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Taihu Wu (吳語太湖片) or Northern Wu (北部吳語) is a Wu Chinese language spoken in much of the southern part of the province of Jiangsu, including Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, the southern part of Nantong, Jingjiang and Danyang; the municipality of Shanghai; and the northern part of Zhejiang province, including Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Ningbo, Huzhou, and Jiaxing. A notable exception is the dialect of the town of Jinxiang, which is a linguistic exclave of Taihu Wu in Zhenan Min-speaking Cangnan county of Wenzhou prefecture in Zhejiang province. Speakers in regions around Taihu Lake and Hangzhou Bay, are the largest population among all Wu speakers. Taihu Wu dialects such as Shanghainese, Shaoxing and Ningbo are mutually intelligible even for L2 Taihu speakers.

History

Linguistic affinity has also been used as a tool for regional identity and politics in the Jiangbei and Jiangnan regions. While the city of Yangzhou was the center of trade, flourishing and prosperous, it was considered part of Jiangnan, which was known to be wealthy, even though Yangzhou was north of the Yangzi River. Once Yangzhou's wealth and prosperity were gone, it was then considered to be part of Jiangbei, the "backwater".

After Yangzhou was removed from Jiangnan, many of its residents switched from Jianghuai Mandarin, the dialect of Yangzhou, to Taihu Wu dialects. In Jiangnan itself, multiple subdialects of Wu competed for the position of prestige dialect.

In 1984, around 85 million speakers are mutually intelligible with Shanghainese.

Phonology

Taihu Wu varieties tend to preserve historical voiced initials. The number of phonemic vowels can reach numbers higher than that of some Germanic languages. Taihu Wu varieties typically have phonemic 7-8 tones, though some can go as high as 12 or as low as 5, and they all have highly complex tone sandhi.

List of Taihu Wu dialect subgroups

• Su–Jia–Hu (Suzhou–Jiaxing–Huzhou, 蘇嘉湖小片), also known as Su–Hu–Jia (Suzhou–Shanghai–Jiaxing, 蘇滬嘉小片) – 23 million speakers in 1987
  • Suzhou dialect (Jiangsu)
  • Shanghainese
  • Jiaxing dialect (Zhejiang)
  • Wuxi dialect (Jiangsu)
• Tiaoxi (苕溪小片, now considered to be a subbranch or sister group to Suzhou–Shanghai–Jiaxing) – 3 million speakers in 1987
  • Huzhou dialect (Zhejiang)
  • Southeast Guangde dialect (Anhui)

Northwestern Wu

• Piling (毗陵小片, spoken in Jiangsu and Anhui provinces) – 8 million speakers in 1987
  • Changzhou dialect (Jiangsu)
• Hangzhou (杭州小片) – 1.2 million speakers in 1987
  • Hangzhou dialect (Zhejiang)

Northern Zhejiang

• Lin–Shao (臨紹小片) – 7.8 million speakers in 1987
  • Shaoxing dialect (Zhejiang)
  • Lin'an (Zhejiang)
• Yongjiang 甬江小片 or Mingzhou (明州小片) – 4 million speakers in 1987
  • Ningbo dialect (Zhejiang)
  • Zhoushan (Zhejiang)
• Jinxiang dialect (金鄉話, appears to be an isolate, but closely related to the Taihu Wu varieties of Northern Zhejiang.)

List of Taihu Wu dialects

• Shanghai dialect
• Ningbo dialect
• Hangzhou dialect
• Suzhou dialect
• Changzhou dialect
• Wuxi dialect
• Jiangyin dialect
• Qi–Hai dialect
• Jinxiang dialect

