Yue dialect
- noun
- The Yue dialect is widely used in Hong Kong media and entertainment.
Examples
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Many Chinese immigrants in North America speak the Yue dialect at home with their families.
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The Yue dialect is widely spoken in Guangdong province.
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Linguists have studied the historical development of the Yue dialect in southern China.
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Many people in Hong Kong speak the Yue dialect.
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The Yue dialect is often taught in schools in Hong Kong to help preserve local culture.
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In many communities, the Yue dialect serves as a primary means of communication among residents.
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The Yue dialect includes several regional variations, with Cantonese being the most well-known.
Synonyms
A form of Chinese spoken in Guangdong, Hong Kong and many communities around the world
A group of Chinese dialects, including Cantonese, spoken in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and nearby areas
A kind of Chinese spoken in Guangdong, Hong Kong and many overseas Chinese communities
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is fully compositional: 'Yue' names the group of varieties (including Cantonese) and 'dialect' denotes a regional language variety, so 'Yue dialect' straightforwardly means the Yue variety of Chinese. This naming pattern (proper name + dialect) is cross-linguistically common and thus predictable for a learner who knows both constituent words.
Etymology
Yue dialect comes from the old name Yue for a kingdom and its people in southern China, and dialect means 'local speech'. That's why Yue dialect refers to the local Chinese varieties, like Cantonese, used in Guangdong and Hong Kong.