Huizhou Dialect
The Huizhou dialect (simplified Chinese: 惠州话; traditional Chinese: 惠州話; pinyin: Huìzhōuhuà) is a Chinese dialect spoken in and around Huicheng District, the traditional urban centre of Huizhou, Guangdong.
The locals also call the dialect Bendihua (simplified Chinese: 本地话; traditional Chinese: 本地話; pinyin: Běndìhuà; lit. 'local speech') and distinguish it from the dialect spoken in Meixian and Danshui, Huiyang, which they call Hakka (simplified Chinese: 客家话; traditional Chinese: 客家話; pinyin: Kèjiāhuà).
| Huizhou | |
|---|---|
| 惠州话 / 惠州話 | |
| Native to | China |
| Region | Huizhou, Guangdong |
Native speakers | 110,000 (2002) |
| Chinese characters Pha̍k-fa-sṳ | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
hak-hui Huizhou | |
| Glottolog | huiz1243 Huizhou |
| Linguasphere | 79-AAA-gai |
Classification
The classification of the Huizhou dialect is disputed because it shows characteristics of both Yue and Hakka. Most scholars classify the Huizhou dialect as a dialect of Hakka, but some scholars, most notably Liu Shuxin, consider it to be a dialect of Yue.
The first edition of the Language Atlas of China puts it into its own subgroup under Hakka known as the Huizhou subgroup (惠州片; Huìzhōu piàn). In the second edition, it is still classified as a dialect of Hakka, but it is placed under the Mei–Hui cluster (梅惠小片; Méi-Huì xiǎopiàn) of the Yue–Tai subgroup (粤台片; 粵臺片; Yuè-Tái piàn).
Liu Shuxin groups it together with other similar dialects spoken around the middle and upper reaches of the Dong River, including the Heyuan dialect, into the Hui–He branch (惠河系; Huì-Hé xì) of Yue. Chang Song-hing and Zhuang Chusheng propose a similar grouping called the Hui–He subgroup (惠河片; Huì-Hé piàn), but they classify the group as Hakka.
Phonology
Tones
The Huizhou dialect has seven tones:
| Tone name | dark level (阴平 / 陰平) | light level (阳平 / 陽平) | rising (上声 / 上聲) | dark departing (阴去 / 陰去) | light departing (阳去 / 陽去) | dark entering (阴入 / 陰入) | light entering (阳入 / 陽入) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example | 哥 | 人 | 许 / 許 | 气 / 氣 | 事 | 急 | 及 |
| Tone letter | ˧ (33) | ˨ (22) | ˧˥ (35) | ˨˩˧ (213) | ˧˩ (31) | ˦˥ (45), ˥ (5) | ˨˩ (21) |
Other than these seven tones, ˥ (55) appears in some grammatical particles.
Grammar
Verbal aspect
The Huizhou dialect has several aspectual markers that attach to the verb as suffixes:
| Aspect | Marker |
|---|---|
| Progressive | 紧 / 緊 /kin˧˥/, 稳 / 穩 /ũn˧˥/ |
| Continuous | 住 /tsʰy˧˩/ |
| Perfective | 抛 / 拋 /pʰau˧ ~ au˧ ~ ei˧/, 阿 /a˧/, □ /ei˥/ |
| Experiential | 过 / 過 /kɔ˨˩˧/ |
Pronouns
The Huizhou dialect has the following personal pronouns. The plural is formed by a tone change.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person | 我 /ŋɔi˨˩˧/ | 我 /ŋɔi˧˥/ |
| 2nd person | 你 /ni˨˩˧/ | 你 /ni˧˥/ |
| 3rd person | 佢 /kʰy˨/ | 佢 /kʰy˧˥/ |
Vocabulary
The Huizhou dialect has many cognates with Yue and/or Hakka (cognates with Huizhou are shaded in blue):
