莞寶粵語

Dongguan Yue

Sinitic (Yue, Guan-Bao / Yuehai)

FamilySinitic (Yue, Guan-Bao / Yuehai) Speakers~3M ScriptHan characters CountriesChina (Dongguan, eastern Pearl River Delta) Official inNo (regional) ISO 639-3yue Glottocodeyueh1236

Dongguan Yue (莞寶粵語) is the Guan-Bao subgroup of Yuehai Cantonese spoken across Dongguan prefecture (~3M speakers) and historically into the Bao'an–Shenzhen area, hence the joint name 莞寶 ("Guan-Bao"). It is only partially intelligible with Guangzhou-Hong Kong prestige Cantonese: diagnostic features include a vowel system in which Cantonese /ɵy/ often surfaces as /ui/, voiceless-aspirate reflexes for some Middle Chinese voiced initials, and a reduced 6-tone inventory in many subvarieties (versus 9 in Guangzhou Cantonese). The Shenzhen Bao'an variety is one of the major substrates beneath the now-supplanted indigenous speech of pre-1980 Shenzhen, before the city's mass in-migration.

Where it is spoken

31 core words in Dongguan Yue

Water

/sui˧˥/

Fire

/fɔ˧˥/

Sun

日头

/jɐt˨tʰɐu˨˩/

Moon

月光

/jyt˨kʷɔŋ˥˥/

Star

/sɛŋ˥/

Mother

阿妈

/a˧˧ma˥˥/

Father

阿爸

/a˧˧pa˥˥/

I

/ŋɔ˩˧/

You

/nei˩˧/

Name

/mɛŋ˩/

Eye

/ŋaːn˩˧/

Hand

/sɐu˧˥/

Heart

/sɐm˥˥/

Love

/ɔi˧˧/

Tree

/syː˨/

House

/ʊk˥/

Dog

/kɐu˧˥/

Cat

/maːu˥˥/

Eat

/sɪk˨/

Drink

/jɐm˧˥/

One

/jɐt˥/

Two

/ji˨/

Hello

你好

/nei˩˧hou˧˥/

Thank you

多谢

/tɔː˥˥tsɛː˨/

Good

/hou˧˥/

Sources

Words compared

Compared with related Sinitic (Yue, Guan-Bao / Yuehai) languages

Meaning Dongguan YueGaozhou YueZhongshan YueCantoneseNanning YuePinghuaClassical Chinese (Cantonese pedagogical)
Water /sui˧˥/ /sɵi˧˥/ /sɵy˧˥/ /sɵy˧˥/ /ɬɵy˧˥/ /ɬui˦˨/ /sɵy˧˥/
Fire /fɔ˧˥/ /fɔ˧˥/ /fɔ˧˥/ /fɔː˧˥/ /fɔ˧˥/ /fu˦˨/ /fɔ˧˥/
Sun 日头 /jɐt˨tʰɐu˨˩/ 日头 /jɐt˨tʰɐu˧˧/ 日頭 /jɐt˨tʰɐu˨˩/ 太陽 /tʰaːi˧jœːŋ˨˩/ 日头 /jɐt˨tʰɐu˨˩/ 日头 /ŋit˨tʰɐu˦˦/ /jɐt˨/
Moon 月光 /jyt˨kʷɔŋ˥˥/ 月光 /jyt˨kwɔŋ˥˥/ 月光 /jyt˨ kwɔŋ˥˧/ 月光 /jyːt˨ kʷɔːŋ˥/ 月光 /ŋyt˨kʷɔŋ˥˥/ 月光 /ŋyt˨kwɔŋ˦˦/ /jyt˨/
Star /sɛŋ˥/ /sɛŋ˥/ /sɪŋ˥/ /sɪŋ˥/ /ɬɪŋ˥/ /ɬɪŋ˥/ /sɪŋ˥/
Mother 阿妈 /a˧˧ma˥˥/ 妈妈 /maː˥˥maː˥˥/ 老母 /lou˩˧mou˩˧/ 媽媽 /maː˥maː˥/ 老妈 /lau˧˩ma˥˥/ 阿妈 /a˦˦ma˦˦/ /mou˩˧/
Father 阿爸 /a˧˧pa˥˥/ 爸爸 /paː˨˩paː˨˩/ 老豆 /lou˩˧tɐu˨/ 爸爸 /paː˨˩paː˥/ 老窦 /lau˧˩tɐu˨˨/ 阿爸 /a˦˦pa˦˦/ /fu˨/
I /ŋɔ˩˧/ /ŋɔ˩˧/ /ŋɔ˩˧/ /ŋɔ˩˧/ /ŋɔ˩˧/ /ŋo˨˩/ /ŋɔ˩˧/
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Han readings compared

Character Dongguan YueGaozhou YueZhongshan YueCantoneseHong Kong CantoneseMacau CantoneseNanning Yue
jat1 /jɐt̚˥/ jat1 /jɐt̚˥/ jat1 /jɐt̚˥/ jat1 /jɐt̚˥/ jat1 /jɐt̚˥/ jat1 /jɐt̚˥/ jat1 /jɐt̚˥/
ji6 /jiː˨˨/ ji6 /jiː˨˨/ ji6 /ji˨˨/ ji6 /jiː˨/ ji6 /jiː˨/ ji6 /jiː˨/ ji6 /ji˨˨/
saam1 /saːm˥˥/ saam1 /saːm˥˥/ saam1 /saːm˥˥/ saam1 /saːm˥/ saam1 /saːm˥/ saam1 /saːm˥/ thaam1 /θaːm˥˥/
sei3 /sei˧˧/ sei3 /sei˧˧/ sei3 /sei˧˧/ sei3 /sei˧/ sei3 /sei˧/ sei3 /sei˧/ thei3 /θei˧˧/
ng5 /ŋ̍˩˧/ ng5 /ŋ̍˩˧/ ng5 /ŋ˩˧/ ng5 /ŋ̍˩˧/ ng5 /ŋ̍˩˧/ ng5 /ŋ̍˩˧/ ng5 /ŋ˩˧/
luk6 /lʊk̚˨/ luk6 /lʊk̚˨/ luk6 /lʊk̚˨/ luk6 /lʊk̚˨/ luk6 /lʊk̚˨/ luk6 /lʊk̚˨/ luk6 /lʊk̚˨/
cat1 /tsʰɐt̚˥/ cat1 /tsʰɐt̚˥/ cat1 /tsʰɐt̚˥/ cat1 /tsʰɐt̚˥/ cat1 /tsʰɐt̚˥/ cat1 /tsʰɐt̚˥/ cat1 /tsʰɐt̚˥/
baat3 /paːt̚˧/ baat3 /paːt̚˧/ baat3 /paːt̚˧/ baat3 /paːt̚˧/ baat3 /paːt̚˧/ baat3 /paːt̚˧/ baat3 /paːt̚˧/
gau2 /kɐu˧˥/ gau2 /kɐu˧˥/ gau2 /kɐu˧˥/ gau2 /kɐu˧˥/ gau2 /kɐu˧˥/ gau2 /kɐu˧˥/ gau2 /kɐu˧˥/
sap6 /sɐp̚˨/ sap6 /sɐp̚˨/ sap6 /sɐp̚˨/ sap6 /sɐp̚˨/ sap6 /sɐp̚˨/ sap6 /sɐp̚˨/ slap6 /ɬɐp̚˨/
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