Questions tagged [topolect]

Questions regarding regional variants of the Chinese language

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鉛 Reading Phonology

Why does this word for Lead 鉛 seem to have two different pronounciations? In most Chinese Languages / Languages that borrowed this word ( Japanese / Korean ) they all read similar to the Middle ...
Sierra Hotel's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
76 views

Teochew dialect in Southern China

The singular Naomi Wu mentions that many of the traders in the Huaqiangbei (electronics) area of Shenzhen are "from the city of Chaozhou and so speak a common dialect". Chaozhou is a ...
Spehro Pefhany's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
112 views

更: geng and jing

One of the less common meanings of 更 has to do with traditional Chinese time-keeping. There's a changing of the guard, and this is kept track of by hitting a drum or whatever. 更, extending from the ...
Stumpy Joe Pete's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
66 views

Is 恁 related to 您?

I noticed that in Henan dialect people use 恁, nén in place of 你. Some comments in this question:Why in Chinese Bible (和合本), "you" was translated as "你" instead of "您"? ...
河南宝宝's user avatar
8 votes
9 answers
5k views

Is Cantonese Chinese? 【广东话属于中文吗】

I recall an incident that occurred once in (Mainland) China, which I found puzzling and intriguing. It was in Zhengzhou, I think. There was some kind of sales activity where people were being given ...
河南宝宝's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
148 views

Fourth-tone 好 used as a complete stand-alone sentence to express agreement, a bit like "OK" or 行

While watching a TV series called 奈何BOSS要娶我 / Well-Intended Love I was struck by the way 好 is pronounced (*) when used as a complete stand-alone sentence to express agreement. It sounds to me much ...
goPlayerJuggler's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
136 views

Audio recognition: "kai bu dao ku" (Southwestern Mandarin)

Here is a link to the mp3: Vocaroo | Audio File This is a dialect of 西南官话, Southwestern Mandarin. My transcription: 就这个样子,我没有想到我今天还跟你们两个还可以这样子摆龙门阵。站起来就这样子,【开不到裤】了,造不造孽?那个活起有啥子意义嘛?是不是? I'm struggling ...
Mou某's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
249 views

What exactly is the difference between 哲 and 喆?

I'm also interested in knowing the connotations and whether those terms are associated with specific dialects. Would the average mainland speaker know 喆?
Qwokker's user avatar
  • 127
0 votes
2 answers
69 views

Is 早晚 included in 普通话?

I knew the term 早晚 today. 早晚 zǎo wǎn morning and evening / (dialect) some time in the future; some day There is the literal "(dialect)" below (the whole line was quoted from the above ...
TG24's user avatar
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2 votes
3 answers
147 views

Is there a website that has sound clips with written transcription for various dialects?

My specific use case is I want to hear how 私 is pronounced in Hunanese, but I remember coming across a website a few years ago with lots of speech recordings in various Chinese dialects with written ...
HAL's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
106 views

What is the word ler (ex. in 精/光巴ler1 胖乎ler1) in Sichuan Mandarin?

It is a word that has the initial [l] and likely Tone 1 (阴平). I suspect it is a suffix representing a person. (Below the horizontal bar is the evidence and line of reasoning on how I come to these ...
lilysirius's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
130 views

Is 的 used in Singlish?

In Singlish (Singaporean English creole), is 的 used? And if so, is it used for simple possession ("*Jenny de dog") or for introduction of a subordinate clause? ("*Jenny found last week ...
Buddy L's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
102 views

How do you write "yi ga shi duo" (Wu dialect)?

Either Han characters or a standard romanization would do. Thanks!
Josh's user avatar
  • 165
2 votes
1 answer
74 views

扣里:里 as verbal complement?

I've encountered the sentence 把准备好的葱姜蒜全扣里, in the context of having to tip some ingredients into a previously-mentioned pan. I wonder if 里 is acting as an internal object of 扣 or as its locative ...
Sanchuan's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
176 views

A Cantonese-influenced Old National Pronunciation (老國音) system

I need advice/help on creating a system similar to the Old National Pronunciation system/language for a worldbuilding project called Roses, Tulips, and Liberty. Some background: Imagines, it's a world ...
Omar 's user avatar
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2 votes
3 answers
3k views

What does GG mean here?

Saw this FB post about this unfortunate taxi accident in HK: However I have never heard the term GG before and was wondering if its supposed to be shorthand for something else?
user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
559 views

What do people in Hong Kong say when you are approaching a counter to buy something?

