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Yue dialect

Yue dialect

9.8
A type of Chinese like Cantonese spoken in Guangdong and Hong Kong
  • noun
translation icon : dialecto yue
  • The Yue dialect is widely used in Hong Kong media and entertainment.

Examples

  • Many Chinese immigrants in North America speak the Yue dialect at home with their families.

  • The Yue dialect is widely spoken in Guangdong province.

  • Linguists have studied the historical development of the Yue dialect in southern China.

  • Many people in Hong Kong speak the Yue dialect.

  • The Yue dialect is often taught in schools in Hong Kong to help preserve local culture.

  • In many communities, the Yue dialect serves as a primary means of communication among residents.

  • The Yue dialect includes several regional variations, with Cantonese being the most well-known.

Synonyms

Cantonese
vsYue dialect
1 5.2

A form of Chinese spoken in Guangdong, Hong Kong and many communities around the world

is the broader group that contains this variety
Yue
vsYue dialect
9.9

A group of Chinese dialects, including Cantonese, spoken in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and nearby areas

is a named variety within that group rather than the whole group
Cantonese dialect
vsYue dialect
7.1

A kind of Chinese spoken in Guangdong, Hong Kong and many overseas Chinese communities

is the larger grouping that includes this regional variety

Surface Forms

Yue dialect singular
Yue dialects plural

Morphology

Yue + dialect

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.