Zhongshan Min

Chinese (Min) dialect

Zhongshan Min
中山闽语 / 中山閩語
Native to	China
Region	Zhongshan, Guangdong
Native speakers	140,000 (2005)^[1]
Language family	Sino-Tibetan Sinitic Chinese Min Coastal Min Eastern Min and Southern Min Zhongshan Min
Early forms	Proto-Sino-Tibetan Old Chinese^[a] Proto-Min
Language codes
ISO 639-3	None (`mis`)
Glottolog	`zhon1238` Zhongshan Min

Min dialect islands in Zhongshan: (1) Longdu, (2) Nanlang, (3) Sanxiang

Zhongshan Min (simplified Chinese: 中山闽语; traditional Chinese: 中山閩語), known as Cunhua (村话; 村話) by its speakers,^[5] are three Min Chinese dialect islands in the Zhongshan region of the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. The Zhongshan Min people settled in the region from Fujian Province as early as the Northern Song dynasty period (1023–1031).^[5] The three dialects are:^[1]^[5]

Longdu dialect, spoken mainly in Shaxi and Dachong in the west of the prefecture,
Nanlang dialect or Dongxiang dialect, spoken mainly in Nanlang and Zhangjiabian in the east, and
Sanxiang dialect, spoken in Sanxiang in the south.

According to Nicholas Bodman, the Longdu and Nanlang dialects belong to the Eastern Min group, while the Sanxiang dialect belongs to Southern Min.^[6]^[7] All three have been heavily influenced by the Shiqi dialect, the local variety of Yue Chinese.^[8]

As the dialect with the most speakers, the Longdu dialect may be taken as the representative dialect of Zhongshan Min.^[9]

Notes

^ Min is believed to have split from Old Chinese, rather than Middle Chinese like other varieties of Chinese.^[2]^[3]^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b EBGZC 2012, p. 1532.
^ Mei, Tsu-lin (1970), "Tones and prosody in Middle Chinese and the origin of the rising tone", Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, 30: 86–110, doi:10.2307/2718766, JSTOR 2718766
^ Pulleyblank, Edwin G. (1984), Middle Chinese: A study in Historical Phonology, Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, p. 3, ISBN 978-0-7748-0192-8
^ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin; Bank, Sebastian (2023-07-10). "Glottolog 4.8 - Min". Glottolog. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7398962. Archived from the original on 2023-10-13. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
^ ^a ^b ^c Gao 2002, p. 115.
^ Bodman 1982, pp. 1–2.
^ Bodman 1985, pp. 5–6.
^ Bodman 1982, p. 3.
^ EBGZC 2012, p. 1534.

Sources

Bodman, Nicholas C. (1982). "The Namlong Dialect, a Northern Min Outlier in Zhongshan Xian and the Influence of Cantonese on its Lexicon and Phonology" (PDF). Tsing Hua Journal of Chinese Studies. 14 (1): 1–19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-02-03.
Bodman, Nicholas C. (1985). "The Reflexes of Initial Nasals in Proto-Southern Min-Hingua". In Acson, Veneeta; Leed, Richard L. (eds.). For Gordon H. Fairbanks. Oceanic Linguistics Special Publications. Vol. 20. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 2–20. ISBN 978-0-8248-0992-8. JSTOR 20006706.
Gao, Ran (2002). 中山閩語的聲調與閩、粵語聲調的關係 [The tones of Zhongshan Min and the relationship between Min and Yue tones]. In Ting, Pang-hsin; Chang, Song-hing (eds.). 閩語研究及其與周邊方言的關係 [The Study of Min Dialects and Its Relationship with Other Peripheral Dialects] (in Chinese). Hong Kong: Chinese University Press. pp. 115–126. ISBN 9789622019966. OCLC 50568616.
Editorial Board of the Gazetteer of Zhongshan City, ed. (2012). 方言 [Topolects]. 中山市志 1979–2005 [Gazetteer of Zhongshan City 1979–2005] (in Chinese). Guangzhou: Guangdong People's Publishing House. pp. 1522–1559.

Greater Magaric	Magaric Magar Kham Chepangic Chepang Bhujel Raji–Raute Dura–Tandrange

"Naga"	Ao Angami–Pochuri Meitei Tangkhulic Zeme
Sal	Boro–Garo Konyak Jingpho–Luish

Burmo-Qiangic	Qiangic Gyalrongic Ersuic Naic Lolo-Burmese Mondzish Burmish Loloish

Greater Siangic	Siangic Koro Milang Idu–Taraon

Teochew Min	Swatow dialect
Hokkien	Amoy dialect Quanzhou dialects Hui'an dialect Yongchun dialect Zhangzhou dialects Longyan dialect Taiwanese Banana colloquial speech Northern Malacca Straits Hokkien Penang Hokkien Medan Hokkien Hokkien Kelantan Philippine Hokkien Southern Malacca Straits Hokkien Southern Peninsular Malaysian Hokkien Singaporean Hokkien
Others	Datian Min Houlu dialect Haklau Min Zhenan Min Zhongshan Min Sanxiang dialect

Pu–Xian Min
(Hinghwa)

Zhanjiang dialect

Hainanese

Writing system

Logographic	Chinese characters
Alphabetic	Pe̍h-ōe-jī Pe̍h-ūe-jī Hainan Romanized Foochow Romanized Hinghwa Romanized Kienning Colloquial Romanized Taiwanese Romanization System Taiwanese Language Phonetic Alphabet Daighi tongiong pingim Bbánlám pìngyīm Peng'im Fuzhou Transliteration Scheme Hainanese Transliteration Scheme
Mixed	Hàn-lô

Research

Proto-languages	Proto-Min
Rime dictionaries	Qi Lin Bayin Jianzhou Ba Yin

Chinese language

Sinitic languages

Major groups

Mandarin

Northeastern	Changchun Harbin Shenyang Taz
Beijing	Beijing Taiwan
Jilu	Tianjin Jinan
Jiaoliao	Dalian Qingdao Weihai
Central Plains	Dongping Gangou Guanzhong Xi'an Luoyang Xuzhou Dungan Lanyin Xinjiang
Southwestern	Sichuanese Chengdu–Chongqing Minjiang Leshan Renshou–Fushun Zigong Kunming Nanping Wuhan Gui–Liu Wuming
Huai	Nanjing Nantong

Taihu	Shanghai Suzhou Wuxi Changzhou Hangzhou (?) Shaoxing Ningbo Jinxiang Jiangyin Shadi
Taizhou Wu	Taizhou Tiantai
Oujiang	Wenzhou Rui'an Wencheng
Wuzhou	Jinhua
Chu–Qu	Quzhou Jiangshan Qingtian
Xuanzhou	Xuancheng

Hokkien	Quanzhou Zhangzhou Amoy Taiwan Philippine Pedan Penang Singapore Malaysian
Teochew	Swatow Hoklo
Zhongshan	Nanlang Sanxiang
Other	Zhenan Longyan

Other

Hakka

Yue

Yuehai	Guangzhou Hong Kong Xiguan Jiujiang Shiqi Weitou Dapeng
Siyi	Taishan Xinhui
Other	Gao–Yang Goulou Wu–Hua Yong–Xun Luo–Guang Qin–Lian