Shaozhou Tuhua
| Tuhua | |
|---|---|
|
Shaozhou Tuhua, Xiangnan Tuhua, Yuebei Tuhua Shipo, Shina |
|
| Native to | China |
| Region | Hunan–Guang |
| Ethnicity | Chinese, Yao |
|
Native speakers
|
(undated figure of 1 million) |
|
Sino-Tibetan
|
|
| Nüshu | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 |
None (mis) |
| ISO 639-6 | sazo |
| Glottolog | quji1234 |
| Linguasphere | 79-AAA-ph |
Shaozhou Tuhua (traditional: 韶州土話; simplified: 韶州土话 Sháozhōu Tǔhuà "Shaoguan tuhua"), or simply Tuhua, is an unclassified Chinese variety spoken in the border region of the provinces Guangdong, Hunan and Guangxi. It is mutually unintelligible with Hunanese, Cantonese, or Mandarin.
Tuhua is the language of nüshu, the "women's script" of Jiangyong County in Yongzhou, Hunan.
Some scholars consider it to be an extension of Ping Chinese (Pinghua) in Guangxi. Others consider it to have a foundation in Song dynasty-era Middle Gan, mixed with Hakka, Cantonese, and Southwestern Mandarin. There is likely also significant non-Chinese influence such as Yao, and it may even have started out as Sinicized Yao.
Shaozhou Tuhua is also known as Yuebei Tuhua 粤北土话 "Northern Guangxi/Guangdong Tuhua" in Guangxi and Guangdong and as Xiangnan Tuhua 湘南土话 "Southern Hunanese Tuhua" or Hunan Tuhua in Hunan, and as 虱婆话 shīpó huà "Shipo dialect", 虱乸话 shīnǎ huà "Shina dialect", or 虱婆声 shīpó shēng "Shipo accent" in its own region. It is also known as Pingdi Yaohua (平地瑶话 "Lowland Yao dialect"), locally Piongtuojo, Piongtoajeu; "Yao" here might be a cultural designation, as only half of the one million speakers are classified as ethnic Yao.
Li & Zhuang (2009) cover the following dialects of Shaoguan Tuhua.
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