or Xieheyu ( zh, c=協和語/协和语, l=Harmony language) is either of two pidginized languages, one
Japanese-based and one
Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
-based, that were spoken in
Manchukuo
Manchukuo, officially known as the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of Great Manchuria thereafter, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China that existed from 1932 until its dissolution in 1945. It was ostens ...
in the 1930s and 1940s. They are also known as , , and .
Description
The term Kyowa-go/Xieheyu is derived from the
Manchukuo
Manchukuo, officially known as the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of Great Manchuria thereafter, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China that existed from 1932 until its dissolution in 1945. It was ostens ...
state motto "Concord of Nationalities" ( ''mínzú xiéhe'') promoted by the Pan-Asian Movement. The pidgin language resulted from the need of Japanese officials and soldiers and the Han and Manchu population that spoke mainly Chinese to communicate with each other. Manchukuo officials later dubbed the pidgin language "Kyowa-go" or "Xieheyu", meaning "Concord language". However, the Japanese also wanted to implement their own language in Manchukuo, saying that
Japanese is a language which has a soul, so the language must be spoken correctly.
Kyowa-go/Xieheyu died out when
Manchukuo
Manchukuo, officially known as the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of Great Manchuria thereafter, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China that existed from 1932 until its dissolution in 1945. It was ostens ...
fell to the Soviet
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
in the last days of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Documentation of the pidgin language is rare today.
It was also believed that many of the expressions of
Chinese characters in
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
(e.g. aru) are derived from Japanese-based Kyowa-go. Hence, it is typical of Chinese characters in
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
shows to speak in that manner.
It was also believed that many of the expressions of
Japanese characters in
movies
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...
set in the
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...
(e.g. ) are derived from Mandarin-based Xieheyu. Hence, it is typical of Japanese characters in
movies
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...
shows to speak in that manner.
The Japanese were also known to use pidgin languages in Japan itself during the 19th and 20th centuries like
Yokohama Pidgin Japanese.
Examples of Japanese-based Kyowa-go
Kyowa-go is characterized by a particle ''aru'', omission of some
particles
In the physical sciences, a particle (or corpuscle in older texts) is a small localized object which can be described by several physical or chemical properties, such as volume, density, or mass.
They vary greatly in size or quantity, from s ...
, and many loan-words from
Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
.
:::: Original Japanese: meaning "I am a Japanese".
:::: Original Japanese: meaning "Isn't your daughter beautiful"
:::: Original Japanese: meaning "There is no chair for you"
:::: Exclamation of surprise from Chinese.
Examples of Mandarin-based Xieheyu
Xieheyu sometimes uses
subject–object–verb, the normal Japanese word order, which is different from Mandarin.
See also
*
Creole language
A creole language, or simply creole, is a stable form of contact language that develops from the process of different languages simplifying and mixing into a new form (often a pidgin), and then that form expanding and elaborating into a full-fl ...
*
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...
*
Pseudo-Chinese
References
*
*
*
*
{{Japanese language
Japanese-based pidgins and creoles
Japanese language
Chinese-based pidgins and creoles
Languages of China
Manchuria
Languages attested from the 1930s
Languages extinct in the 1940s
Languages in Manchukuo