Standard Cantonese

Standard Cantonese is a variant of Cantonese, generally considered the prestige dialect. It is spoken natively in and around the cities of Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macau in southern China. Standard Cantonese is the official Chinese spoken language of Hong Kong and Macau, and a prestige dialect and lingua franca in Guangdong province and some neighbouring areas. It is also spoken by many overseas Chinese, especially those of Cantonese descent, in Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, United States, Australia, Europe, and elsewhere. Traditionally, Cantonese was the lingua franca of overseas Chinese communities in the Western world, although that situation has changed with the increasing importance of Mandarin in the Chinese-speaking world as well as immigration from other provinces.

Cultural role

The economic pre-eminence of Hong Kong, Macau, and Guangdong province, as well as its predominance in many overseas Chinese communities, has given Standard Cantonese a reach far beyond its comparatively small homeland. As the usual spoken variety of Chinese in Hong Kong and Macau, Cantonese is the only Chinese variety to be used in official contexts other than Standard Mandarin, which remains the official dialect of both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China on Taiwan; as a predominant language of the Chinese diaspora, Cantonese is also the main form of Chinese that many Westerners come into contact with. Together with Mandarin and Taiwanese, Cantonese is also one of the few Chinese spoken varieties to produce its own popular music (Cantopop). The prevalence of Cantonese popular culture has in fact spurred some Mandarin speakers to learn Cantonese, unique among the varieties of Chinese.

Related Topics:
Hong Kong - Macau - Guangdong - Overseas Chinese - Standard Mandarin - People's Republic of China - Republic of China - Taiwan - Taiwanese - Cantopop

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The contrast is especially clear with other Chinese varieties, such as Wu. Wu has more speakers than Yue (the wider Cantonese group), it is spoken in an area that is approximately equally wealthy, and Shanghainese, one of the prestige dialects of Wu, is spoken in Shanghai, arguably the economic center of Mainland China. However, Shanghainese is not used in official contexts, nor is it a usual subject of study among other Chinese people. Shanghainese does not produce its own popular music, and is virtually unknown in the West. However, spurred on by the success of Cantonese, some Wu speakers have begun to promote their home language.

Related Topics:
Wu - Yue

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Cantonese enjoys a standing slightly inferior to Mandarin but much superior to other varieties of Chinese in China. This is seen in Guangzhou where announcements in the public transport are made in both Mandarin Chinese and the local lingua franca Cantonese (though announcements in Cantonese in the metro have been cancelled). Not even Shanghainese enjoys this privilege in Shanghai, the largest and arguably the wealthiest city in China. Some teachers in the Guangdong province continue to teach in Cantonese, as most Cantonese feel affinity with their own language much more than they do Mandarin Chinese, though doing so is against the national language policy. It has even caused some dissatisfaction amongst immigrants from other provinces who usually do not speak Cantonese.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~