Dialect Names

Names of Chinese dialects can be confusing. One and the same dialect may sport up to 5 or 6 different names. The proliferation of names is due to the following alternative ways to call dialects:

Scholarly names (mostly based on alias of geographical regions) vs. popular names

Mandarin pronunciation vs. dialect pronunciations of the names

Calling a dialect three different ways: yu (language) vs. hua (speech) vs. fangyan (dialect)

Chinese names vs. English rendition of any of the above

Such proliferation of names can be seen in all the dialect groups:

1. Guanhua (Scholarly name)

Mandarin (English translation of above)

2. Yue Yu/ Fangyan (Scholarly name)

Guangdong hua (Popular name1)

Baihua (Popular name2)

Guangzhou hua (Guangzhou=capital of Guangdong province)

Cantonese (Canton=English name of Guangzhou)

3. Min

3a. Minnan yu/hua/fangyan (Scholarly name)

Southern Min (English translation of above)

Xiamen hua (Xiamen is the center of Minnan dialect)

Amoy (English translation of dialect pronunciation of Xiamen)

Taiwan hua/Taiyu (Popular but inaccurate names)

Taiwanese (English translation of the inaccurate names above )

Fukienese (English rendition of Fujian, the provincial name)

Hokkien (Dialect pronunciation of Fujian)

Fulao (Name of people who speak Fukienese)

Hoklo (Dialect pronunciation of Fulao)

Chaozhou hua/fangyan (Scholarly name)

Teochiu/Teochew (Dialect pronunciation of Chaozhou)

Chaoshan (Stands for Chaozhou and Shantou, two main cities where it is spoken)

Swatow (English name for Shantou, based on dialect pronunciation)

3b. Minbei hua/fangyan (Scholarly name)

Northern Min (English translation of above)

Fuzhou (Capital of Fujian province in Northern Fujian where the dialect is spoken)

Hokchiu (Dialect pronunciation of Fuzhou)

4. Kejia (Scholarly name)

Hakka (English translation, based on Cantonese pronunciation of Kejia)

Kehua (Popular name used by Hakka people)

5. Wu yu/fangyan (Scholarly name)

5a. Beibu wuyu (Scholarly name)

Northern Wu (English translation of above)

Shanghai hua (Largest city where northern Wu is spoken)

Sanghe ewu (Dialect pronunciation of above, only used by Shanghai people)

5b. Nanbu wuyu (Scholarly name)

Southern Wu (English translation of above)

6. Xiang yu/fangyan (Scholarly name)

Hunan hua (Hunan=province where it is spoken)

7. Gan yu/fangyan (Scholarly name)

Jiangxi hua (Jiangxi=province where it is spoken)