References

1. ^ Sinolect.org. "Untitled" (Pie Chart) (in Chinese). Archived from the original (GIF) on 2013-05-13.
2. Ko, Dorothy (1994). Teachers of the Inner Chambers: Women and Culture in Seventeenth-Century China (illustrated, annotated ed.). Stanford: Stanford University Press. p. 21. ISBN 0-8047-2359-1. jianghuai mandarin.
3. DeFrancis, John (1984). The Chinese Language: Fact and Fantasy. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
4. VanNess Simmons, Richard (1999), Chinese Dialect Classification: A comparative approach to Harngjou, Old Jintarn and Common Northern Wu, John Benjamins Publishing Co., p. 3-7, ISBN 90-272-3694-1
5. Li, Hui; Hong, Yulong (2012), 偒傣話：世界上元音最多的語言 [Dondac: The language with the most vowels in the world], Fudan University Press, p. 12, ISBN 978-7-309-09153-3
6. Chappell, Hilary; Lan, Li (2017), "Mandarin and other Sinitic languages", Routledge Encyclopedia of the Chinese language, Oxford: Taylor & Francis, p. 605-628
7. Xu, Zhen (2009), 吴江方言声调研究 [A Study on the Tones of the lect of Wujiang] (thesis), Shanghai Normal University, p. 9
8. Qian, Nairong; Xu, Baohua; Tang, Zhenzhu (2007), 上海话大词典 [The Great Dictionary of Shanghainese] (1 ed.), Shanghai Lexicographical Publishing House, p. 386, ISBN 978-7-5326-2248-1
9. Rose, Phil; Toda, Takako (1994), "A Typology of Tone Sandhi Rules in Northern Wu", Current Issues in Sino-Tibetan Linguistics, Ōsaka: 267–273

Further reading

• Shi, Menghui; Chen, Yiya (2022). "Lili Wu Chinese". Illustrations of the IPA. Journal of the International Phonetic Association: 157–179. doi:10.1017/S0025100320000092, with supplementary sound recordings.

• Chen, Yiya; Gussenhoven, Carlos (2015). "Shanghai Chinese". Illustrations of the IPA. Journal of the International Phonetic Association. 45 (3): 321–327. doi:10.1017/S0025100315000043, with supplementary sound recordings.

v t e Sino-Tibetan branches
Western Himalayas (Himachal, Uttarakhand, Nepal, Sikkim)	West Himalayish Tamangic Newaric Newar Baram–Thangmi Kiranti Dhimalish Dhimal Toto Lhokpu Lepcha Greater Magaric Magaric Magar Kham Chepangic Chepang Bhujel Raji–Raute Dura–Tandrange
Eastern Himalayas (Tibet, Bhutan, Arunachal)	Bodish Tibetic East Bodish Tshangla Basum Nam? Gongduk ʼOle Tani Chamdo
Myanmar and Indo- Burmese border	Karbi Kuki-Chin Mruic Mru Hkongso Pyu Taman "Naga" Ao Angami–Pochuri Meitei Tangkhulic Zeme Sal Boro–Garo Konyak Jingpho–Luish
East and Southeast Asia	Sinitic Bai Tujia Nungish Karenic Gong Kathu Cai–Long Caijia Longjia Luren Burmo-Qiangic Qiangic Gyalrongic Ersuic Naic Lolo-Burmese Mondzish Burmish Loloish
Dubious (possible isolates) (Arunachal)	Hrusish Hruso Mijiic Kho-Bwa Puroik Miju–Meyor Songlin Greater Siangic Siangic Koro Milang Idu–Taraon
Proposed groupings	Central Tibeto-Burman Kuki-Chin–Naga Macro-Bai Mahakiranti Rung Tibeto-Burman Tibeto-Kanauri
Proto-languages	Proto-Sino-Tibetan Proto-Tibeto-Burman Proto-Loloish Proto-Karenic Proto-Min Proto-Hakka
Italics indicates single languages that are also considered to be separate branches.

