高州话

Gaozhou Yue

Sinitic (Yue, Goulou-Wuhua)

FamilySinitic (Yue, Goulou-Wuhua) Speakers~5M ScriptHan characters CountriesChina (western Guangdong: Maoming, Gaozhou, Huazhou) Official inNo (regional) Vitalitysafe ISO 639-3yue

Gaozhou Yue (高州话) is a Yue Chinese variety of western Guangdong, centered on the Maoming-Gaozhou-Huazhou region with ~5M speakers. It is not mutually intelligible with Standard (Guangzhou-Hong Kong) Cantonese and falls into the Goulou-Wuhua sub-grouping rather than the prestige Yuehai branch. Gaozhou Yue is unusually conservative and is thought to lie closer to the Old Yue / Bai-Yue substratum than mainstream Cantonese, with retention of features (in initials and tones) that point to a Sinitic-Tai-Kadai contact zone in pre-Han Lingnan. The region is the homeland of the legendary Tang general Lady Xian (Xian Furen, 512-602), patron deity of the Tanka and southern Han communities.

Where it is spoken

20 core words in Gaozhou Yue

Water

/sɵi˧˥/

Fire

/fɔ˧˥/

Sun

日头

/jɐt˨tʰɐu˧˧/

Moon

月光

/jyt˨kwɔŋ˥˥/

Mother

妈妈

/maː˥˥maː˥˥/

Father

爸爸

/paː˨˩paː˨˩/

Eat

/sɪk˨˨/

Drink

/jɐm˧˥/

Love

/ɔi˧˧/

Heart

/sɐm˥˥/

Tree

/sy˨˨/

House

/ʊk˥˥/

Dog

/kɐu˧˥/

Cat

/maːu˥˥/

Hand

/sɐu˧˥/

Eye

/ŋaːn˩˧/

Hello

你好

/nei˩˧hou˧˥/

Thank you

多谢

/tɔ˥˥tsɛ˨˨/

One

/jɐt˥˥/

Good

/hou˧˥/

Sources

Words compared

Compared with related Sinitic (Yue, Goulou-Wuhua) languages

Meaning Gaozhou YueDongguan YueCantoneseZhongshan YueNanning YuePinghuaTaishanese
Water /sɵi˧˥/ /sui˧˥/ /sɵy˧˥/ /sɵy˧˥/ /ɬɵy˧˥/ /ɬui˦˨/ /ɬui˧˧/
Fire /fɔ˧˥/ /fɔ˧˥/ /fɔː˧˥/ /fɔ˧˥/ /fɔ˧˥/ /fu˦˨/ /fɔ˥˥/
Sun 日头 /jɐt˨tʰɐu˧˧/ 日头 /jɐt˨˨tʰɐu˨˩/ 日頭 /jɐt˨ tʰɐu˨˩/ 日頭 /jɐt˨ tʰɐu˨˩/ 日头 /jɐt˨tʰɐu˨˩/ 日头 /ŋit˨tʰɐu˦˦/ 日头 /ɲit˨˨hau˧˧/
Moon 月光 /jyt˨kwɔŋ˥˥/ 月光 /jyt˨kʷɔŋ˥˥/ 月光 /jyːt˨ kʷɔːŋ˥/ 月光 /jyt˨ kwɔŋ˥˧/ 月光 /ŋyt˨kʷɔŋ˥˥/ 月光 /ŋyt˨kwɔŋ˦˦/ 月光 /ɲut˧˧kwɔŋ˨˨/
Mother 妈妈 /maː˥˥maː˥˥/ 阿妈 /a˧˧ma˥˥/ 媽媽 /maː˥maː˥/ 老母 /lou˩˧ mou˩˧/ 老妈 /lau˧˩ma˥˥/ 阿妈 /a˦˦ma˦˦/ 阿妈 /a˧˧ma˥˥/
Father 爸爸 /paː˨˩paː˨˩/ 阿爸 /a˧˧pa˥˥/ 爸爸 /paː˨˩paː˥/ 老豆 /lou˩˧ tɐu˨/ 老窦 /lau˧˩tɐu˨˨/ 阿爸 /a˦˦pa˦˦/ 阿爸 /a˧˧pa˥˥/
Eat /sɪk˨˨/ /sɪk˨/ /sɪk˨/ /sɪk˨/ /ɬɪk˨/ /sɐk˨/ /ɬik˧˧/
Drink /jɐm˧˥/ /jɐm˧˥/ /jɐm˧˥/ /jɐm˧˥/ /jɐm˧˥/ /ʔɐm˦˨/ /ɲim˧˧/
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Han readings compared

Character Gaozhou YueDongguan YueZhongshan YueHong Kong CantoneseMacau CantoneseCantoneseNanning 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 /t͡sʰɐt̚˥/ 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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