View source for Changsha dialect

{{Short description|Dialect of Xiang Chinese}}{{Expand Chinese|长沙话|date=July 2015}}
{{more footnotes|date=December 2008}}

{{Infobox language
|name=Changsha dialect
|nativename={{lang|hsn|长沙话}}
|pronunciation={{IPA|hsn|tsã˩˧sɔ˧ɣo˨˩|}}
|states=[[People's Republic of China|China]]
|region=[[Changsha]], [[Hunan]] province
|date=no date
|ref=
|familycolor=Sino-Tibetan
|fam2=[[Sinitic languages|Sinitic]]
|fam3=[[Chinese language|Chinese]]
|fam4=[[Xiang Chinese|Xiang]]
|fam5=[[New Xiang]] (Chang-Yi)
|isoexception=dialect
|linglist=hsn-cha
|glotto=chan1326
|glottorefname=Changsha
|notice=IPA
}}

The '''Changsha dialect''' ({{zh|t=長沙話|s=长沙话|p=Chángshāhuà}}; {{IPA|hsn|tsã˩˧sɔ˧ɣo˨˩|IPA}}) is a dialect of [[New Xiang]] [[Chinese language|Chinese]]. It is spoken predominantly in [[Changsha]], the capital of [[Hunan]] province, [[China]]. It is not mutually intelligible with [[Standard Chinese|Standard Mandarin]], the official language of China.

==Classification==

The Changsha dialect is what Chinese [[dialectology|dialectologists]] would call a New Xiang variety, as opposed to Old Xiang; the distinction is mainly based on the presence of the [[Middle Chinese]] [[voice (phonetics)|voiced]] [[plosive]]s and [[affricate consonant|affricate]]s. The Old Xiang varieties, being more conservative, have in general kept them while the New Xiang ones have altogether lost them and changed them to [[voice (phonetics)|voiceless]] [[Aspiration (phonetics)|unaspirated]] [[consonant]]s. Although most Chinese dialectologists treat New Xiang as part of the [[Xiang Chinese|group]], [[Zhou Zhenhe]] and You Rujie classify it as [[Southwestern Mandarin]].<ref name="Z&Y">{{Cite book |last=Zhou |first=Zhenhe 周振鹤 |title=Fāngyán yǔ Zhōngguó wénhuà |last2=You |first2=Rujie 游汝杰 |date=1986 |publisher=Shanghai renmin chubanshe |location=Shanghai |language=zh |script-title=zh:方言與中國文化 |trans-title=Dialects and Chinese Culture}}</ref>

==Geographic distribution==

The Changsha dialect is spoken in the city of [[Changsha]] and its neighbouring suburbs. However, there are some slight differences between the urban and suburban speech. For instance, the [[retroflex consonant|retroflex]] set is only heard in the suburbs, but not in the city. Further, some words have a different final in the two varieties.

===Dialects===

There are no substantial differences between dialects in the neighbourhoods of Changsha; however, age dialects do exist. For example, the distinction between [[alveolar consonant|alveolar]] and [[alveolo-palatal consonant|alveolo-palatal]] consonants is only made by the elderly while the younger generations do not normally distinguish them. The finals {{IPA|[-oŋ]}} and {{IPA|[-ioŋ]}} have become {{IPA|[-ən]}} and {{IPA|[-in]}} in the younger speech. Also, the initial consonant {{IPA|[ɲ]}} in the elderly's and middled-aged's speech is either dropped altogether or changed to {{IPA|[l]}}.

==Phonetics and phonology==

The Changsha dialect, together with other New Xiang varieties, has lost the [[Middle Chinese]] [[obstruent]]s, which are changed to [[voice (phonetics)|voiceless]] [[Aspiration (phonetics)|unaspirated]] [[consonant]]s. It has also lost all the final [[plosive]]s found in the [[entering tone|rù]] [[tone (linguistics)|tone]] in [[Middle Chinese]].

===Consonants===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; margin:1em auto 1em auto"
|+ [[Consonant]]s of the Changsha dialect
! colspan=2|&nbsp;
! [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! [[alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! [[alveolo-palatal consonant|Alveolo-<br>palatal]]
! [[retroflex consonant|Retroflex]]
! [[velar consonant|Velar]]
|-
! colspan=2|[[Nasal stop|Nasal]]
| {{IPA link|m}}
| {{IPA link|n}}
| {{IPA link|ɲ}}
| 
| {{IPA link|ŋ}}
|-
! rowspan=2|[[plosive consonant|Plosive]]
! <small>[[voice (phonetics)|voiceless]] unaspirated</small>
| {{IPA link|p}}
| {{IPA link|t}}
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| {{IPA link|k}}
|-
! <small>voiceless [[aspiration (phonetics)|aspirated]]</small>
| {{IPA link|pʰ}}
| {{IPA link|tʰ}}
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| {{IPA link|kʰ}}
|-
! rowspan=2|[[affricate consonant|Affricate]]
! <small>voiceless unaspirated</small>
| &nbsp;
| {{IPA link|ts}}
| {{IPA link|tɕ}}
| {{IPA link|tʂ}}
| &nbsp;
|-
! <small>aspirated</small>
| &nbsp;
| {{IPA link|tsʰ}}
| {{IPA link|tɕʰ}}
| {{IPA link|tʂʰ}}
| &nbsp;
|-
! rowspan=2|[[fricative consonant|Fricative]]
!<small> voiceless</small>
| {{IPA link|f}}
| {{IPA link|s}}
| {{IPA link|ɕ}}
| {{IPA link|ʂ}}
| {{IPA link|x}}
|-
! <small>voiced</small>
| &nbsp;
|{{IPA link|z}}
| &nbsp;
| {{IPA link|ʐ}}
| &nbsp;
|-
! colspan=2|[[lateral consonant|Lateral]] [[approximant consonant|approximant]]
| &nbsp;
| {{IPA link|l}}
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|
|}