I've often found myself at the typical 7/11 waiting in line to ring out, and almost every time the cashier will say something right before I am to purchase. It sounds something like "lao wei"...
user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
260 views

''China'' name in different chinese dialects

I would like to know wether most chinese dialects agree on a similar pronunciation/name of the country (中国/Zhōngguó) as in Mandarin, or there are some dialects who call it with a totally different (...
Hamdiken's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
201 views

How many Cantonese speakers who don't speak Mandarin exist? [closed]

I wonder how many Cantonese speakers (either native or L2 learners) who don't speak Mandarin exist in the world. At least in mainland China, as far as I know almost all people born in 1980 or later ...
Blaszard's user avatar
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6 votes
4 answers
3k views

Is the number 4 really considered unlucky because it sounds similar to the word for "death"?

From what I've Googled so far, there are lots of claims that the number 4 is considered unlucky in Chinese. 四 is understandably considered unlucky in Japanese and Korean because it sounds identical to ...
Vun-Hugh Vaw's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
219 views

The readings of 栅

What is the deal with the readings of 栅 (柵) and how do they appear? According to modern dictionaries (such as the 漢語大字典 2nd Ed.), there are three readings for 栅? zhà, in the meaning of "fence, ...
Alexander Z.'s user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
142 views

Reverse Translation: “The Devil’s own uncle knows!“

In Peter Hessler’s (何伟) latest article for The New Yorker, China’s Reform Generation Adapts to Life in the Middle Class, there is a paragraph which reads: The man swore in dialect: “The Devil’s own ...
Mou某's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
173 views

What were the court/administrative languages of various dynasties?

It's called "Mandarin" (and 官话) precisely because it was the language of courtly officials at a time when there was no unified national language of China. This was the case in both the Ming ...
Stumpy Joe Pete's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
289 views

Help understanding the Min song 追追追

Cross-post notice I already posted the question here, but have since received only one helpful answer, which promised "more later" but never came back with "more". Since it's been ...
MickG's user avatar
  • 2,310
2 votes
0 answers
176 views

Chongqing Dialect Dictionary

Does anybody know of any Chongqing dialect dictionaries, preferably available in PDF format? I've tried to find some dictionaries but the only one I found is not available seemingly anywhere.
William Liao's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
2k views

What is 乜 doing in my landlord's WeChat message 明天有人在家乜?

I live in Beijing, and my landlord (who I think is from the Dongbei region) sent our group this WeChat message yesterday: 明天有人在家乜 We're getting a new fridge delivered, and she wants to know if ...
Becky 李蓓's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
287 views

Pronouncing pinyin "ing" (bopomofoㄧㄥ ) as /iŋ/ or /jəŋ/ e.g. in 冰

The book "Sounds of Chinese" gives the surface representation IPA transcription for the word 冰 as /pjəŋ/ and the underlying representation as /piŋ/ (in section 8.1), while the example at 3....
Anonymous's user avatar
  • 143
1 vote
5 answers
242 views

In Chinese are American English and British English different 方言?

American English and British English are different dialects of English. The basic translation of dialect is 方言. But I feel that 方言 corresponds to say different dialects of British English, or ...
Kantura's user avatar
  • 2,146
3 votes
2 answers
160 views

List of Beijing and Standard Chinese vocabulary

I am looking for a list that has a 1-on-1 mapping between common Beijing and Standard Chinese vocabulary. For instance, a native from Beijing one would say things like 今儿 and 這兒 which could then be ...
Axel's user avatar
  • 59
2 votes
1 answer
189 views

Which Chinese dialect group is the surname Kuok from?

Which Chinese dialect group is the surname Kuok from? I assume it's a variant of the Mandarin Guo (郭).
Rex's user avatar
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2 votes
3 answers
383 views

吸 read ji or jie?

I know in some dialects of Southwestern Mandarin 吸 is read ji or jie. This is most likely due to the fact that 吸 is made up of 口 + 及 and 及 is read ji or jie in these same topolects. Does this ...
Mou某's user avatar
  • 36k
2 votes
2 answers
143 views

How to translate “这帮丫头片子,也不知道都便宜哪帮孙子了”?

I'm adding english subtitles to some mandarin movies, as volunteer and hobby. How to translate the following line better? The main male character was waiting for his flight at the airport when he saw ...
user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
124 views

Why is 灸 pronounced jiu1?

The pinyin of 灸 as in 针灸 (acupuncture) or 艾灸 (moxibustion) is clearly given as jiu3, as shown in, among others, MDGB and Zdic. The single character doesn't even have alternate pronunciations, only ...
blackgreen's user avatar
  • 5,452
4 votes
3 answers
465 views

Are there any multi-syllabic words in Chinese without a glottal stop?

Are there any words in Chinese of 2 more syllables where there isn't a glottal stop between the syllables such that each syllable is not pronounced clearly, that a final consonant and initial ...
kwaalaateimaa's user avatar
1 vote
7 answers
216 views

Did any pidgin terms survived in Chinese? (or any topolects?)

I've been looking through some of the words in《红毛通用番话诠释》 Here's a little sample This pidgin words are based on Cantonese. I'm curious if any of these pidgin words actually made it as loanwords into ...
Mou某's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
85 views

佢 read "jì" from Hakka?

