Introduction to Cantonese, Introduction to Cantonese

Cantonese, also known as Cantonese, Cantonese, Guangfu dialect, Cantonese dialect and vernacular, is called Canton (or Yue) in English, which is mainly used in most parts of Guangdong Province, southeastern Guangxi Province, Hong Kong, Macao and some overseas Chinese communities. It is one of the five dialects mainly used in daily life in China, second only to Mandarin, the official language of China.

Linguistically, Cantonese is a kind of tonal language, belonging to the Sino-Tibetan Chinese family. There are four major Cantonese movies: Cantonese, Siyi, Guinan and Levin. Guangdong is the birthplace of Cantonese, and Cantonese films are generally regarded as the basis of standard Cantonese.

In terms of population, according to statistics, 66 million people speak Cantonese with various accents, ranking 16th in the world. According to some statistics, the population of Cantonese speakers is 12 million. Although its population is less than that of Putonghua, due to the rapid economic development in Guangdong and the economic prosperity in Hong Kong and Macao, the status of Cantonese has rapidly improved and become a strong dialect. In addition, since the 18th century, Cantonese has become the language spoken by many overseas Chinese because a large number of Cantonese speakers emigrated.

In Lingnan area, Cantonese can be divided into six areas: Xijiang/Zhujiang, Xunjiang/Yujiang, Beiliujiang/Nanliujiang, Nanjiang/Jianjiang, Moyangjiang and Tanjiang. The first four waterways cross frequently and can communicate with each other; It is difficult to communicate with each other because of the separation of water systems.

Guangzhou is the birthplace of Cantonese, so Cantonese in Guangzhou can be regarded as the basis of Cantonese standards. Because the language used in Hong Kong is Cantonese, and Hong Kong has frequent foreign exchanges, Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong has greatly enhanced the influence of Cantonese and expanded its social communication function through a large number of canto pop, TV dramas, movies, advertisements, novels and cartoons.

With the development of society, economy and culture, the construction of the "Pan-Pearl River Delta" and the increasing exchanges between China and foreign countries, Cantonese has become one of the languages that people who study, work or do business in Guangdong, Hong Kong or Macao and those who go abroad are eager to master.