Taishan dialect
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Toisanese or the Taishan dialect (台山話 Toisanese: Hoi4 saan6 wa1, Cantonese: toi4 saan1 wa6), or Seiyap, is a Chinese dialect (or group of very similar dialects) spoken in and around Taishan, in Guangdong province. Toisanese is grouped within Yue, one of the major branches of spoken Chinese.
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History of Toisanese
Toisanese originates from the Taishan region, where it is spoken. Often regarded as a single language, Toisanese can also be seen as a group of very closely related, mutually intelligible subdialects spoken by the various towns and villages in and around Seiyap (the four counties of Taishan, Enping, Kaiping, Xinhui). It is said that one can tell from what village or town a person is from based on his pronunciation of words and manner of speaking.
Toisanese is one of the major languages of the Chinese diaspora. The Taishan region was a major source of Chinese immigrants in the Americas in the 19th and early 20th centuries. 1.3 million people are estimated to have origins in Taishan. Because Toisanese is often included with Cantonese or regarded as a dialect of Cantonese, many Cantonese speakers are in fact Toisanese or descendants of Toisanese speakers. Prior to the repealing of the Chinese Exclusion Act, which allowed new waves of Chinese immigrants, Toisanese was ubiquitous in Chinatowns across North America. Toisanese is still spoken everyday in many Chinatowns including those of Oakland and San Francisco. Toisanese is spoken by older generations of Chinese people, as well as Chinese of Taishan descent, but often, usage of Toisanese is giving way to Cantonese, due the popularity, standardization, prestige, and usage in education of standard Cantonese.
Relationship between Cantonese and Toisanese
Toisanese is often regarded as being very similar to Cantonese, or merely heavily accented Cantonese. However, Toisanese and Cantonese are not necessarily mutually intelligible. Phonology is very similar to Cantonese, however, pronunciation and vocabulary differ, sometimes greatly. Due to the widespread use of Cantonese in mainstream and popular culture, most Toisanese / Taishan vernacular speakers will understand spoken Cantonese. Some may even regard their own language simply as a differently-accented version of Cantonese. The reverse is not necessarily true, however. Native Cantonese speakers unfamiliar with Toisanese (such as Hong Kongers) may find difficulty understand Toisanese unless spoken slowly.
This rarely becomes an issue in China, however. In Guangdong province, standard Cantonese is used as a lingua franca, and speakers of various dialects, such as Chaozhou, Hakka, and Toisanese will often speak or understand Cantonese. In addition, Mandarin Putonghua is the standardized language taught in schools throughout China. Thus, many Toisanese speakers in Taishan will usually be fluent in Cantonese as well as Mandarin. Depending on the situation, Toisanese speakers holding a conversation may code-switch between Toisanese, Cantonese, and Mandarin.
Writing
No standardized form of written Toisanese exists. Writing is done using Chinese characters and Mandarin vocabulary and grammar. Many common words used in spoken Toisanese have no Chinese character associated with them. No standard Romanization system exists for Toisanese; the ones given on this page are ad hoc. The following example of plural pronouns will show the differences between Toisanese, Cantonese, and Mandarin.
| English | Toisanese | Cantonese | Mandarin |
|---|---|---|---|
| we/us | ngoik | ngo5 dei6 (我哋) | wǒ mén (我們) |
| you (plural) | nek | nei5 dei6 (你哋) | nǐ mén (你們) |
| they/them | kek | keoi5 dei6 (佢哋) | tā mén (他們) |
See also
External links
- China Taishan Web (http://www.taishan.com/english/index.htm)