Looking through the book 四川德阳方言语音演化与接触研究, I came across the following chart excerpt: 表1-6 四川境内非西南官话方言岛与湖广方言特征词对比 In some locales 他 is documented as being read: 佢, tɕi⁵¹ -or- jì, if you prefer. ...
Mou某's user avatar
  • 36k
3 votes
1 answer
186 views

Are there any Mandarin dialects with three tones?

有只有三个声调的官话方言吗?东干语有四个音素的声调,但是在没有变调的上下文只有三个不同的声调, 例如在短语的末尾。有没有在每个上下文都用三个声调的方言? Are there any Mandarin dialects with three tones? Standard Dungan has four phonemic tones, but only has three in contexts ...
Greg Nisbet's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
145 views

Is /ʑ/ stigmatized in Wu?

The voiced alveolo-palatal sibilant fricative /ʑ/ can be found in Wu words like: thank you. 谢谢 is said to be read: ʑia ʑia I'm seeing many resources online claiming that the reading can just be: 谢谢!...
Mou某's user avatar
  • 36k
4 votes
1 answer
126 views

Data on the endangerment of Southwestern Mandarin?

I'm looking for some data on the endangerment of Southwestern Mandarin. Since it is rather a broad subject, it can be broken down to the Cheng–Yu 成渝 branch as it is quite representative of the ...
Mou某's user avatar
  • 36k
3 votes
1 answer
94 views

Where does 别间 ("other") as in 别间大学 come from?

As a follow up to this question What does 别间 in 别间大学的男生都土里土气的 means? I was trying to figure out where the term 别间 comes from. Judging by the context, it appears having the same meaning as 别的 (other, ...
blackgreen's user avatar
  • 5,452
2 votes
1 answer
196 views

What does the inital /dⁿ/ stand for?

While answering @Qiangong2's question here: Are Characters customized in different provinces due to dialectal differences? I was looking through the table on 四川方言字. On the table the following initial ...
Mou某's user avatar
  • 36k
3 votes
1 answer
104 views

Are Characters customized in different provinces due to dialectal differences?

In other character-based writing systems such as Chu Nomh, Kanji, and Hanja, there are customized characters due to regional dialects. Has this occurred with Simplified at all? Or has the government ...
Qiangong2's user avatar
  • 199
6 votes
4 answers
709 views

How did 贼 come to mean "extremely"?

While watching a tv show, I heard the presenter, a Beijinger, say 贼好. In that particular context, the only possible meaning was 很好. Later I did some research and, as a matter of fact, it turns out 贼 ...
blackgreen's user avatar
  • 5,452
5 votes
2 answers
219 views

Why are there different pronunciations of 复杂?

During a Chinese class, a student pronounced 复杂 as fu3za2, instead of the official pronunciation fu4za2. The Chinese teacher corrected the student but then mentioned many native speakers pronounce it ...
雪花飘飘's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
1k views

Do any Chinese languages or dialects contain a rolled/trilled R?

From 20:00 to 22:00 of this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnMeISMY6eM), the speaker appears to pronounce the R sound with standard Mandarin pronunciation in 若 and 仍然. However, he rolls the R ...
K Man's user avatar
  • 283
2 votes
2 answers
399 views

What is the etymologically correct character for the Min-Nan words for meat (bah)?

In both the teoswa and hokkien, the common word for meat is pronounced something like /baʔ/. I.e., it has a voiced initial stop (not like pinyin "b") and a glottal final. This doesn't seem ...
Stumpy Joe Pete's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
173 views

How should I understand the pronunciation of 驾驶证 (jiàshǐ zhèng) as 酱汁儿 (jiàng zhī er)?

I was reading this website ( https://pinyin.sogou.com/zimeiti/article/1255 ) to understand colloquial Beijing Mandarin and came across this pronunciation for 驾驶证 驾驶证 > "酱汁儿", i.e Jiàshǐ zhèng > jiàng ...
dinolingo's user avatar
  • 159
0 votes
0 answers
108 views

"Why" in Beijing Dialect [duplicate]

I've been wondering how to correctly say "why" in Beijing dialect. I know that in colloquial beijing mandarin 什么 is pronounced as shém with a final m. I thus thought the same was for 为什么 as weishem. ...
dinolingo's user avatar
  • 159
2 votes
1 answer
156 views

When is f not pronounced?

I've seen that in Beijing Mandarin f can be pronounced as something of a final consonant when in an unstressed syllable, e.g. 豆腐 dòu fǔ = dòuff. However, in other cases it disappears in unstressed ...
dinolingo's user avatar
  • 159
3 votes
0 answers
154 views

When is d elided? [closed]

I know that plosive consonants can change in natural Mandarin speech, like intervocalic g is almost always elided, and sometimes k, but b and p are almost never elided, but when should d be elided? ...
dinolingo's user avatar
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