toi4 saan1 waa2台山话
Jyutpingtoi4 saan1 waa2
Yaletòih sāan wá
Definition
Taishanese; the Yue Chinese dialect spoken in Taishan, Guangdong.
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How it's used
Taishanese is a distinct variety of Yue Chinese that is not mutually intelligible with standard Cantonese. Many older generations in Hong Kong have roots in Taishan, making it a common heritage language in the city. It is often referred to as the "big brother" of Cantonese due to its historical influence on the development of the Cantonese spoken in the Pearl River Delta.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not assume that someone who speaks fluent Cantonese can understand Taishanese. While they share some vocabulary and grammatical structures, the phonology and specific lexicon are significantly different.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
