Why is Cantonese called Cantonese?

English postal authorities in the late 19th century transliterated the city of Guangzhou to Canton. Since China used Guangzhou to control most trade with the West, the English traders quickly popularized the new name. And so, Cantonese effectively means the language spoken in the city of Canton (Guangzhou).

How did Cantonese get its name?

"Cantonese" as used to refer to the language native to the city of Canton, which is the traditional English name of Guangzhou, was popularized by An English and Cantonese Pocket Dictionary (1859), a bestseller by the missionary John Chalmers.

Do Cantonese consider themselves Chinese?

The Cantonese people (廣府人; 广府人; gwong2 fu2 jan4; Gwóngfú Yàhn) or Yue people (粵人; 粤人; jyut6 jan4; Yuht Yàhn), are a Han Chinese subgroup originating from Guangzhou and its satellite cities and towns (as well as Hong Kong and Macau), who natively speak Yue Chinese.

Why is Cantonese a language not a dialect?

Dialects and accents of a language fall under the same phonetic system. This is true of the Southern American and Irish accents you mentioned. However Cantonese has a different phonetic system and many basic vocabulary terms are different, so based on this fact, Cantonese cannot be considered a dialect.

Is it Cantonese or Yue?

Cantonese (or Yue 粵) is one of a number of language varieties (also referred to as dialects 方言) that make up the 'Chinese' or Sinitic branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. Other Sinitic varieties include Mandarin, Xiang, Gan, Wu, Min, and Hakka.

Is Cantonese a Language or Dialect? | Domino Asks : Cantonese & Mandarin China, Hong Kong, Macau

What do Hong Kongers call Cantonese?

Hong Kong Cantonese is predominantly referred to as "Cantonese" in English and gwong2 dung1 waa2 (廣東話, lit. Guangdong speech) by its native speakers, while the government also officially refers to it as gwong2 zau1 waa2 (廣州話, lit. Guangzhou speech).

Why is Cantonese a dying language?

Due to pressure from the mainland government and the rapid economic expansion of mainland China, Cantonese may be slowly dying out. To many, Cantonese is a language worth preserving because it preserves historical evidence, it is extremely expressive and it sustains local Cantonese culture.

What is hello in Hong Kong?

Néih hóu (你好) - Pronounced "nay hou," this word means "hello" in Cantonese. It's the perfect way to greet locals and start conversations on a friendly note.

Why does Cantonese sound like Vietnamese?

The biggest commonality between Cantonese and Vietnamese has to do with words with coda consonants in Sinitic, in which there were final -p and -t and -k as well as -m -n and -ŋ. Mandarin lost all of /p t k/ and also /m/. This makes Cantonese and Vietnamese sound more similar to each other as compared to Mandarin.

Can a Chinese person understand Cantonese?

Mandarin and Cantonese are not mutually intelligible, meaning someone who only speaks Mandarin will generally not be able to understand Cantonese and vice versa.

Which came first Cantonese or Mandarin?

One of the main reasons Cantonese is of such interest is perhaps because it is significantly older than Mandarin. It was first recorded after the fall of the Han dynasty, around 220AD, over 2000 years ago. In contrast, Mandarin only came into being around 100 years ago.

Do people in Chinatown speak Mandarin or Cantonese?

In the Census-defined PUMA including Chinatown & Lower East Side, according to recent Census data, (in descending order) Cantonese, Mandarin, and French each have at least 1000 speakers. English and Spanish varieties are widely spoken in the area as well.

Is Cantonese spoken in Vietnam?

Cantonese being the ethnic language of Vietnamese Chinese in Vietnam is the result of the following reasons: First, Cantonese is the largest dialect group in the Vietnamese Chinese community.

Are Cantonese people Han Chinese?

The Cantonese people or Yue people are a Yue-speaking Han Chinese subgroup that originates from or resides in the provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi (collectively known as Liangguang), which are located in Southern Mainland China.

Why was Guangzhou called Canton?

But by the 16th century, Panyu, which dates back to 214BC, had become Guangzhou, or Guang prefecture. More competent at peddling and purchasing than pronunciation, the Iberian merchants began using the name Cantão, which evolved into the even less linguistically challenging Canton.

What is the most common surname in China?

The three most common surnames in Mainland China are Li, Wang and Zhang, which make up 7.9%, 7.4% and 7.1% respectively. Together they number close to 300 million and are easily the most common surnames in the world.

Did Mulan speak Cantonese or Mandarin?

Kelly Chen, Coco Lee and Xu Qing voiced Mulan in the Cantonese, Taiwanese Mandarin and Mainland standard versions of the film respectively, while Jackie Chan provided the voice of Li Shang in all three Chinese versions and appeared in the version of promotional music videos of "I'll Make a Man Out of You".

Which is harder, Mandarin or Cantonese?

Mandarin pronunciation is easier than Cantonese

If you're an English speaker, you might find Mandarin easier to learn than Cantonese. One reason is that Mandarin has only four tones, while Cantonese has six to nine tones.

What does MSW mean in Cantonese?

Just as English chatspeak shortens popular phrases with acronyms, Chinese does as well. We show you how to decode this 'Martian language' – 'MSW' is similar to 'I don't care', while 'siu4' is useful when something is hilarious.

Where is the oldest Chinatown in the world?

Binondo, Manila's Chinatown, is the oldest of its kind in the world. More than 400 years since it was established, the district still continues to thrive. Derived from the Filipino word binundok (“mountainous”), Binondo was established in 1594 as a permanent settlement for Chinese-Catholic immigrants.

How can you tell if someone is speaking Mandarin or Cantonese?

Mandarin uses four tones to differentiate words. There's also a fifth “neutral” tone, so you could consider a grand total of five tones for Mandarin. Cantonese, on the other hand, uses nine tones to differentiate pronunciation!

Should I say Mandarin or Chinese?

The “Mandarin vs. Chinese” distinction is crucial. While Chinese is a broad term encompassing various dialects, Mandarin refers explicitly to the standardized form used across China and Taiwan. This standardization allows for effective communication among speakers of different Chinese dialects.