衡州話 / 衡陽湘語

Xiang (Hengyang)

Sino-Tibetan (Sinitic, Xiang — 衡州片)

FamilySino-Tibetan (Sinitic, Xiang — 衡州片) Speakers~1.5M (Hengyang City, southwestern Hunan) ScriptLatin CountriesChina (Hunan — Hengyang 衡阳) Official inNo (regional; part of Hunan province, PRC)

Hengyang Xiang is a Sinitic variety spoken in urban Hengyang and nearby Hengyang and Hengnan counties in southern Hunan, China. The 1987 Language Atlas of China grouped it with Chang-Yi Xiang, while a later five-way classification places it in a separate Hengzhou branch, illustrating its transitional position between New and Old Xiang. The urban variety has largely devoiced the Middle Chinese voiced obstruent initials but retains a distinctive local tone system and vocabulary. Detailed descriptions also document its pronouns, aspect expressions, degree constructions, and sentence-final particles. It is used chiefly in speech, while Standard Chinese and standard written Chinese dominate formal education, administration, and most publishing.

Where it is spoken

31 core words in Xiang (Hengyang)

Water

/ɕyei˥˩/

Fire

/xo˥˩/

Sun

太陽

/tʰai˥˩ iaŋ˥˩/

Moon

月亮

/ye˨˩ liaŋ˥˩/

Star

/ɕin˧˧/

Mother

媽媽

/ma˥˩ ma˥˩/

Father

爸爸

/pa˨˩ pa˥˩/

I

/ŋo˨˩/

You

/n̩˨˩/

Name

名字

/min˩˧ tsɿ/

Eye

眼睛

/ŋan˥˩ tɕin˥˩/

Hand

/ɕəu˥˩/

Heart

/sin˥˩/

Love

/ŋai˥˩/

Tree

/ɕy˥˩/

House

屋里

/u˨˩ li˥˩/

Dog

/kəu˥˩/

Cat

/mau˥˩/

Eat

/tɕʰi˨˩/

Drink

/xo˨˩/

One

/i˨˩/

Two

/ə˧˧/

Hello

你好

/nɪ˥˩ xau˥˩/

Thank you

謝謝

/ɕie˥˩ ɕie˥˩/

Good

/xau˥˩/

Words compared

Compared with related Sino-Tibetan (Sinitic, Xiang — 衡州片) languages

Meaning Xiang (Hengyang)Xiang (Hunan)Chengdu MandarinHui Chinese (Wuyuan)Sichuan MandarinWuhan MandarinZhongyuan Mandarin
Water /ɕyei˥˩/ /ɕyei˦˩/ /suei˥˧/ /ɕy˥˧/ /suei˥˧/ /suei˦˨/ /suei˥˥/
Fire /xo˥˩/ /xo˦˩/ /xo˥˧/ /xu˥˧/ /xo˥˧/ /huo˦˨/ /xuo˥˧/
Sun 太陽 /tʰai˥˩ iaŋ˥˩/ 太阳 /tʰai˥˩ian˩˧/ 太阳 /tʰai˨˩˧iaŋ˨˩/ /—/ 太阳 /tʰai˥˩iaŋ˧˥/ 太阳 /tʰai˥˧iaŋ˨˩˧/ 太阳 /tʰai˨˩iaŋ˨˩˧/
Moon 月亮 /ye˨˩ liaŋ˥˩/ 月亮 /ye˨˦liæn˨˩/ 月亮 /ye˨˩lia̠ŋ˨˩˧/ 月光 /yo˧˩kuaŋ˧˥/ 月亮 /ye˨˩liaŋ˨˩˧/ 月亮 /yɛ˨˩˧liaŋ/ 月亮 /yɛ˨˦liaŋ/
Star /ɕin˧˧/ /ɕin˧˧/ /ɕin˦˥/ /ɕiã˧˩/ 星星 /ɕin˥ɕin/ /ɕin˥˥/ /ɕiŋ˨˦/
Mother 媽媽 /ma˥˩ ma˥˩/ 妈妈 /ma˧ma/ 妈妈 /ma˥ma/ /ma˧˧/ 妈妈 /ma˥ma/ 妈妈 /ma˨˩˧ma/ 妈妈 /ma˨˦ma/
Father 爸爸 /pa˨˩ pa˥˩/ 爸爸 /pa˥˧pa/ 爸爸 /pa˨˩˧pa/ /pa˥˧/ 爸爸 /pa˨˩˧pa/ 爸爸 /pa˨˩˧pa/ 爸爸 /pa˨˩˧pa/
I /ŋo˨˩/ /ŋo˦˩/ /ŋo˥˧/ /ŋo˧˩/ /ŋo˥˧/ /ŋo˦˨/ /uo˥˧/
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Han readings compared

