The Quanzhou dialects (), also rendered Chin-chew or Choanchew, are a collection of
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...
dialects spoken in southern
Fujian
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...
(in southeast China), in the area centered on the city of
Quanzhou
Quanzhou, postal map romanization, alternatively known as Chinchew, is a prefecture-level city, prefecture-level port city on the north bank of the Jin River, beside the Taiwan Strait in southern Fujian, China. It is Fujian's largest metrop ...
. Due to migration, various Quanzhou dialects are spoken outside of Quanzhou, notably in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
and many Southeast Asian countries, including
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
and the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
Classification
The Quanzhou dialects are classified as
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...
, a group of
Southern Min
Southern Min (), Minnan (Mandarin pronunciation: ) or Banlam (), is a group of linguistically similar and historically related Sinitic languages that form a branch of Min Chinese spoken in Fujian (especially the Minnan region), most of Taiwan ( ...
varieties. In
Fujian
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...
, the Quanzhou dialects form the northern subgroup () of Southern Min. The dialect of urban Quanzhou is one of the oldest dialects of Southern Min, and along with the urban
Zhangzhou dialect
The Zhangzhou dialects (), also rendered Changchew, Chiangchew or Changchow, are a collection of Hokkien dialects spoken in southern Fujian province (in southeast China), centered on the city of Zhangzhou. The Zhangzhou dialect proper is the sourc ...
, it forms the basis for all modern varieties. When compared with other varieties of Hokkien, the urban Quanzhou dialect has an intelligibility of 87.5% with the
Amoy dialect
The Amoy dialect or Xiamen dialect (), also known as Amoynese, Amoy Hokkien, Xiamenese or Xiamen Hokkien, is a dialect of Hokkien spoken in the city of Xiamen (historically known as "Amoy") and its surrounding metropolitan area, in the southern ...
and 79.7% with the urban
Zhangzhou dialect
The Zhangzhou dialects (), also rendered Changchew, Chiangchew or Changchow, are a collection of Hokkien dialects spoken in southern Fujian province (in southeast China), centered on the city of Zhangzhou. The Zhangzhou dialect proper is the sourc ...
.
Cultural role
Before the 19th century, the dialect of Quanzhou proper was the representative dialect of
Southern Min
Southern Min (), Minnan (Mandarin pronunciation: ) or Banlam (), is a group of linguistically similar and historically related Sinitic languages that form a branch of Min Chinese spoken in Fujian (especially the Minnan region), most of Taiwan ( ...
in
Fujian
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...
because of Quanzhou's historical and economic prominence, but as
Xiamen
Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an, ...
developed into the political, economic and cultural center of
southern Fujian
Minnan, Banlam or Minnan Golden Triangle (), refers to the coastal region in Southern Fujian Province, China, which includes the prefecture-level cities of Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou. The region accounts for 40 percent of the GDP of Fujian Pro ...
, the
Amoy dialect
The Amoy dialect or Xiamen dialect (), also known as Amoynese, Amoy Hokkien, Xiamenese or Xiamen Hokkien, is a dialect of Hokkien spoken in the city of Xiamen (historically known as "Amoy") and its surrounding metropolitan area, in the southern ...
gradually took the place of the Quanzhou dialect as the representative dialect. However, the Quanzhou dialect is still considered to be the standard dialect for
Liyuan opera
Liyuan opera () is a form of Chinese opera originating in Quanzhou city, Fujian province, China. In recent years, one of Liyuan opera's staunchest advocates and most celebrated performers has been Zeng Jingping
Zeng (, ) is a Chinese family nam ...
and
''nanyin'' music.
Phonology
This section is mostly based on the variety spoken in the
urban area
An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...
of Quanzhou, specifically in
Licheng District Licheng may refer to the following locations:
*Licheng County (), of Changzhi, Shanxi
*Licheng District, Jinan (), Shandong
*Licheng District, Putian (), Fujian
*Licheng District, Quanzhou (), Fujian
*Licheng Subdistrict, Xianyou County (), Fujian
* ...
.
Initials
There are 14 phonemic initials, including the
zero initial
A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds typically made up of a syllable nucleus (most often a vowel) with optional initial and final margins (typically, consonants). Syllables are often considered the phonological "b ...
(not included below):
When the rhyme is nasalized, the three voiced phonemes , and are realized as the nasal stops , and , respectively.
The inventory of initial consonants in the Quanzhou dialect is identical to the
Amoy dialect
The Amoy dialect or Xiamen dialect (), also known as Amoynese, Amoy Hokkien, Xiamenese or Xiamen Hokkien, is a dialect of Hokkien spoken in the city of Xiamen (historically known as "Amoy") and its surrounding metropolitan area, in the southern ...
and almost identical to the
Zhangzhou dialect
The Zhangzhou dialects (), also rendered Changchew, Chiangchew or Changchow, are a collection of Hokkien dialects spoken in southern Fujian province (in southeast China), centered on the city of Zhangzhou. The Zhangzhou dialect proper is the sourc ...
. The Quanzhou dialect is missing the phoneme found in the Zhangzhou dialect due to a merger of into . The distinction between () and () was still made in the early 19th century, as seen in ''Huìyīn Miàowù'' () by Huang Qian (), but ''Huìyīn Miàowù'' already has nine characters categorized into both initials. Rev.
Carstairs Douglas
Carstairs Douglas () (born 27 December 1830 in Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire; died 26 July 1877 in Xiamen, China) was a Scottish missionary, remembered chiefly for his writings concerning the Southern Min language of Fujian, in particular his ''Chin ...
has already observed the merger in the late 19th century. In some areas of
Yongchun,
Anxi and
Nan'an, there are still some people, especially those in the older generation, who distinguish from , showing that the merger is a recent innovation.
Rimes
There are 87 rimes:
The actual pronunciation of the vowel has a wider opening, approaching . For some speakers, especially younger ones, the vowel is often realized as , e.g. pronouncing / (, "to fly") as , and the vowel is either realized as , e.g. pronouncing / (, "pig") as , or as , e.g. pronouncing (, "woman") as .
Tones
For single syllables, there are seven tones:
In addition to these tones, there is also a neutral tone.
Tone sandhi
As with other dialects of
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...
, the tone sandhi rules are applied to every syllable but the final syllable in an utterance. The following is a summary of the rules:
* The yin level (33) and yang rising (22) tones do not undergo tone sandhi.
* The yang level and entering tones (24) are pronounced as the yang rising tone (22).
* The yin rising tone (554) is pronounced as the yang level tone (24).
* The departing tone (41) depends on the voicing of the initial consonant in
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese (formerly known as Ancient Chinese) or the Qieyun system (QYS) is the historical variety of Chinese recorded in the '' Qieyun'', a rime dictionary first published in 601 and followed by several revised and expanded editions. The ...
:
** If the Middle Chinese initial consonant is voiceless, it is pronounced as the yin rising tone (554).
** If the Middle Chinese initial consonant is voiced, it is pronounced as the yang rising tone (22).
* The yin entering (5) depends on the final consonant:
** If the final consonant is , or , it is pronounced as the yang level tone (24).
** If the final consonant is , it does not undergo tone sandhi.
Notes
References
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External links
當代泉州音字彙 a dictionary of Quanzhou speech
{{Chinese language
Hokkien-language dialects
Fujian
Quanzhou