v t e Chinese language
Sinitic languages
Major groups	Mandarin Northeastern Changchun Harbin Shenyang Taz Beijing Beijing Taiwan Jilu Tianjin Jinan Jiaoliao Dalian Qingdao Weihai Central Plains Dongping Gangou Guanzhong Xi'an Luoyang Xuzhou Dungan Xinjiang Southwestern Sichuanese Chengdu–Chongqing Minjiang Leshan Renshou–Fushun Zigong Kunming Nanping Wuhan Gui–Liu Wuming Jianghuai Nanjing Nantong Nanping Lanyin Lanzhou dialect [zh] Urumqi dialect [zh] Xinjiang Other Junjiahua Qinjiang Gyami Jin Zhangjiakou–Hohhot Zhi–Yan Wu Taihu Shanghai Suzhou Wuxi Changzhou Hangzhou (?) Shaoxing Ningbo Jinxiang Jiangyin Shadi Taizhou Wu Taizhou Tiantai Oujiang Wenzhou Rui'an Wencheng Wuzhou Jinhua Chu–Qu Quzhou Jiangshan Qingtian Xuanzhou Xuancheng Huizhou Ji-She [zh] Xiu-Yi [zh] Qi-De [zh] Yanzhou [zh] Jing-Zhan [zh] Gan Chang–Du Nanchang Yi–Liu Ying–Yi Da–Tong Xiang Changyi Changsha Loushao Shuangfeng Xiangxiang Wugang Ji–Xu Yong–Quan Qiyang Min Eastern Houguan Fuzhou Fuqing Changle Gutian Matsu Fu–Ning Ningde Fu'an Other Manjiang Zhongshan Longdu Nanlang Southern Hokkien Quanzhou Zhangzhou Amoy Chawan Taiwan Philippine Pedan Penang Singapore Malaysian Teochew Swatow Haklau Zhongshan Sanxiang Other Zhenan Longyan Other Northern Jian'ou Jianyang Central Pu–Xian Shao–Jiang Leizhou Zhanjiang Hainan Wenchang Haikou Banqiao Hakka Meixian Wuhua Huizhou Tingzhou Changting Taiwanese Sixian Hailu Raoping Yue Yuehai Guangzhou Hong Kong Malaysia Xiguan Jiujiang Shiqi Weitou Dapeng Siyi Taishan Xinhui Other Gao–Yang Goulou Wu–Hua Yong–Xun Luo–Guang Qin–Lian Pinghua Northern Tongdao Younian Southern Yongjiang Guandao Rongjiang Unclassified Shaozhou Tuhua Xiangnan Tuhua Badong Yao Danzhou Mai Shehua Waxiang Yeheni Huizhou Bai Cai-Long Caijia Longjia Luren Laobeizi
Standard forms	Standard Chinese Sichuanese Taiwanese Philippine Malaysian Singaporean Standard Singdarin Cantonese Hokkien Hakka
Phonology	Historical Old Old National Cantonese Hokkien Northern Wu Mandarin Literary and colloquial readings
Grammar	Numerals Classifiers Honorifics Cantonese grammar Classical grammar
Idioms	Chengyu Xiehouyu
Input	Biaoxingma Boshiamy Cangjie Simplified CKC Dayi Pinyin Google Microsoft Sogou Stroke count Wubi (Wang Ma) ZhengMa
History	Old Chinese Eastern Han Middle Chinese Old Mandarin Middle Mandarin Proto-Min Proto-Hakka Ba–Shu Gan
Literary forms	Official Classical Adoption in Japan in Vietnam Vernacular Written Cantonese Written Dungan Written Hokkien Written Sichuanese
Scripts	Logographic Script styles Oracle bone Bronze Seal Clerical Semi-cursive Cursive Chinese characters Simplified Traditional Punctuation Braille Cantonese Mainland Chinese Taiwanese Two-cell Phonetic Cyrillization Dungan Cyrillic Romanization Gwoyeu Romatzyh Hanyu Pinyin MPS II Postal Tongyong Pinyin Wade–Giles EFEO Lessing-Othmer Yale Bopomofo Cantonese Bopomofo Taiwanese Phonetic Symbols Taiwanese kana Taiwanese Hangul Xiao'erjing Nüshu
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