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List of Chinese dialects

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The following is a list of dialects of the Chinese language. It lists the seven traditional major classifications, namely the Gan, Guan or Beifang (Mandarin), Kejia (Hakka), Min {including the Hokkien and Taiwanese variants), Wu (including Shanghainese), Xiang and Yue (Cantonese), followed by three contemporary categories increasingly recognised by linguists, namely the Hui, Jin and Ping dialects. Finally, dialect groups falling outside these categories and those without a clear classification are also listed.

In addition to the dialects given below, it is customary to speak informally of dialects belonging to each province, e.g. Sichuan dialect, Henan dialect. These designations do not always correspond to classifications used by linguists, but each nevertheless has approximate, stereotypical characteristics of its own.

The question of whether these should be called dialects or languages in their own right is particularly interesting in Chinese. On the one hand, the designation seems to be as much socio-political as linguistic, reflecting Max Weinreich's comment that "a language is a dialect with an army and a navy." Purely from a linguistic point of view, many of these idioms seem to meet the criteria of a language. On the other hand, to a large degree the various Chinese idioms share a common written language and literature, lending weight to calling them "dialects". Because the written language is grammatically closest to Standard Mandarin, many Chinese speakers view Standard Mandarin as "the Chinese language", and everything else as dialects.

Contents

  • Dongkou dialect
  • Funing dialect
  • Fuzhou (Jiangxi) dialect 撫州話
  • Ji'an (Jiangxi) dialect 吉安話
  • Nanchang dialect 南昌話
  • Xianning dialect
  • Yichun dialect 宜春話
  • Yingtan dialect 鷹潭話

Beijing Mandarin 北京官話

Ji Lu Mandarin 冀魯官話

Jianghuai Mandarin 江准官話

Jiao Liao Mandarin 膠遼官話

Lan Yin Mandarin 蘭銀官話

  • Changchun dialect 长春话/長春話
  • Harbin dialect 哈尔浜话/哈爾濱話
  • Qiqihar dialect 斉斉哈尔话/齊齊哈爾話
  • Shenyang dialect 沈阳话/瀋陽話

Zhongyuan Mandarin 中原官話

Hui is sometimes considered a subcategory of Gan.
  • Jixi (Anhui) dialect
  • Shexian (Anhui) dialect 歙縣話
  • Tunxi dialect 屯溪話
  • Yixian (Anhui) dialect

Jin is sometimes considered the ninth division of Mandarin (Guan/Beifang).
  • Baotou dialect 包頭話
  • Datong dialect 大頭話
  • Handan dialect
  • Hohhot dialect 呼和浩特話
  • Taiyuan dialect 太原話
  • Xinxiang dialect

  • Jian'ou dialect 建瓯话/建甌話

  • Chaoshan division (see Teochew) 潮汕片
  • *Shantou dialect (Swatow) 汕头话/汕頭話
  • *Chaozhou dialect (Teochew) 潮州话/潮州話
  • *Haifeng dialect (Hailufeng dialect/Lufeng dialect) 海豐話 (海陸豐話/陸豐話)
  • Mintai division 閩台片
  • *Lan-nang
  • *Quanzhou dialect 泉州話
  • *Penang Hokkien
  • *Taiwanese (see regional variations) 臺灣話/台湾话
  • **Central Taiwanese
  • **Northeastern coastal Taiwanese
  • **Northern Taiwanese
  • **Southern Taiwanese
  • *Xiamen dialect (Amoy/Hokkien) 厦门话/廈門話
  • *Zhangzhou dialect 漳州話

Min Zhong 闽中语

Pu Xian

  • *Hainan dialect (Hainanese) 海南話
  • *Zhanjiang dialect (Leizhou) 湛江話/雷州話

Pinghua is sometimes considered a subset of Cantonese (Yue).
  • Nanning dialect 南寧話

Taihu division 太湖片

Taizhou division 婺州片

Oujiang division

Wuzhou division

Chu Qu division

Xuanzhou division

Chang Yi division

Lou Shao division

Chen Xu division

Yue Hai division 粤海片/粵海片

Guan Bao division 莞寶片

Luoguang division 罗岗片/羅崗片

Seiyap division (Siyi) 四邑片

Gouyeung division 高阳片/高陽片

Gwainaam division (Cancerese) 桂南片

Mouchyun dialect 武川話

Danjia dialect 蜑家話

Unclassified

See also


Chinese: spoken varieties  
Categories: Gan | Hakka | Hui | Jin | Mandarin | Min | Ping | Xiang | Wu | Cantonese
Danzhouhua | Shaozhou Tuhua
Subcategories of Min: Min Bei | Min Dong | Min Nan | Min Zhong | Puxian | Qiongwen | Shaojiang
Subcategories of Mandarin: Northeastern | Beijing | Ji-Lu | Jiao-Liao | Zhongyuan | Lan-Yin | Southwestern | Jianghuai | Dungan
Note: The above is only one classification scheme among many.
The categories in italics are not universally acknowledged to be independent categories.
Comprehensive list of Chinese dialects
Official spoken varieties: Standard Mandarin | Standard Cantonese
Historical phonology: Old Chinese | Middle Chinese | Proto-Min | Proto-Mandarin | Haner
Chinese: written varieties
Official written varieties: Classical Chinese | Vernacular Chinese
Other varieties: Written Vernacular Cantonese

External links

 

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