Yanbian Korean

Yanbian Korean (연변말 Yeonbyeon-mal, 朝鲜语) is the variety spoken by the ~1.7M Joseonjok (조선족, "Korean ethnic group") of the People's Republic of China, concentrated in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture of Jilin Province (capital Yanji), where Korean is co-official with Mandarin in government and education. Most speakers descend from late-19th- and early-20th-century migrants from Hamgyong and northern Pyongan provinces fleeing famine and Japanese colonization, so it preserves features of NE Korean dialects (vocabulary close to ko_hg / ko_kp). Bilingual with Standard Mandarin; Sinitic loanwords (压力 yāli "stress", 服务员 fúwùyuán) are layered atop a Pyongyang-leaning Sino-Korean stock. Strong Joseonjok cultural identity expressed through Korean-language schools, the Yanbian Daily newspaper, and Yanbian University. Increasingly endangered as urban youth shift to Mandarin.