The Teochew dialect (Guangdong romanization: Dio⁷ Ziu¹; Missionary romanization: Tiô-chiu-oē, Chinese:潮州话, Hanyu Pinyin: Cháozhōuhuà, Teochiu or Tiuchiu), is a Chinese language and dialect of Minnan spoken in a region of eastern Guangdong referred to as Chaoshan. When used as an adjective, Chinese refers to anything that originates from China, , Chinese cuisine. ... Pinyin (拼音, Pīnyīn) literally means join (together) sounds (a less literal translation being phoneticize, spell or transcription) in Chinese and usually refers to Hànyǔ Pīnyīn (汉语拼音, literal meaning: Han language pinyin), which is a system of romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration to roman script) for Standard Mandarin used in the... Chinese (written) language (pinyin: zhōngw n) written in Chinese characters The Chinese language (汉语/漢語, 华语/華語, or 中文; Pinyin: H nyǔ, Hu yǔ, or Zhōngw n) is a member of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. ... Mǐn Nán (Chinese: 閩南語), also spelt as Minnan or Min-nan; native name Bân-lâm-gú; literally means Southern Min or Southern Fujian and refers to the local language/dialect of southern Fujian province, China. ... Guangdong (Simplified Chinese: 广东; Traditional Chinese: 廣東; pinyin: Guǎngdōng; Wade-Giles: Kuang-tung; Kwangtung in older transliteration; Cantonese: gwong2 dung1), is a province on the south coast of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Chaoshan (潮汕) is distinct linguistic and cultural region in eastern Guangdong Province. ...

Classification

Teochew is a member of Southern Min group, one of the divisions of spoken Chinese. Like other varieties of Chinese, there is dispute as to whether Teochew is a language or a dialect. Mǐn Nán (also spelt Minnan or Min-nan;Simplified Chinese: 闽南语, Traditional Chinese: 閩南語; native name Bân-lâm-gú) literally, the Southern Min or Southern Fujian language, refers to the language/dialect of southern Fujian province, China and neighboring areas, and descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora. ... Spoken Chinese The Chinese spoken language(s) comprise(s) many regional variants. ... Chinese (written) language (pinyin: zhōngw n) written in Chinese characters The Chinese language (汉语/漢語, 华语/華語, or 中文; Pinyin: H nyǔ, Hu yǔ, or Zhōngw n) is a member of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages. ... As with any complex, emergent concept, language is somewhat resistant to definition. ... A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος) is a variety of a language used by people from a particular geographic area. ...

Teochew is mutally intelligible with the other Min-nan languages, notably Xiamen dialect or Taiwanese. There is substantial variations in phonology and vocabulary between different regions of Chaoshan and between different Teochiu communities overseas. Mǐn Nán (also spelt Minnan or Min-nan;Simplified Chinese: 闽南语, Traditional Chinese: 閩南語; native name Bân-lâm-gú) literally, the Southern Min or Southern Fujian language, refers to the language/dialect of southern Fujian province, China and neighboring areas, and descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora. ... Phonology (Greek phone = voice/sound and logos = word/speech), or phonemics, is a subfield of grammar (see also linguistics). ...

History And Geography

Modern Teochew evolved from the more archaic Min-Nan. Between the 9th and the 15th century, a group of Min people migrated south from Fujian to the coastal region of eastern Guangdong known as Chaoshan. This migration was most likely due in part to over-population in Fujian. Mǐn Nán (also spelt Minnan or Min-nan;Simplified Chinese: 闽南语, Traditional Chinese: 閩南語; native name Bân-lâm-gú) literally, the Southern Min or Southern Fujian language, refers to the language/dialect of southern Fujian province, China and neighboring areas, and descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora. ... Guangdong (Simplified Chinese: 广东; Traditional Chinese: 廣東; pinyin: Guǎngdōng; Wade-Giles: Kuang-tung; Kwangtung in older transliteration; Cantonese: gwong2 dung1), is a province on the south coast of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Chaoshan (潮汕) is distinct linguistic and cultural region in eastern Guangdong Province. ... Fujian (Chinese: 福建; pinyin: Fújiàn; Wade-Giles: Fu-chien; Postal System Pinyin: Fukien, Foukien; local transliteration Hokkien from Min Nan Hok-kiàn) is one of the provinces on the southeast coast of China. ...

