The dream of a common language - Popularizing Putonghua in the People's Republic of China

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Sebastian Magnusson

Summary, in English

The idea of a common language has always existed in some form in China, from the ya yan of Confucius to the modern day mandarin – known as Putonghua. During the Qing dynasty the Beijing dialect slowly became dominant, and in the years following the Xinhai revolution this was made formal through a series of decisions aimed at standardizing the language. The current definition dates back to the 1956 decree by the State Council which declares that Putonghua is based on the Beijing dialect. According to recent official figures only 53% of the population can communicate in Putonghua, and only 18% speak Putonghua at home. It is clear that the many dialects of China are still the “home” language of most Chinese.
Tui guang putong hua – popularize the common language - is not merely a campaign, it is an effort that has been going on since 1956, and the perpetuity of this effort is enshrined in the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, which says simply that the state “popularizes Putonghua”. It recently drew further support from the 2000 Language Law. The main element of the effort to promote Putonghua is the schools, where the language enjoys an unthreatened status. The state further uses the Putonghua promotion week and the Putonghua Proficiency Test to further the goal of the common language. The test makes language proficiency measurable and is a requirement for work in fields like radio broadcasting and television. Despite efforts, recent figures show the goal of uniting China under one language is far from achieved. The Ministry of Education has on several occasions mentioned 2050 as the year when Putonghua is to be spoken by all Chinese. It is an ambitious target.
The potential victim of Putonghua promotion is the many dialects spoken all over China. Heavy-handed school policies that effectively ban dialects in the classroom supposedly ensure that students become fluent in Putonghua from an early age, but also inhibit development of their mother tongue. Recent figures from Shanghai show that while 85% of students speak the dialect at home to some extent, only 37% of fifth graders can communicate in it. Not allowing dialects spoken during school hours is bound to have a detrimental effect on the dialect proficiency of the students, but supporters argue it is a necessary tool of Putonghua popularization. Critical voices from inside China have been few. Nevertheless a debate on the cost of standardization is carefully taking place, within the limits of what the central government will allow. The authorities do carry out research on the situation of some dialects, and make efforts to preserve them. This can be seen in the Shanghai city government’s year-long project to map the Shanghainese dialect. The desirable path for China is a compromise where Putonghua popularization is not done at the expense of dialects and regional identity.

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