The Danzhou dialect (simplified Chinese: 儋州话; traditional Chinese: 儋州話; pinyin: Dānzhōuhuà), locally known as Xianghua (simplified Chinese: 乡话; traditional Chinese: 鄉話; pinyin: xiānghuà; lit. 'village speech'), is a Chinese variety of uncertain affiliation spoken in the area of Danzhou in northwestern Hainan, China.[2] It was classified as Yue in the Language Atlas of China,[3][4] but in more recent work, it is treated as an unclassified southern variety.[5]
| Danzhou | |
|---|---|
| 儋州話 | |
| Native to | China |
| Region | Hainan (Danzhou) |
Native speakers | 700,000 (2010)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
1mk-dan | |
| Glottolog | None |
| Linguasphere | 79-AAA-naa |
The Danzhou people's ancestors came initially from old Gaozhou and Wuzhou prefectures. The Yue language they brought with them was combined with the native popular language, and by the time of the Tang Dynasty, the Danzhou dialect was officially formed.[6]
Regional varieties are Bei'an 北岸音, Shuinan 水南音, Zhoujia 昼家音, Shanshang 山上音, Haitou 海头音, and Wuhu 五湖音.[citation needed]
The Danzhou dialect is spoken in the following areas of Hainan (Hainan 1994:253).[7]
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