I would like to know wether most chinese dialects agree on a similar pronunciation/name of the country (中国/Zhōngguó) as in Mandarin, or there are some dialects who call it with a totally different (unrelated to mandarin) name.
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1中国 is the officially recognized name of China in the modern time, it only differs in sound due to the regional pronounciation differences.– r13Commented Jun 27, 2022 at 13:52
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@r13 it only differs in sound ? That means there's no different ''regional'' name for China ?– HamdikenCommented Jun 27, 2022 at 15:12
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1I am aware of none. What causes you to specious about that?– r13Commented Jun 27, 2022 at 18:39
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Internationally, there's only one China, which includes Taiwan. Since Taiwan is considered part of China and people in Taiwan referring Mainland China as 大陸 (the mainland), you can say people in part of China doesn't call China 中国. But in mainland China, they all called China 中国 in any dialect– Tang Ho ♦Commented Jun 27, 2022 at 19:36
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2Since the OP uses the word "country" in reference to 中國, we only focus on country name. 大陸 is not a country name. It's a place name. Some HKer and Taiwanese use the term 內陸 to refer to 大陸. Again, it is a place name, not a country name.– joehuaCommented Jun 28, 2022 at 0:36
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3 Answers
Do most Chinese dialects agree on a similar pronunciation of 中国/Zhōngguó as in Mandarin?
Dialects do not agree as such. They pronounce 中国 the same way they pronounce the two characters 中 and 国 separately.
But if you mean, Do most Chinese dialects have a similar pronunciation of 中国/Zhōngguó as in Mandarin?
Then, it depends on what you mean by "similar". Since the various Chinese dialects/languages belong to the same language family, they do sound similar to an extent. There are also quite obvious differences. As an example, southern dialects such as Cantonese and Fujianese/Taiwanese have kept the clipped tone (syllables ending in p/t/k), whereas northern dialects have mostly lost it over time. In Cantonese, the word 国 ends in /k/, not a vowel as in Mandarin. It does sound quite different from Mandarin. So it depends on your definition of "similar".
Are there some dialects that call 中国 with a totally different (unrelated to mandarin) name?
I do not think so, but I do not claim to know all of the dialects/languages under the huge umbrella of "Chinese language". If there are people who are aware of such dialects, feel free to correct me.
China, (meaning the "People's Republic of China", or "Mainland China") is, in its written form at the present moment, "中國", regardless of your Dialect, Ethnic origin, or political inclination.
However, 中國, is pronounced differently by different Dialect, Ethnic Groups as follows:-
Cantonese ---- Zung1 Gwok3,
Hokkien / Fujian / Min Nan ---- Tiong Kok
Hakka ---- Chûng-Koet
TeoChew / Chaochow ---- Dong Gog
These are just some of the Dialectical / Ethnic Groups. There are more of course. I am no expert, just what I know.
answered Jun 28, 2022 at 4:27
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Note, China/中國 is the abbreviation of the country on the land that the Chinese people occupy and live, now is represented by the "People's Republic of China", as opposed to the "Republic of China", which is known as Taiwan. "Mainland China" is the translation of 中國大陸, which excludes Macau, Hongkong, Taiwan, and other surrounding islands.– r13Commented Jun 28, 2022 at 12:50
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@r13 Yes, and BTW, I was actually born on the same year, i.e. 1949, when Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic of China (PRC) from atop Tiananmen. So, I am of the same age as the People's Republic of China, in fact older by a few months, being born in March, 1949 :) Commented Jun 28, 2022 at 13:46
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1@r13 No, I do not live in "China", (using the term loosely), but my family does have a small plot of "ancestral land" which is left vacant in our Hakka village where I could, if I wish, build a small house there. For the present young generations of Chinese, starvation is an alien paradigm, but in the 1950s, just after the founding of the PRC, Chinese migrants outside of "China" had to send foodstuffs back to their home villages. The saddest episodes were when according to rumors, people turned to cannibalism. From this alone one could understand how proud the Chinese are now. Commented Jun 29, 2022 at 1:31
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1Nice to know that. I am 4 years younger than you. Before I came to the US, I lived in a Hakka village in northern Taiwan for 15 years, but I still have problems with conservation using Hakka :)– r13Commented Jun 29, 2022 at 4:24
中华：China
中华人民共和国：The People's Republic of China
华裔：ethnic Chinese, non-Chinese citizen of Chinese ancestry
华丽：(like China) gorgeous
精华：quintessence, best feature of sth., soul
And, in front of the 故宫 in 天安门广场， pointing the way to China's future, stands silent and serene the beautiful 华表。
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＠Becky I believe the OP is asking how 中國 is called, not how 中國 is pronounced, as evident by this clause - "or there are some dialects who call it with a totally different (unrelated to mandarin) name." Here, I interpret "a totally different (unrelated to mandarin) name" as "not 中國" or "different from 中國".– joehuaCommented Jun 28, 2022 at 0:25