How did Cantonese come into being and develop?

Cantonese, commonly known as vernacular Chinese, is called Cantonese, English is called Canton (Cantonese for foreigners), and the proper noun is called Cantonese Dialect. It is a dialect with complicated language phenomena, more ancient sounds and characters and less internal differences among the seven major dialects of Chinese. It is distributed in most parts of Guangdong and southeastern Guangxi, represented by Guangzhou dialect. Cantonese can be said to have preserved the earliest "Mandarin" in China.

Formation and origin

To discuss the origin of Cantonese, we must first find out where Cantonese comes from. Some people think that Cantonese originated from the ancient Lingnan "Baiyue" language, which is incorrect. Cantonese does retain some elements of the ancient Baiyue language in Lingnan, but its main source is the elegant language in the ancient Central Plains. Nowadays, Cantonese has a wide influence, and many TV dramas have added many humorous plots in Cantonese, such as Legend of Wulin.

Yayan is based on the primitive Chinese used by the Chinese tribal alliance headed by the Yellow Emperor. In the Zhou Dynasty, it developed into the national language of the Central Plains, which can be said to be the earliest "Mandarin" in China. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the dialects of various vassal States were different, and elegant words were used in official exchanges, scholars' lectures and sacrificial activities. Confucius once said: "Confucius speaks politely, and poetry and calligraphy are polite." The Qin dynasty conquered the land of Baiyue and recruited fugitives from the former six countries, as well as their husbands and wives, to be "squatters" in Lingnan. These settlers "come from all corners of the country", so they must use elegance in communication. However, because the settlers settled in the fields alone, their language was only transmitted from village to village, but not throughout Lingnan. Until South Vietnam was established in Zhao Tuo, Baiyue indigenous costumes and customs were adopted, and Baiyue indigenous language was spoken. It can be seen that Yayan has not been spread in Lingnan, but there are several "Yayan Island" with small area. The spread of elegant ci in Lingnan began after the Western Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty set up a "toe-toe secretariat" to supervise the county. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, he withdrew his toe secretariat and set up a state of communication. Toe Secretariat and Jiaozhou are both Han regimes, so official communication must be polite. Most of the time, the Toe Toe Secretariat and the Jiaozhou Government were located in Guangxin, which was the first to use Yayan. Guangxin was also the early commercial center of Lingnan. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent envoys from Xuwen and Hepu to open up the Maritime Silk Road and bought back overseas treasures such as pearls, glazed pottery and stones with silk and porcelain. , and through the Nanliujiang-Beiliujiang and Jianjiang-Nanjiang trade channels, it is imported into Guangxin, and then exported to the Central Plains through Hejiang-Xiaoshui. Elegant words introduced from the Central Plains gradually spread in this area through commercial activities.

Guangxin was also the early cultural center of Lingnan. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, a large number of scholars took this as a position to carry out cultural activities, set up museums and teach students. Among them, the most prominent scholars are Chen Yuan and Shi Xie. Known as "Linghai Confucianism", Chen Yuan returned to Guangxin to run a school in his later years and became one of the pioneers of Lingnan culture. Shangxie served as the magistrate of Jiaotoe County for more than 40 years and was once the "Governor of Seven Counties". Many scholars in the Central Plains have come to attach themselves to his name, and they take traveling, crossing toes and giving lectures as their profession. What these literati used to spread China culture in the Central Plains was, of course, the elegant words with Chinese characters as the recording symbols. While learning China culture and Chinese characters, the aborigines also learned elegant characters. The languages of these aborigines are very different. They can't communicate with each other and have no written language. Therefore, in addition to using elegance in communication with Han people, tribes also use elegance in communication. In this way, Ya Yan has become a homophonic sound of various indigenous tribes, just like Ya Yan was used in the contacts of various vassal States in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, forming a bilingual system, using one's own mother tongue in one's own tribe and using Ya Yan in foreign exchanges. At the same time, some factors in ancient Baiyue language were also absorbed by the language of Han immigrants, thus gradually forming a dialect of Chinese-Cantonese.

Standard cantonese

Cantonese is a kind of tonal language, belonging to Sino-Tibetan language family. It is widely used in China, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hongkong, Macau and Southeast Asia, as well as in Chinese communities in North America, Britain and Australia. Its name comes from the "Nanyue State" in the ancient Lingnan area of China (Hanshu as "Nanyue State"). In order to distinguish "Guangdong" in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Wu-speaking areas, Guangdong and Guangxi now use "Guangdong" as the orthography, especially South Guangdong and Guangdong, so Yue Opera and Cantonese Opera do not refer to the same thing. In addition, "Guangdong" has long been a general term for Lingnan area. Guangdong and Guangxi are called "Guangdong", "East Guangdong" and "West Guangdong" respectively, and Hainan Island has long been an administrative unit under Guangdong Province, so it is also included in this historical concept of "Guangdong". It was not until the Republic of China that the scope of "Guangdong" was narrowed, especially in Guangdong Province. Therefore, in different historical periods, "Guangdong" can be divided into broad sense (Guangdong and Hainan) and narrow sense (only Guangdong Province). "East Guangdong" and "West Guangdong" have different reference ranges in different historical periods. The origin and stereotypes of Cantonese were long before the early division of Guangdong and Guangxi in the Song Dynasty. Therefore, from the historical and cultural concept, "Cantonese" should be understood as "Lingnan dialect" in a broad sense, not "Cantonese".

