How 标准 is 标准普通话？

[Flickserve]

How much variation is there with what native speakers regard as 标准普通话？

[imron]

There is some variation in what people perceive as the standard, but much less variation in the actual standard.

 

To be specific, for the top level of the 普通话水平测试 (一级甲等), which is required by if you want a job as a national broadcaster/news anchor, there is 3 percentage points of leeway  (97-100).

 

The next level (一级乙等) is then from 92 - 96.99, and is required by for the following professions 话剧、电影、电视剧、广播剧等表演、配音演员，播音、主持专业和影视表演专业的教师、学生，普通话水平不低于一级.

 

 

[Flickserve]

28 minutes ago, imron said:

There is some variation in what people perceive as the standard,

This.

 

 Although I can recognise the pronunciation, I hear variations in standard. Just wondering if other people feel the same. 

[ibag]

普通话的定义是“以北京语音为标准音，以北方话为基础方言，以典范的现代白话文著作为语法规范”
-
Say simply, the most standard Mandarin is the Beijing dialect that be removed a little of special expressions in it.
Basically, you just need to learn the pronunciation to a Beijinger.
 

[murrayjames]

1 hour ago, ibag said:

普通话的定义是“以北京语音为标准音，以北方话为基础方言...”

 

Is this true in practice? My sense is that the pronunciation of Mandarin in northern cities like 石家庄 is closer to what you actually hear on a CCTV news broadcast.

[ibag]

Believe me the 石家庄话 is cute, but really not standard. 
Beijing is the capital and have The Imperial Palace for ancient emperors, so the right is crucial, it determines what is the standard. 
 

[889]

I have often heard as well that some outlying place -- Chengde I think -- has a "more standard" accent than Beijing. And Chengde certainly has its imperial connections.

 

Anyway, what we're talking about here isn't street accent but the formal standard that guides professional announcers, when professionally announcing. For example, you'll hear much more 儿化 walking around Beijing than you'll hear on the evening news.

 

Even in Beijing, I doubt those CCTV news readers head into a market or restaurant on their own time and order with their on-air accent. People don't really speak quite like that in everyday life. Nonetheless, it does set the benchmark for "standard" Putonghua.

[Lu]

I heard Harbin has the most standard Mandarin. But I agree, even the Harbinese don't walk around chatting in CCTV evening news Mandarin.