Yongzhou dialect

Yongzhou dialect
永州话
Native toChina
RegionYongzhou, Hunan province
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
GlottologNone
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The Yongzhou dialect (Chinese: 永州话; pinyin: Yǒngzhōuhuà) is a dialect of Xiang Chinese spoken in Yongzhou, Hunan Province. It has been significantly influenced by Southwestern Mandarin historically.

Origin and development

Before the Han dynasty, Yongzhou was entirely a residential area for ancient indigenous ethnic groups such as the Yao people. There are still many of their descendants in the upper reaches of Xiao River today.

During the Tang dynasty, the poet and official Liu Zongyuan was exiled to Yongzhou in 805. He encountered difficulties communicating with local residents because he could not understand their dialect. During his ten-year exile, Liu gradually became familiar with the local speech, eventually understanding it and learning to speak some of it.

Historical migration from Jiangxi contributed to the spread of Gan Chinese linguistic features across parts of Hunan, particularly during the Ming dynasty. However, the extent of this influence varied geographically. The Yongzhou region contains several Chinese dialect varieties, whose phonological and lexical characteristics have been examined in comparison with Standard Mandarin. Wang Runji and Wei Qijun (2024) classify the Yongzhou dialect within the Xiangnan subgroup of Southwestern Mandarin.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Wang, Runji; Wei, Qijun (2024). "The Special Usages of "De Hua (的话)" in Yongzhou Dialect". Essay on Linguistics (in Chinese) (1). Beijing, China: 商务印书馆 (The Commercial Press): 59–66. 隶属于湖南省永州市西南官话湘南片区的永州方言 [The Yongzhou dialect, spoken in Yongzhou, Hunan Province, belongs to the Xiangnan subgroup of Southwestern Mandarin]
  2. ↑ "瑶文化_瑶文化_永州政府网". www.yzcity.gov.cn. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  3. 1 2 Gong, Guixun (2022). 湖南永州方言研究 [A Research on Yongzhou Dialect of Hunan Province] (in Chinese). Beijing, China: China Social Sciences Press. ISBN 9787520395410.
  4. ↑ 慧文, 廖 (2019-04-01). "柳宗元在永州谪居时，为啥称自己是愚人？". m.voc.com.cn (in Chinese). 新湖南 (New Hunan). Retrieved 2026-10-11. 他听不懂永州话，也没有居住之所，只好借住在寺庙之中 [He could not understand Yongzhou dialect and had nowhere to live, so he had to stay in a temple.]
  5. ↑ Nie, Zuopin (2020-01-03). "千万孤独：柳宗元的贬谪岁月 | 草地副刊". www.sohu.com (in Chinese (China)). 新华每日电讯 (Xinhua Daily Telegraph). Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  6. ↑ Sun, Yizhi; Chen, Changyi; Xu, Yangchun (2001). "江西境内赣方言区述评及再分区" [A Review and Reclassification of Gan Dialect Areas in Jiangxi]. ncds.cbpt.cnki.net (in Chinese). 南昌大学学报（人文社会科学版）. pp. 110–117. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
  7. ↑ 人口变迁和语言演化的关系 [The Relationship Between Population Changes and Language Evolution]. 上海社会科学院学术季刊 (Academic Quarterly of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences).