Characteristics of Shanxi Yuncheng dialect

Division Mandarin dialects can generally be divided into 4 branches according to their linguistic characteristics, that is, 4 dialect pieces (or 4 sub-dialects): North China Mandarin, Northwest Mandarin, Southwest Mandarin and Jianghuai Mandarin.

North China Mandarin is the northern dialect in a narrow sense. It is spoken in Beijing and Tianjin, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang and other provinces, as well as part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Among them, the dialects of the three northeastern provinces and Hebei Province are closest to the national synonym of Mandarin. The Mandarins of Shandong and Henan each have their own characteristics. Recently, some linguists believe that two separate branches, Jiaoliao Mandarin and Central Plains Mandarin, can be established. Among them, Central Plains Mandarin includes parts of Shandong and Henan, as well as Xuzhou, Fuyang, Xi'an in Shaanxi, Yuncheng in Shanxi and other areas north of the Yangtze River.

Northwest Mandarin is spoken in Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu and other provinces as well as parts of Qinghai, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia. The language used by the Han people in Xinjiang is also Northwest Mandarin. Shanxi and some areas adjacent to northern Shaanxi and the area north of the Yellow River in Henan Province retain the ancient Rusheng characters and form their own Rusheng tone, which is different from the general Northwest Mandarin and North China Mandarin. Recently, some scholars believe that it can be based on the word "yourusheng" One feature is the establishment of "Jin dialect", which is independent from the Mandarin dialect. At the same time, some scholars have proposed that Northwest Mandarin, as a branch of Mandarin dialects, should be narrowed to include only dialects in Lanzhou, Gansu, Yinchuan, Ningxia and other places, and should be renamed "Lanyin Mandarin".