Sinitic is a major branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family, comprising the Chinese languages spoken across East Asia, Southeast Asia and among overseas Chinese communities, with more than 1.5 billion speakers combined. Mandarin is by far the largest branch, with roughly 1.1 billion speakers, followed by Yue, Wu and Min; the family divides into several other mutually unintelligible branches including Jin, Hakka, Xiang and Gan. Sinitic languages are spoken predominantly by the Han Chinese, along with the Hui and Bai peoples, and the exact number of distinct Sinitic languages remains disputed depending on how mutual intelligibility is drawn between varieties.
Facts
Disputed
Proto-Language StatusDebated: no separately named Proto-Sinitic reconstruction is in general use; branches such as Min are commonly held to descend directly from the attested Old Chinese stage 1 No separately named Proto-Sinitic reconstruction is in general use; Sinitic branches are commonly described as descending directly from the attested Old Chinese stage rather than from a distinct reconstructed proto-language. RegionPrimarily mainland China and Taiwan, spoken natively by over 91 percent of the Chinese population, plus overseas communities across Southeast Asia and beyond 1 Speaker Count In the Other Atlases
- Also in Divinity Atlas: Chinese (Simplified), includes there.
- Also in Divinity Atlas: Classical Chinese, includes there.
- Also in Divinity Atlas: Han Chinese, includes there.
- Also in Divinity Atlas: Mandarin Chinese, includes there.
- Also in Film and Media Atlas: Black Coal, Thin Ice, original language of there.
- Also in Film and Media Atlas: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, original language of there.
- Also in Film and Media Atlas: Farewell My Concubine, original language of there.
- Also in Film and Media Atlas: Hero (2002 film), original language of there.
- Also in Film and Media Atlas: Not One Less, original language of there.
- Also in Film and Media Atlas: Raise the Red Lantern, original language of there.
- Also in Film and Media Atlas: Red Sorghum, original language of there.
- Also in Film and Media Atlas: Still Life, original language of there.
- Also in Film and Media Atlas: The Story of Qiu Ju, original language of there.
- Also in Film and Media Atlas: The Wedding Banquet, original language of there.
- Also in Film and Media Atlas: To Live (1994 film), original language of there.
- Also in Film and Media Atlas: Tuya's Marriage, original language of there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Asia, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: East Asia, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Southeast Asia, found in there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Attar of Nishapur, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Chu Ci, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Classic of Poetry, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Complete Tang Poems, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Diary of a Madman (Lu Xun), original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Dream of Ding Village, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Dream of the Red Chamber, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Family (Ba Jin novel), original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Ferdowsi, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Hafez, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Investiture of the Gods, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Jin Ping Mei, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Jin Yun Qiao, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Journey to the North, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Journey to the West, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Layla and Majnun, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Lu Xun, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Masnavi, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Miss Sophia's Diary, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Mo Yan, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Omar Khayyam, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Red Crag, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Rumi, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Saadi, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Shahnameh, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Song of Youth (novel), original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: The Peony Pavilion, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: The Scholars, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: The Seven Heroes and Five Gallants, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: The Three-Body Problem, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: The True Story of Ah Q, original language of there.
- Also in Literature Atlas: Water Margin, original language of there.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Sinitic languages
WikipediaDemographics section: population percentage sentence
Over 91% of the Chinese population speaks a Sinitic language, of whom about three-quarters speak a Mandarin variety.
Classification section: Old Chinese descent sentence (Min branch)
Like Bai, the Min languages are commonly thought to have split off directly from Old Chinese.
View the Source 2. Wikipedia: Sino-Tibetan Languages
Wikimedia FoundationLead section, paragraph 1: Sinitic native-speaker total within the Sino-Tibetan family overviewQuote, Lead section, paragraph 1: Sinitic native-speaker total within the Sino-Tibetan family overview
The vast majority of these are the 1.3 billion native speakers of Sinitic languages.
Wikidata: Sinitic
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