Geographical isolation from Fujian and influences from Cantonese and the later Hakka, Teochew evolved into a separate language. Fujian (Chinese: 福建; pinyin: Fújiàn; Wade-Giles: Fu-chien; Postal System Pinyin: Fukien, Foukien; local transliteration Hokkien from Min Nan Hok-kiàn) is one of the provinces on the southeast coast of China. ... Cantonese (廣東話/广东话, lit. ... Hakka (Chinese: 客家; pinyin: kèjiā, literal meaning guest families) are a Han Chinese people whose ancestors are said to originate from around Henan and Shanxi in northern China over 2700 years ago. ...

The Chaoshan region where Teochew is spoken, includes the cities of Chaozhou, Shantou, which are jointly the source of the name, as well as Jieyang, Chaoyang, Puning, Chao'an, Raoping, Huilai and Shanwei. Chaoshan (潮汕) is distinct linguistic and cultural region in eastern Guangdong Province. ... This article is about the Chinese town; for the Zen monk Chao-chou, see Zhaozhou. ... Historic section of Shantou, China with both Western and Chinese architecture Shantou (Simplified: 汕头, Traditional: 汕頭 Pinyin: Shan4tou2), transliterated in Min Chinese as Swatow or Suatao, is a city of 784,000 in coastal eastern Guangdong Province, China. ... Jieyang is a city with more than 100 000 inhabitants in the province of Guangdong of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

Chaoshan was one of the major sources of Chinese emigration to Southeast Asia during the 18th-20th century forming one of the larger dialect groups among the Overseas Chinese. As a result, Teochew is now spoken in many regions outside of Chaoshan. Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... Overseas Chinese (華僑 in pinyin: huáqiáo, or 華胞 huábāo, or 僑胞 qiáobāo) are ethnic Chinese who live outside of Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan. ... Chaoshan (潮汕) is distinct linguistic and cultural region in eastern Guangdong Province. ...

In particular, the Teochew people settled in significant numbers in Thailand, Cambodia and Singapore where they form the largest Chinese dialect group. They constitute a significant minority in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Teochew speakers also live in Australia, New Zealand, North America, and Europe; a result of both direct emigration from Chaoshan to these nations and secondary emigration from Southeast Asia. The Kingdom of Thailand is a country in Southeast Asia, bordering Laos and Cambodia to the east, the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia to the south, and the Andaman Sea and Myanmar to the west. ... National motto: Nation, Religion, King National anthem: Nokoreach Capital Phnom Penh Largest city Phnom Penh Official languages Khmer Government King Prime Minister Democratic const. ... National motto: Majulah Singapura (English: Onward, Singapore) National anthem: Majulah Singapura Capital Singapore1 Largest city Singapore1 Official languages English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay, Tamil Government President Prime minister Westminster system (de jure) Dominant-party system (de facto) Sellapan Rama Nathan Lee Hsien Loong Independence - From Malaysia August 9, 1965 Area  - Total... Hong Kong (香港; Cantonese IPA: ; Jyutping: hoeng1 gong2; Yale: heūng góng; pinyin: Xiānggǎng; Wade-Giles: Hsiang-kang) is one of the two Special Administrative Regions of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a country in Southeast Asia. ... The Federation of Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. ... The Republic of Indonesia is located in the Malay Archipelago, the worlds largest archipelago, between Indochina and Australia, between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. ... Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is the sixth-largest country in the world, the only country to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of Australasia/Oceania. ... New Zealand is an independent sovereign state in the south-western Pacific Ocean. ... World map showing location of North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is the third largest continent in area and in population after Eurasia and Africa. ... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... Chaoshan (潮汕) is distinct linguistic and cultural region in eastern Guangdong Province. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ...

