Chinese languages

I do not know much about Chinese languages. But in order to analyse character speech in a novel I need some help. I read that people from Shanghai speak Shanghainese. My question: Is there really something like a Shanghainese dialect?
If not, what do people in Shanghai speak? Mandarin?

nila wrote:I do not know much about Chinese languages. But in order to analyse character speech in a novel I need some help. I read that people from Shanghai speak Shanghainese. My question: Is there really something like a Shanghainese dialect?
If not, what do people in Shanghai speak? Mandarin?

Yes, local shanghai people speak their own dialect.I am from fujian province,and I speak my dialect.China is too huge to speak the same dialect ,so in order to serve people to receive education , the goverment to let beijing dialect(we call putonghua) as our offical languange. People from different areas in China may speak different dialects, but we use the same spelling.
Any questions?