| Huizhou | |
| Nativename: | Chinese: 惠州话 / Chinese: 惠州話 |
| States: | China |
| Region: | Huizhou, Guangdong |
| Date: | 2002 |
| Familycolor: | Sino-Tibetan |
| Fam2: | Sinitic |
| Fam3: | Chinese |
| Fam4: | Hakka–Gan? |
| Fam5: | Hakka–She? |
| Fam6: | Hakka? |
| Script: | Chinese characters Pha̍k-fa-sṳ |
| Isoexception: | dialect |
| Linglist: | hak-hui |
| Lingname: | Huizhou |
| Glotto: | huiz1243 |
| Glottoname: | Huizhou |
| Glottofoot: | no |
| Lingua: | 79-AAA-gai 79-AAA-gaj |
| Notice: | IPA |
The Huizhou dialect is a Chinese dialect spoken in and around Huicheng District, the traditional urban centre of Huizhou, Guangdong. The locals also call the dialect Bendihua and distinguish it from the dialect spoken in Meixian and Danshui, Huiyang, which they call Hakka .
The classification of the Huizhou dialect is disputed because it shows characteristics of both Yue and Hakka. Most scholars classify the Huizhou dialect as a dialect of Hakka, but some scholars, most notably Liu Shuxin, consider it to be a dialect of Yue.
The first edition of the Language Atlas of China puts it into its own subgroup under Hakka known as the Huizhou subgroup . In the second edition, it is still classified as a dialect of Hakka, but it is placed under the Mei–Hui cluster of the Yue–Tai subgroup .
Liu Shuxin groups it together with other similar dialects spoken around the middle and upper reaches of the Dong River, including the Heyuan dialect, into the Hui–He branch of Yue. Chang Song-hing and Zhuang Chusheng propose a similar grouping called the Hui–He subgroup, but they classify the group as Hakka.
The Huizhou dialect has seven tones:
| Tone name | dark level (Chinese: 阴平 / Chinese: 陰平) | light level (Chinese: 阳平 / Chinese: 陽平) | rising (Chinese: 上声 / Chinese: 上聲) | dark departing (Chinese: 阴去 / Chinese: 陰去) | light departing (Chinese: 阳去 / Chinese: 陽去) | dark entering (Chinese: 阴入 / Chinese: 陰入) | light entering (Chinese: 阳入 / Chinese: 陽入) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example | Chinese: 哥 | Chinese: 人 | Chinese: 许 / Chinese: 許 | Chinese: 气 / Chinese: 氣 | Chinese: 事 | Chinese: 急 | Chinese: 及 | |
| Tone letter | pronounced as /˧/ (33) | pronounced as /˨/ (22) | pronounced as /˧˥/ (35) | pronounced as /˨˩˧/ (213) | pronounced as /˧˩/ (31) | pronounced as /˦˥/ (45), pronounced as /˥/ (5) | pronounced as /˨˩/ (21) |
Other than these seven tones, pronounced as /˥/ (55) appears in some grammatical particles.
The Huizhou dialect has several aspectual markers that attach to the verb as suffixes:
| Aspect | Marker | |
|---|---|---|
| Progressive | Chinese: 紧 / Chinese: 緊 pronounced as //kin˧˥//, Chinese: 稳 / Chinese: 穩 pronounced as //ũn˧˥// | |
| Continuous | Chinese: 住 pronounced as //tsʰy˧˩// | |
| Perfective | Chinese: 抛 / Chinese: 拋 pronounced as //pʰau˧ ~ au˧ ~ ei˧//, Chinese: 阿 pronounced as //a˧//, Chinese: □ pronounced as //ei˥// | |
| Experiential | Chinese: 过 / Chinese: 過 pronounced as //kɔ˨˩˧// |
The Huizhou dialect has the following personal pronouns. The plural is formed by a tone change.
| Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | Chinese: 我 pronounced as //ŋɔi˨˩˧// | Chinese: 我 pronounced as //ŋɔi˧˥// | |
| 2nd person | Chinese: 你 pronounced as //ni˨˩˧// | Chinese: 你 pronounced as //ni˧˥// | |
| 3rd person | Chinese: 佢 pronounced as //kʰy˨// | Chinese: 佢 pronounced as //kʰy˧˥// |
The Huizhou dialect has many cognates with Yue and/or Hakka (cognates with Huizhou are shaded in blue):
| English | Huizhou | Guangzhou (Yue) | Meixian (Hakka) | Putonghua |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| fly (insect) | Chinese: 乌蝇 / Chinese: 烏蠅 pronounced as //ũ˧ zən˨// | Chinese: 乌蝇 / Chinese: 烏蠅 wu jing | Chinese: 乌蝇 / Chinese: 烏蠅 vu yin | Chinese: 苍蝇 / Chinese: 蒼蠅 cāngyíng |
| house | Chinese: 屋 pronounced as //ək˦˥// | Chinese: 屋 uk | Chinese: 屋 vug | Chinese: 房子 fángzi |
| sleep | Chinese: 觉 / Chinese: 瞓覺 pronounced as //hun˨˩˧ kau˨˩˧// | Chinese: 觉 / Chinese: 瞓覺 fan gaau | Chinese: 睡目 soi mug | Chinese: 睡觉 / Chinese: 睡覺 shuìjiào |
| see | Chinese: 睇 pronounced as //tʰiɛ˧˥// | Chinese: 睇 tai | Chinese: 看 kon | Chinese: 看 kàn |
| maize | Chinese: 包粟 pronounced as //pau˧ sək˦˥// | Chinese: 粟米 suk mai | Chinese: 包粟 bau xiug | Chinese: 玉米 yùmǐ |
| younger brother | Chinese: 老弟 pronounced as //lau˧˥ tʰiɛ˨˩˧// | Chinese: 细佬 / Chinese: 細佬 sai lou | Chinese: 老弟 lau tai | Chinese: 弟弟 dìdi |
| water chestnut | Chinese: 马蹄 / Chinese: 馬蹄 pronounced as //ma˨˩˧ tʰiɛ˨// | Chinese: 马蹄 / Chinese: 馬蹄 maa tai | Chinese: 荸荠 / Chinese: 荸薺 bíqi | |
| Chinese: 马荠 / Chinese: 馬薺 pronounced as //ma˨˩˧ tsʰi˨// | Chinese: 马荠 / Chinese: 馬薺 ma qi | |||
| together | Chinese: 一齐 / Chinese: 一齊 pronounced as //ĩt˦˥ tsʰiɛ˨// | Chinese: 一齐 / Chinese: 一齊 jat cai | Chinese: 一起 yīqǐ | |
| Chinese: 一下 pronounced as //ĩt˦˥ ha˧˩// | Chinese: 一下 yid ha |