Compared with related Sino-Tibetan (Sinitic, Xiang — 衡州片) languages

Character Xiang (Hengyang)Xiang (Hunan)Old Xiang (Shuangfeng)Chongqing MandarinWuhan MandarinSichuan MandarinChengdu Mandarin
i²⁴ /i˨˦/ i²⁴ /i˨˦/ i /i˨˦/ yi²¹ /i˨˩/ yi²¹³ /i˨˩˧/ yi²¹ /i˨˩/ yi²¹ /i˨˩/
er²¹ /ɚ˨˩/ er²¹ /ɚ˨˩/ er /ɚ˨˩/ er²¹⁴ /ɚ˨˩˦/ er³⁵ /ɚ˧˥/ er²¹³ /ɚ˨˩˧/ er²¹³ /ɚ˨˩˧/
san³³ /san˧˧/ san³³ /san˧˧/ san /san˧˧/ san⁵⁵ /san˥˥/ san⁵⁵ /san˥˥/ san⁵⁵ /san˥˥/ san⁵⁵ /san˥˥/
si⁴⁵ /sɿ˦˥/ si⁴⁵ /sɿ˦˥/ si /sɿ˦˥/ si²¹⁴ /sɿ˨˩˦/ si³⁵ /sɿ˧˥/ si²¹³ /sɿ˨˩˧/ si²¹³ /sɿ˨˩˧/
u⁴¹ /u˦˩/ u⁴¹ /u˦˩/ u /u˦˩/ wu⁴² /u˦˨/ wu⁴² /u˦˨/ wu⁵³ /u˥˧/ wu⁵³ /u˥˧/
leu²⁴ /ləu˨˦/ leu²⁴ /ləu˨˦/ leu /ləu˨˦/ liu²¹ /liəu˨˩/ nou²¹³ /nəu˨˩˧/ neu²¹ /nəu˨˩/ nu²¹ /nu˨˩/
qi²⁴ /tɕʰi˨˦/ qi²⁴ /tɕʰi˨˦/ qi /tɕʰi˨˦/ qi²¹ /tɕʰi˨˩/ qi²¹³ /tɕʰi˨˩˧/ qi²¹ /tɕʰi˨˩/ qi²¹ /tɕʰi˨˩/
pa²⁴ /pa˨˦/ pa²⁴ /pa˨˦/ pa /pa˨˦/ ba²¹ /pa˨˩/ ba²¹³ /pa˨˩˧/ ba²¹ /pa˨˩/ ba²¹ /pa˨˩/
jieu⁴¹ /tɕiəu˦˩/ jieu⁴¹ /tɕiəu˦˩/ jieu /tɕiəu˦˩/ jiu⁴² /tɕiəu˦˨/ jiu⁴² /tɕiəu˦˨/ jiu⁵³ /tɕiəu˥˧/ jiu⁵³ /tɕiəu˥˧/
si²⁴ /sɿ˨˦/ si²⁴ /sɿ˨˦/ zhi /ʑɿ˨˦/ si²¹ /sɿ˨˩/ si²¹³ /sɿ˨˩˧/ si²¹ /sɿ˨˩/ si²¹ /sɿ˨˩/
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