playnext=2


Chinese Universal Tones - Mike Campbell - Glossika
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G16RmjibRVQ&feature=related