Chinese Language: From a Common National Language to a Lingua Franca

In Chinese history, the role of lingua franca or common language in specific regions has been fulfilled by languages of such status as yayan (雅言 - “refined language”), tongyu (通语 - “common language”), guanhua (官话 - “official language”), guoyu ( 国语 - “national language”), and putonghua (普通话 - “standard language”). The history of written language, compared to oral speech, has been relatively stable, mainly covering periods from wenyanwen (文言文 - “classical written language”) to baihuawen (白话文 - “vernacular language”), as well as the period of the formation of standard Chinese characters. This article analyzes the historical process of Chinese language development: from its initial form, which naturally evolved without clearly defined standards, to a more sophisticated national standard speech with clear norms, and further to the formation of a common national language.