Chinese, Min Bei
PrintPrimary tabs
A language of China
Alternate Names
Min Pei, Northern Fujian, Northern Min
User Population
11,100,000 in China (2018). Total users in all countries: 11,520,000.
Location
Fujian province: 7 counties around Jian’ou; some in Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces.
Language Maps
Language Status
5 (Developing). Language of recognized nationality: Han.
Dialects
Shaojiang Chinese (Shao-Jiang Min, Shaojiang), Northwestern Min Bei. The Chinese now divide Chinese Min into 5 major varieties: Min Nan [nan], Min Bei [mnp], Min Dong [cdo], Min Zhong [czo], and Pu-Xian [cpx]. Others say there are at least 9 varieties which are inherently mutually unintelligible. A member of macrolanguage Chinese [zho].
Typology
Tonal.
Language Use
Used by all. Also use Mandarin Chinese [cmn].
Language Development
Literacy rate in L2: 91% (2000 census, Han nationality). Highly literate in Chinese and they use that literature. NT: 1934.
Buddhist, Christian, Daoist.