However, as world globalises, the language is losing popularity among the native speaks. In Singapore, due to common culture and influences from media, Singaporean Chinese youths whose native language is Teochew are either converting to English, Standard Mandarin or Hokkian. Teochew remains the native language of the majority of Chinese in Singapore, however is losing the stand. National motto: Majulah Singapura (English: Onward, Singapore) National anthem: Majulah Singapura Capital Singapore1 Largest city Singapore1 Official languages English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay, Tamil Government President Prime minister Westminster system (de jure) Dominant-party system (de facto) Sellapan Rama Nathan Lee Hsien Loong Independence - From Malaysia August 9, 1965 Area  - Total... The word English can mean: The people of England as an ethnic group. ... Standard Mandarin refers to the official Chinese spoken language used by the Peoples Republic of China, the Republic of China on Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore. ... Fujian (Chinese: 福建; pinyin: Fújiàn; Wade-Giles: Fu-chien; Postal System Pinyin: Fukien, Foukien; local transliteration Hokkien from Min Nan Hok-kiàn) is one of the provinces on the southeast coast of China. ...

Phonology

Syllables in Teochew contain an initial consonant, a vowel, and a final consonant. This article discusses the unit of speech. ... See also consonance in music. ... Note: This page contains phonetic information presented in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) using Unicode. ... See also consonance in music. ...

Initial consonants of Teochiu, are represented in the Guangdong Peng'im system as: B, BH, C, D, G, GH, H, K, L, M, N, NG, P, R, S, T, and Z. See also consonance in music. ...

Examples:

• B - bak (北 north)
• Bh- bhê (马 horse)
• C - cên (青 green)
• D - dio (潮 tide)
• G - gio (桥 bridge)
• GH- gho (鹅 goose)
• H - hung (云 cloud)
• K - ke (走 to go)
• L - lag (六 six)
• M - mêng (明 bright)
• N - nang (人 person)
• NG - ngou (五 five)
• P - peng (平 peace)
• R - ruah (热 hot)
• S - sên (生 to be born)
• T - tin (天 heaven)
• Z - ziu (州 region/state)

Vowels and vowel combinations in the Teochew dialect include: A, E, Ê, I, O, U, AI, AO, IA, IO, IU, OI, OU, UA, UAI, UE, and UI. Note: This page contains phonetic information presented in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) using Unicode. ...

Examples:

• A - ma (妈 mother)
• E - de (箸 chopsticks)
• Ê - sên (生 to be born)
• I - bhi (味 smell/taste)
• O - to (桃 peach)
• U - ghu (牛 cow)

Ending consonants in Teochew include M and NG as well as the stops discussed below. See also consonance in music. ... The word stop, when used alone, has several possible meanings in the English language. ...

Examples:

• M - giam (盐 salt)
• NG - bhuang (万 ten thousand)

Teochew retains many consonant stops lost in Mandarin. These stops include a labial stop: "b"; velar stop: "g"; and glottal stop: "h". See also consonance in music. ... Mandarin has a number of meanings: An Imperial Chinese bureaucrat, and in the UK, by analogy, any government bureaucrat. ...

Examples:

• B - jab (十 ten)
• G - hog (福 happiness)
• H - tih (铁 iron)

Many words in Teochew are nasalized which is represent by the letter "n" in the Guangdong Pengim system.

Example (nasalized):

• suan ( mountain)
• cên (青 green)

Tones

Teochew, like other Chinese languages is a tonal language. It has eight tones and extensive tone sandhi. When used as an adjective, Chinese refers to anything that originates from China, , Chinese cuisine. ... Tone refers to the use of pitch in language to distinguish words. ... The word tone is used in several different fields with different meanings. ... Tone sandhi refers to tone manipulation rules governing the pronunciation of tonal languages. ...

Tones:

1. Middle level
2. Falling
3. Low rising
4. Low stop
5. High level
6. High rising
7. Low level
8. High stop

Here, the tones are shown following the traditional tone class categorization above, and are correlated with the tones of Middle Chinese (shown in Han characters, last column below): Middle Chinese (中古漢語, pinyin: zhōnggǔ Hànyǔ), or Ancient Chinese as used by linguist Bernhard Karlgren, refers to the Chinese language spoken during Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties (6th century - 10th century). ...

