Language profiles in Manchester
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Chinese
Language | Chinese |
Language name transliterated | zhōngwén
|
Language name original script | 中文 |
Distribution | China, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau |
Estimated number of speakers worldwide | 1.2 billion (total) |
Language classification | Sino-Tibetan; Sinitic; |
Distinctive features in sounds | Retroflex sounds (moving the tongue towards the back of the hard palate) and palatal sibilants (air is pushed through a part closure whilst the body of the tongue is raised against the hard palate); tones |
Distinctive features in grammar | No grammatical inflection on words |
Writing system | Chinese ideographic script |
Status | Mandarin (Putonghua) is official language |
Number of persons identifying as “main language” in England & Wales (Census 2011) | 207,481 |
Number of persons identifying as “main language” in Greater Manchester (Census 2011) | 14,431 |
Number of persons identifying as “main language” in City of Manchester (Census (Census 2011) | 8,468 |
Number of persons identifying as “main language” in Greater Manchester as percentage of total in England & Wales (Census 2011) | 7% |
Number of persons identifying as “main language” in City of Manchester as percentage of total in England & Wales (Census 2011) | 4% |
Proficiency in English, self-reported, in City of Manchester (Census 2011)* | Can speak English very well (18%), Can speak English well (52%), Cannot speak English well (24%), Cannot speak English (6%) |
Distribution in City of Manchester (Census 2011) | City Centre (1737), Ardwick (1171), Hulme (969), Bradford (527), Cheetham (383) |
Distribution in Greater Manchester (Census 2011) | Salford (1,424), Trafford (946), Stockport (745) |
First language of pupils in Manchester schools (2015) | 482 |
Distribution in City of Manchester schools (2015) | Lily Lane Primary School (33), The East Manchester Academy (24), Park View Community (19), St Peters RC High School (19) |
Total interpreter requests in Manchester’s GP practices | 2,099 |
Library loans (2012/2013) | 13,409 |
Library acquisitions (2012/2013) | 883 |
M-4 interpreter requests (2012/2013) | 621 |
Dialects of the language used in Manchester | Hakka, Cantonese, Mandarin |
Supplementary schools | Huaxia Chinese School, Manchester Chinese Centre, Wai Yin Chinese Society |
*Percentages rounded to nearest whole number