方言

　　中國幅員遼闊,人口眾多,很多地方人們都說自己的方言。方言在發(fā)音上差別最大,詞匯和語法差別較小。有些方言,特別是北方和南方的方言,差異很大,以至于說不同方言的人常常很難聽懂彼此的講話。方言被認(rèn)為是當(dāng)?shù)匚幕�的一個組成部分,但近年來能說方言的人數(shù)不斷減少。為了鼓勵人們更多說本地方言,一些地方政府已經(jīng)采取措施，如在學(xué)校開設(shè)方言課,在廣播和電視上播放方言節(jié)目，以期保存本地的文化遺產(chǎn)。

　　China has a vast territory and a large population. In many places of China, people speak their own dialects. The dialects are very different in pronunciation, while there is little difference in vocabulary and grammar. Some dialects, especially those in the north and the south of China, are so different that it is often too difficult for people who speak different dialects to understand each other. The dialect is regarded as a part of the local culture, but the number of people who can speak dialects has been declining in recent years. In order to encourage people to speak more of their local dialects, some local governments have taken some measures, such as offering dialect classes in schools and broadcasting dialect programmes on radio and television, with a view to preserve the local cultural heritage.