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Name:
湘 Xiang
Population:
36,015,000
Region:
Hunan province (湖南), parts of Sichuan (四川).
Information:
Like Gan, the Xiang dialect region centers on a river. The Xiang river, 湘江 xiang1jiang1, flows through Hunan Province to the Yangtze river (长江 chang3jiang1). Also like the Gan dialects, Xiang is a transitional dialect group between North and South. Xiang is heavily influenced by Mandarin because of the high volume of trade that takes place along the river, yet the dialect still has many Southern characteristics. Chairman Mao is one notable speaker of a Xiang dialect who made many language policies, but never mastered Putonghua himself.
One interesting aspect of Xiang is the division between “Old Xiang” (老湘 lao3xiang1) and “New Xiang.” Old Xiang is heard in more remote communities. New Xiang is much more similar to Mandarin, and somewhat intelligible to a Mandarin speaker. Some people even classify New Xiang as a Soutwestern Mandarin dialect with a strong local accent.
Characteristics: - Voiced consonants such as b, d, and g. Unlike Wu dialect, Xiang voiced consonants are not “murmured.”
- No final stops.
- Similar grammar to Mandarin.
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