Yuehai (Chinese: 粵海; Jyutping: jyut6 hoi2; pinyin: Yuèhǎi) is the main branch of Yue Chinese, spoken in the Pearl River Delta of the province of Guangdong, as well as Hong Kong and Macau. It is commonly called Cantonese, though that name is more precisely applied to the Guangzhou topolect of Yuehai.
| Yuehai | |
|---|---|
| 粵海 | |
| Native to | China |
| Region | Pearl River Delta, Guangdong |
Native speakers | (13 million? cited 1998)[1] |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
| Glottolog | yueh1236 |
| Linguasphere | 79-AAA-ma |
 The four main Yuehai languages, at right, are shaded in pink | |
Topolects
editYuehai is divided into four principal dialects, each of which contains various subdialects. Cantonese is the prestige form.
- Guangfu dialects
- Sanyi / Nanpanshun dialects
- Xiangshan dialect
- Guanbao dialect
- Dongguan dialect
- Bao'an dialect (Waitau)
References
edit- ^ "Guangfu" (apparently = all of Yuehai) in Olson, An Ethnohistorical Dictionary of China
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