There are differences in language classification between northern scholars in China and some scholars in Guangdong, Guangxi and the West. One theory is that Cantonese and ancient South Vietnamese are Chinese. The other is that the ancient South Vietnamese language has integrated Chinese elements and become a brand-new language. Due to cultural and political reasons, the former regards Cantonese as a dialect of monolingual Chinese. Opponents hold that Cantonese is one of the Chinese languages and an independent language from the political standpoint of Lingnan area. Both of them have their own linguistic basis.

Guangzhou people

Formerly known as Guangfu dialect, also known as provincial dialogue and vernacular, China officials generally call it Guangzhou dialect and standard Cantonese. Guangzhou dialect is the standard pronunciation of Cantonese, and it is also a major oral form. Generally speaking, the Xiguan accent in the old city of Guangzhou is authentic, but at present, Xiguan accent is almost lost, and the pronunciation in Guangzhou Phonetic Dictionary (1983) usually prevails in the province. Guangzhou dialect consists of Guangzhou pronunciation, Cantonese vocabulary and Cantonese grammar. Cantonese in a broad sense is mainly popular in the Pearl River Delta of Guangdong and Cantonese-speaking areas of Guangxi, Hong Kong and Macao, as well as overseas Chinese communities of Guangdong immigrants. In a narrow sense, Cantonese refers to Cantonese used in Guangzhou, and the accent of Guangzhou is roughly the same as that of Foshan, Zhongshan, Wuzhou, Hong Kong and Macao. Some Cantonese-speaking people can write Cantonese vernacular. Influenced by the economy and culture of Guangzhou (the capital of Guangdong), residents of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong can use Cantonese with accents, and some places in eastern Guangdong and northern Guangdong also use Cantonese. Cantonese is the lingua franca in the province, and many Cantonese people can speak more than two mother tongues.

It has been pointed out that it is inappropriate to refer to accents outside Guangzhou (including Cantonese in Hong Kong and Macao) with "Cantonese", and the so-called "Cantonese" is also unreasonable, because Cantonese was not invented by Guangzhou people. Now Cantonese is developed by businessmen doing business in Guangzhou, so it is correct to use "Cantonese". Because foreigners mistakenly equate the provincial capital (now Guangzhou) with Canton Fair (now Canton Fair is Canton Fair in English) and translate Cantonese and Cantonese into Canton, in fact, Guangdong and Guangzhou are not the same concept, so it is in line with the original intention to translate Canton into Cantonese. Cantonese has long been an academic name, but Cantonese is just a common name, which is still called Cantonese in Hong Kong academic circles. Just as Minnan dialect is called Minnan dialect, Guangzhou dialect is called Cantonese, which is a folk oral habit. However, there are three dialects in Guangdong: Cantonese, Chaoshan dialect and Hakka dialect, which are completely different, so it is a bit far-fetched to call them Cantonese. Moreover, the provincial capital (now Guangzhou) is called Guangzhou dialect, and the Canton Fair was originally the Canton Fair, so the public still calls Canton Cantonese and Standard Canton Cantonese.

In addition to the vocabulary contained in Cantonese, Cantonese also absorbs many words from Chaozhou dialect and Hakka dialect, such as "thirst" pronounced as "dry mouth", "dry throat" or "dry mouth". In addition, Guangzhou is also a place where foreigners are concentrated, and there are many foreign words, such as Stowe, Stowe Pear, Modern and so on, just like Hong Kong. There are also some original words in Guangzhou, such as yellow dog (earthworm) and pond tail (dragonfly). Cantonese people often like to use the word "good" when describing some exaggerated things. It's so big, so happy and so fond of it. ....

Hong kong cantonese

Hong Kong Cantonese (also known as Hong Kong Cantonese or Hong Kong Dialect, as opposed to Hong Kong English) used to have no official name for the local spoken Cantonese, and usually used the folk names of Guangdong: Cantonese, provincial dialect and vernacular, while Hong Kong officials only called Cantonese. Before 1970, local Cantonese was mixed with Cantonese accents from many regions, such as "Majie", which was called "Majie" according to Shunde's pronunciation, but it tended to be based on Cantonese. Since the1980s, "Cantonese" has been regarded as the standard address of local Cantonese by the Hong Kong government, while Cantonese, provincial dialect and vernacular gradually withdrew from formal occasions. People who used Cantonese as Cantonese were mainly immigrants from other provinces (including Taiwan Province Province). They call Cantonese of Guangfu people Cantonese, while those who learn Cantonese from Hong Kong obviously have a lazy voice.

