What do Shanghainese say? Is it Cantonese?

Shanghainese generally speak Shanghainese (dialect) or Mandarin, but not Cantonese.

Shanghai dialect is a dialect of Wu dialect, belonging to Sino-Tibetan language family-Chinese language family-Wu language family-Taihu film-Suhujia film.

Shanghai dialect, also known as Shanghai dialect, Shanghai dialect, Wu dialect Shanghai dialect and Shanghai dialect, is an important foundation of Shanghai local culture. Shanghai dialect is an important representative of Wu dialect, which can basically communicate with other dialects in Taihu Lake area of Wu dialect and is an influential language in modern Wu dialect area.

Shanghai dialect in a narrow sense refers to Shanghai urban dialect, which is widely used now and is recognized as the mainstream common dialect in Shanghai. Shanghai dialect is a new urban Wu dialect, which is based on the local Wu dialect and naturally blended with immigrant dialects from Wu-speaking areas around the world after Shanghai opened its port.

Extended data:

The Development Course of Shanghai Dialect

Shanghai is located in Wudi, Jiangdong, and the local language is the ancient Wu dialect with thousands of years of history. The word "Wuyu" has existed since ancient times, and it is common in ancient poetry, that is, it refers to the dialect in Jiangdong area, and Shanghai dialect retains the flavor of ancient Jiangdong culture.

Shanghai dialect originated from Songjiang dialect and has a history of 700 years. Shanghai's population settlement is named after Shanghai Pu. Shanghai Pu is the Huangpu River from Longhua to Waibaidu Bridge today.

In ancient times, on the delta where the Yangtze River went to sea, there was a Songjiang River (namely Wusong River and Suzhou River) with great water potential from west to east. At its downstream near the sea, there are two tributaries, Shanghai Pu and Shanghai Pu. The settlement corresponding to "Shanghai" was first seen in the tenth year of Xining in the Northern Song Dynasty (1077).

As Shanghai faced the East China Sea, it met a special opportunity in the late Qing Dynasty. After Shanghai was forced to open its port in 1843, it became a concession with free development, and long-term civil autonomy made Shanghai quickly become an international metropolis and financial center. With the huge immigration and the rapid economic development, Shanghai dialect has become the fastest-growing language in Wuyu area of Taihu Lake.

Baidu encyclopedia-Shanghai dialect