Editing Chinese language (section)

== Classification ==
Linguists classify all varieties of Chinese as part of the [[Sino-Tibetan language family]], together with [[Burmese language|Burmese]], [[Tibetic languages|Tibetan]] and many other languages spoken in the [[Himalayas]] and the [[Southeast Asian Massif]].{{sfnp|Norman|1988|pp=12–13}} Although the relationship was first proposed in the early 19th century and is now broadly accepted, reconstruction of Sino-Tibetan is much less developed than that of families such as [[Indo-European]] or [[Austroasiatic]]. Difficulties have included the great diversity of the languages, the lack of [[inflection]] in many of them, and the effects of language contact. In addition, many of the smaller languages are spoken in mountainous areas that are difficult to reach and are often also sensitive border zones.{{sfnp|Handel|2008|pp=422, 434–436}} Without a secure reconstruction of Proto-Sino-Tibetan, the higher-level structure of the family remains unclear.{{sfnp|Handel|2008|p=426}} A top-level branching into Chinese and [[Tibeto-Burman languages]] is often assumed, but has not been convincingly demonstrated.{{sfnp|Handel|2008|p=431}}