1. 33; yin level (陰平)
2. 52; rising (上聲)
3. 12; yin departing (陰去)
4. 1; yin entering (陰入)
5. 24; yang level (陽平)
6. 35; declining (下聲)
7. 11; yang departing (陽去)
8. 5; yang entering (陽入)

Vocabulary

Teochew was written with proper Chinese characters. About 90% of the words they used are found in Standard Chinese characters, although 10% of the words were coined out by the Teochew themselves. There are even Chinese words that existed and were used in Mandarin but not in Teochew. Like most Min-nan dialects, most Teochew words have cognates with other Chinese dialects, especially with Min-nan dialects. Technical note: Due to technical limitations, some web browsers may not display some special characters in this article. ... Mandarin has a number of meanings: An Imperial Chinese bureaucrat, and in the UK, by analogy, any government bureaucrat. ... Mǐn Nán (also spelt Minnan or Min-nan;Simplified Chinese: 闽南语, Traditional Chinese: 閩南語; native name Bân-lâm-gú) literally, the Southern Min or Southern Fujian language, refers to the language/dialect of southern Fujian province, China and neighboring areas, and descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora. ... Cognates are words that have a common origin. ... Mǐn Nán (also spelt Minnan or Min-nan;Simplified Chinese: 闽南语, Traditional Chinese: 閩南語; native name Bân-lâm-gú) literally, the Southern Min or Southern Fujian language, refers to the language/dialect of southern Fujian province, China and neighboring areas, and descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora. ...

Grammar

The grammar of Teochew is similar to southern Chinese dialects, especially with Hakka and Cantonese. The sequence 'subject verb object' is typical as in (mutually) Mandarin, although 'subject object verb' or the passive voice (with the sequence 'object subject verb') is possible with particles. This article is about grammar from a linguistic perspective. ... Spoken Chinese The Chinese spoken language(s) comprise(s) many regional variants. ... Hakka is one language in the family of languages known as Chinese. ... Cantonese (廣東話/广东话, lit. ... In linguistic typology, subject-verb-object (SVO) is the sequence subject verb object in neutral expressions: Sam ate oranges. ... This article is on all of the Northern Chinese dialects. ... Subject Object Verb (SOV) is a term used in linguistic typology to state the general order of words in a languages sentences: Sam oranges ate. The SOV type is the most common type found in natural languages. ... In grammar, voice is the relationship between the action or state expressed by a verb, and its arguments (subject, object, etc. ... Object Subject Verb (OSV) is one of the permutations of expression used in Linguistic typology. ...

Script and orthographies

Traditionally, Teochew was written with traditional Chinese characters, although a small fraction of the words were coined out by the Teochew themselves. Technical note: Due to technical limitations, some web browsers may not display some special characters in this article. ...

A romanization system exists in Guangdong province to represent Teochew pronounciation for linguistic study and dictionaries, although the Taiwanese Pe̍h-oē-jī could be used, owing to the fact that the Christian missionaries adapt it to be suitably used for all Min-nan dialects (except Qiong Wen). A romanization or latinization is a system for representing a word or language with the Roman (Latin) alphabet, where the original word or language used a different writing system. ... Guangdong (Simplified Chinese: 广东; Traditional Chinese: 廣東; pinyin: Guǎngdōng; Wade-Giles: Kuang-tung; Kwangtung in older transliteration; Cantonese: gwong2 dung1), is a province on the south coast of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Mǐn Nán (also spelt Minnan or Min-nan;Simplified Chinese: 闽南语, Traditional Chinese: 閩南語; native name Bân-lâm-gú) literally, the Southern Min or Southern Fujian language, refers to the language/dialect of southern Fujian province, China and neighboring areas, and descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora. ...

A modified version of the Guangdong romanization system is also used for romanization purposes in Teochew.

See also

• List of Chinese dialects

The following is a list of major Chinese dialects. ...

External links

• GagiNang (http://www.gaginang.org/)
• Omniglot  (http://www.omniglot.com/writing/teochew.htm)