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Glite Dictionary
Shanghai dialect

Shanghai dialect

9.3
A form of Chinese spoken in Shanghai and nearby areas
  • noun
translation icon : dialecto de Shanghái
  • Studies of the Shanghai dialect reveal its unique pronunciation and vocabulary.

Examples

  • Many locals speak Shanghai dialect fluently.

  • She is fluent in both Mandarin and Shanghai dialect.

  • Many elderly residents still prefer to speak Shanghai dialect at home.

  • Do you understand Shanghai dialect?

  • In the Shanghai dialect, sae means three.

  • They were all speaking Shanghai dialect.

  • Since Bibi and Kailung's Shanghai dialect is quite different from theirs, they can't talk with their coworkers.

Synonyms

Wu dialect
vsShanghai dialect
  • Specialized
9.9

A form of Chinese spoken in the area around the Yangtze River, including Shanghai

is the single local speech variety of the city and nearby areas
Wu
vsShanghai dialect
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of related Chinese dialects spoken around Shanghai and Suzhou

is the specific local speech variety of the city and surrounding areas

Surface Forms

Shanghai dialect singular
Shanghai dialects plural

Morphology

Shanghai + dialect

The meaning is directly and predictably composed from 'Shanghai' (a place name) plus 'dialect' (a regional variety of language); together they denote the local form of speech. This city + dialect pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Shanghai dialect comes from the city Shanghai and the word dialect, which means the 'local way of speaking'. So, it refers to the unique form of Chinese used by people in and around Shanghai.