The standard of Cantonese accent in Hong Kong originated from Guangzhou dialect, joined the local culture of Hong Kong, and gradually formed a set of spoken English with Hong Kong characteristics. Hong Kong is a British colony, so there are many foreign words, and Hong Kong people are used to mixing Chinese and English. Cantonese is one of the official languages in Hong Kong. Cantonese and English are often the main languages for communication and news release within the government, and broadcast media generally have Cantonese channels. Although Hong Kong Cantonese is widely used, it is only regarded as a spoken variant of Cantonese. Even though there is a so-called Cantonese pronunciation movement in Hong Kong, it is still not used as an accent standard.

Cantonese retains many ancient Chinese words that have disappeared in modern standard Chinese, such as:

Qu: It means "he", and now it is also called "he". "Qu's so-called poem is a ditty sung by Gai Shijing." Wang Jide's Melody in Ming Dynasty

Searching for the sun: "Yesterday" means "searching for the sun without words (Cheng Gai, Song Ci)"

Time: It means "time", "When will there be a bright moon?"

Blessing: —— Requirements] Most of the words of blessing are left by our ancestors. Don't think much, just say it casually and count it after socializing.

Begging for prayer, doing things and being free; Speak without thinking.

"Chat" means "chat". Nowadays, homonym is often used to write "inverted".

Cliff width: originally meant as "hut on the cliff" and extended to "danger", today it is often expressed by the near-sound word "tooth smoke".

English and other loanwords

Due to historical reasons, many words in Guangzhou have been influenced by English, such as balls, shops and taxis. However, these words are rare in the mainland, so that they have gradually developed into a unique vocabulary in the Pearl River region. But the word "taxi", from "stopping a taxi" in the past to "taking a taxi" now, is almost all over the country.

Pay the bill

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Let me explain:

China has a vast territory and abundant resources, and cultural differences are inevitable, just like "paying the bill" means paying the bill, but paying the bill does not mean "paying the bill". When and how to settle accounts is the first problem in business. In many places, it is still customary to settle accounts before spending, just to prevent individual consumers from defaulting on their accounts. "Paying the bill" means being honest with people, spending first and then paying the bill. Whoever loses is personality. It is said that Guangdong's folk customs are simple, which can be seen from the "paying the bill" that has prevailed for many years.

Whenever Cantonese people meet relatives and friends for tea and dinner in the teahouse, they will always be "busy" for a while when checking out, because the host family and guests will politely compete to pay the bill. Guangdong people generally call checkout "paying the bill". What is the reason?

Some mainlanders think that "paying the bill" in Cantonese is because the host doesn't want the guests to shake off the bill, so he deliberately hides the prize list first. Some people think that "paying the bill" is actually a tone sandhi of "paying the bill". Whenever a meal is checked out, the waiter will give the bill to the customer, who will pay the bill, just like paying the bill, so it is called "paying the bill". In fact, this is a complete misunderstanding, and it is also because mainlanders don't understand the multiple meanings of the word "buried" in Cantonese. In Mandarin, the word "buried" generally only means to cover up and hide, but in Cantonese, it also means to integrate and settle accounts. For example, if a store closes at night, it is called "burying the number"; When the project or business is about to be completed, it is called "burying the tail"; When you finish tea and check out after dinner in a restaurant, you will ask the waiter to "pay the bill" or "count the number of people". Simply put, it is to end the calculation of various expenses and make a list. In the past, there was no bill for drinking tea. Instead, the waiter was called, and the waiter counted the used containers, calculated them in real time according to the number of dishes, and reported them loudly to the cashier, "Open" (five fingers, representing fifty cents) and "Open on Thursday" (seventy-four points)

In addition, the word "buried" in Cantonese means close. For example, when a train enters the station, it will be called "burying the station"; There is also the meaning of closing, such as the wound "burying the mouth" (wound healing); There is also the meaning of entering, such as "burying a position" (sitting at a desk) and "not burying a column" (unable to get into the topic, not speculating); It also refers to gathering and combining, such as "burying piles" (making friends and forming a party).

The subtlety of "burying" in Guangfu dialect lies in that besides being a verb, it can also be used as an auxiliary verb, such as "walking burying" (coming), "pushing burying" (pushing), sitting burying (sitting closer), invading burying (letting him play together), and even so on.

In addition, "buried" can also be a conjunction, such as "I buried you together" (you and me); It can also be used as a preposition, such as "burying the corner" (shrinking the corner), "burying the stork" (sticking together) and hiding behind the door (hiding behind the door). Because the word "buried" is as changeable as the Monkey King in Guangfu dialect, mainlanders may not be able to master it at the first time.