Xiangnan Tuhua

Xiangnan Tuhua (simplified Chinese: 湘南土话; traditional Chinese: 湘南土話; pinyin: Xiāngnán Tǔhuà; lit. 'local languages of southern Hunan'), or simply Tuhua, is a group of unclassified Chinese varieties of southeastern Hunan. It is spoken throughout some areas of Yongzhou prefecture (apart from Qiyang County in the northeast) and in the western half of Chenzhou prefecture, in which Xiangnan dialects of Southwestern Mandarin are also spoken.^[1] Xiangnan Tuhua is spoken by the Sinicized Pingdi ('plains') Yao.^[2]

Pronunciation[tifɯə]

NativetoChina

Regionsouthern Hunan

EthnicityHan Chinese, Sinicized Plains Yao

Quick facts Pronunciation, Native to ...

Xiangnan Tuhua
Tuhua
Pronunciation	[tifɯə]
Native to	China
Region	southern Hunan
Ethnicity	Han Chinese, Sinicized Plains Yao
Language family	Sino-Tibetan Sinitic Chinese Tuhua Xiangnan Tuhua
Writing system	Nüshu (until 2004)
Language codes
ISO 639-3	None (mis)

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Xiangnan Tuhua, which differs enough from those of other parts of Hunan that there is little mutual intelligibility, is known to its speakers as [tifɯə] 'Dong language'. There are differing opinions on the classification of Xiangnan Tuhua, as it has features of several different Chinese varieties. Some scholars classify it under Xiang Chinese or Pinghua, and other scholars consider it a hybrid dialect.^[3] Most Jiangyong residents are bilingual in Xiangnan Tuhua and the Hunan dialect of Southwestern Mandarin.^[3][4] Xiangnan Tuhua was only written using Nüshu,^[5] and Nüshu was not used to write other languages, such as the Southwestern Mandarin spoken in Hunan, or the local Yao language.^[6][4]