| English | Huizhou | Guangzhou (Yue) | Meixian (Hakka) | Putonghua |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| fly (insect) | 乌蝇 / 烏蠅 /ũ˧ zən˨/ | 乌蝇 / 烏蠅 wu1 jing1 | 乌蝇 / 烏蠅 vu1 yin2 | 苍蝇 / 蒼蠅 cāngyíng |
| house | 屋 /ək˦˥/ | 屋 uk1 | 屋 vug5 | 房子 fángzi |
| sleep | 𰥛觉 / 瞓覺 /hun˨˩˧ kau˨˩˧/ | 𰥛觉 / 瞓覺 fan3 gaau3 | 睡目 soi4 mug5 | 睡觉 / 睡覺 shuìjiào |
| see | 睇 /tʰiɛ˧˥/ | 睇 tai2 | 看 kon4 | 看 kàn |
| maize | 包粟 /pau˧ sək˦˥/ | 粟米 suk1 mai5 | 包粟 bau1 xiug5 | 玉米 yùmǐ |
| younger brother | 老弟 /lau˧˥ tʰiɛ˨˩˧/ | 细佬 / 細佬 sai3 lou2 | 老弟 lau3 tai1 | 弟弟 dìdi |
| water chestnut | 马蹄 / 馬蹄 /ma˨˩˧ tʰiɛ˨/ | 马蹄 / 馬蹄 maa5 tai2 | 荸荠 / 荸薺 bíqi | |
| 马荠 / 馬薺 /ma˨˩˧ tsʰi˨/ | 马荠 / 馬薺 ma1 qi2 | |||
| together | 一齐 / 一齊 /ĩt˦˥ tsʰiɛ˨/ | 一齐 / 一齊 jat1 cai4 | 一起 yīqǐ | |
| 一下 /ĩt˦˥ ha˧˩/ | 一下 yid5 ha4 |
Notes
References
- Chang, Song-hing; Zhuang, Chusheng (2008). 廣東方言的地理格局與自然地理及歷史地理的關係 [Geographical Distribution of Guangdong Dialects: Their Linkage with Natural and Historical Geography] (PDF). Journal of Chinese Studies (in Chinese) (48): 407–422.
- Chen, Shu-huan (2010). 惠州方言的完成体助词“抛”和“□[ei⁵⁵]” [Auxiliaries of Perfect Aspect Pao and [ei⁵⁵] in Huizhou Dialect]. Journal of Huizhou University (in Chinese). 30 (4): 8–14.
- Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Australian Academy of the Humanities (1987). 中国语言地图集 [Language Atlas of China] (in Chinese). Hong Kong: Longman Group (Far East). ISBN 0-582-99903-0.
- Hou, Xiaoying (2008). 东江中上游本地话研究 [A Study of Bendihua in the Middle and Upper Reaches of Dongjiang Basin] (PhD) (in Chinese). Xiamen University.
- Hou, Xiaoying (2017). 惠州话：粤色客底的粤化客方言 [Huizhou Dialect: a Hakka Dialect Greatly Influenced by Yue Dialect]. Academic Research (in Chinese) (7): 159–169.
- Huang, Xuezhen (1987). 惠州话的归属. Fangyan (in Chinese) (4): 255–263.
- Liu, Ruoyun (1991). 惠州方言志 [Huizhou Dialect Gazetteer] (in Chinese). Guangzhou: Guangdong Science & Technology Press. ISBN 7-5359-0658-3.
- Liu, Ruoyun (1997). 惠州方言的助词 [Particles in the Huizhou Dialect]. Sun Yatsen University Forum (in Chinese) (4): 15–22.
- Liu, Shuxin (2007). 东江中上游土语群研究——粤语惠河系探考 [A Study of the Group of Vernaculars Spoken around the Middle and Upper Reaches of the Dong River—An Investigation of the Hui–He Branch of Yue] (in Chinese). Beijing: China Society Publishing House. ISBN 978-7-5087-1716-6.
- Local Gazetteer Editorial Committee of Huicheng District, Huizhou City, ed. (2012). 惠州市惠城区志 [Gazetteer of Huicheng District, Huizhou City] (in Chinese). Guangzhou: Guangdong People's Publishing House. ISBN 978-7-218-08115-1.
- Xie, Liuwen; Huang, Xuezhen (2012). B1—17 客家话. 中国语言地图集 [Language Atlas of China] (in Chinese). Vol. 汉语方言卷 (2nd ed.). Beijing: Commercial Press. pp. 116–124. ISBN 978-7-100-07054-6.
- Yan, Xiuhong (2009). 河源惠州“本地话”语音概略（一） [A Summary of the Phonology of "Bendihua" in Heyuan and Huizhou] (PDF) (in Chinese).
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