=== Vowels ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; margin:1em auto 1em auto"
|+[[Vowel|Vowels]]/Combinations of the Changsha dialect
|-
!
! colspan="6" |{{IPA|-}}'''∅'''
! colspan="3" | {{IPA|-i}}
! colspan="3" | {{IPA|-u}}
! colspan="1" | {{IPA|-a}}
! colspan="3" | {{IPA|-n}}
!Nasal
|-
!'''∅'''-
|
| {{IPA|o}}
| 
| {{IPA|ɤ}}
| 
| {{IPA|ɪ}}
| 
|
| 
|
|
| 
|
| 
| 
| 
| {{IPA|õ}}
|-
! i-
| {{IPA|ei}}
| {{IPA|io}}
| {{IPA|iɛ}}
|
|
| {{IPA|i}}
|
|
|
| {{IPA|iəu}}
| {{IPA|iau}}
| 
|{{IPA|ia}}
| {{IPA|ian}}
| 
| {{IPA|in}}
| {{IPA|iɛ̃}}
|-
! u-
|
| 
| 
| {{IPA|uɤ}}
| {{IPA|uɑ}}
| {{IPA|u}}
| {{IPA|uai}}
| {{IPA|uei}}
| 
|
|
|
|
| {{IPA|uan}}
| {{IPA|uən}}
| 
|
|-
! y-
|
|
| {{IPA|yɛ}}
|
|
| {{IPA|y}}
| {{IPA|yai}}
| {{IPA|yei}}
|
|
|
|
| {{IPA|ya}}
| {{IPA|yan}}
|
| {{IPA|yn}}
| {{IPA|yɛ̃}}
|-
!ə-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| {{IPA|əu}}
|
|
|
| {{IPA|ən}}
|
|-
!a-
|
|
|
|
|
| {{IPA|a}}
|
|
| {{IPA|ai}}
|
| {{IPA|au}}
|
|
|
|
| {{IPA|an}}
|
|-
!C-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| {{IPA|ɤ̃}}
|}

===Tones===

Changsha has 6 tones, which are neutralized in syllables ending in a stop.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; margin:1em auto 1em auto"
|+ Tone chart of the Changsha dialect
|-
! Tone number !! [[Tone name]] !! [[Tone contour]] !! Description
|-
! 1
| yin ping (陰平)|| {{IPA|˧}} (3) or {{IPA|ā}}|| ''mid''
|-
! 2
| yang ping (陽平)|| {{IPA|˩˧}} (13) or {{IPA|ǎ}}|| ''rising''
|-
! 3
| shang sheng (上聲)|| {{IPA|˦˩}} (41) or {{IPA|â}}|| ''falling''
|-
! 4
| yin qu (陰去)|| {{IPA|˥}} (5) or {{IPA|á}}|| ''high''
|-
! 5
| yang qu (陽去)|| {{IPA|˨˩}} (21) or {{IPA|à}}|| ''low''
|-
! 6
| ru sheng (入聲)|| {{IPA|˨˦ʔ}} (24{{prime}}) or {{IPA|aʔ}}|| ''checked''
|}

==See also==

* [[List of Chinese dialects]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
* Běijīng dàxué zhōngguóyǔyánwénxuéxì yǔyánxué jiàoyánshì (1989). ''Hànyǔ fāngyīn zìhuì''. Běijīng: Wénzì gǎigé chūbǎnshè. (北京大學中國語言文學系語言學教研室. 1989. 漢語方音字匯. 北京: 文字改革出版社)
* [[Jerry Norman (sinologist)|Norman, Jerry]] (2002) [1988]. ''Chinese''. Cambridge, England: CUP {{ISBN|0-521-29653-6}}
* Wu, Yunji (2005). ''A Synchronic and diachronic study of the grammar of the Chinese Xiang dialects''. Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter. {{ISBN|3-11-018366-8}}
* Yuan, Jiahua (1989). ''Hànyǔ fāngyán gàiyào'' (An introduction to Chinese regional speech varieties). Beijing, China: Wénzì gǎigé chūbǎnshè. (袁家驊. 1989. 漢語方言概要. 北京:文字改革出版社.)

==External links==
* [http://www.chiculture.net/0604/html/c08/0604c08.html Cantonese and other dialects] (in Chinese)
* [http://www.glossika.com/en/dict/classification/xiang/index.php Classification of Xiang Dialects from Glossika]

{{Sino-Tibetan languages}}
{{Chinese language}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Changsha Dialect}}
[[Category:Xiang Chinese]]


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