Tianjin dialect
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Tianjin dialect (Chinese: 天津话; pinyin: Tiānjīnhuà) is a Mandarin dialect spoken in the urban area of Tianjin, China. It is comprehensible to Standard Mandarin speakers from nearby areas and most variation is in the individual tones.
[edit] Characteristics
Tianjin dialect is classified under Ji Lu Mandarin, a subdivision of Mandarin also spoken in the provinces of Hebei and Shandong. Despite being very close to Beijing, Tianjin dialect sounds very different from Beijing dialect, which is the basis for Standard Mandarin (Putonghua), the standard Chinese spoken language.
The tones of Tianjin dialect correspond to those of Beijing (and hence Standard Mandarin) as follows:
| Tone name | 1 Yin Ping | 2 Yang Ping | 3 Shang | 4 Qu |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tianjin | ˨˩ (21) | ˧˥ (35) | ˩˩˧ (113) | ˥˧ (53) |
| Beijing | ˥ (55) | ˧˥ (35) | ˨˩˦ (214) | ˥˩ (51) |
The differences are minor except for the first tone: Where it is high and level in Beijing, it is low and falling in Tianjin. All words with the first tone, including the name "Tianjin", are affected, giving the Tianjin dialect a downward and nasal feel to speakers of Standard Mandarin.
Tianjin dialect also includes four tone sandhi rules, which outnumbers Beijing Mandarin's one. Here are they:
- Tone 1 + Tone 1 → Tone 3-Tone 1: 天津 |tiān jīn| is pronounced /tǐnjīn/ (using Pinyin tone diacritics)[dubious ]
- Tone 3 + Tone 3 → Tone 2-Tone 3: 水果 |shuǐ guǒ| is pronounced /shuíguǒ/
- Tone 4 + Tone 4 → Tone 1-Tone 4: 現在 |xiàn zài| is pronounced /xiānzài/[dubious ]
- Tone 4 + Tone 1 → Tone 2-Tone 1: 上班 |shàng bān| is pronounced /shángbān/
There are some other patterns that differentiate Tianjin dialect from Beijing dialect. One is the retention of the old ng- initial, which became null in Beijing, as n-, as in 爱 (愛), which is pronounced nài (like 奈) rather than ài. Another difference is the pronunciation of 饿 (餓) as wò (臥) instead of è.
Lastly, the Tianjin dialect lacks the retroflex consonants (捲舌音) prevalent in Beijing, not unlike Taiwan Mandarin. Thus, zh (ㄓ) becomes z (ㄗ), sh (ㄕ) becomes s (ㄙ), ch (ㄔ) becomes c (ㄘ), and r (ㄖ) becomes y (一) — that is, 人 is pronounced yěn instead of rěn, and 讓 is pronounced yàng (樣) instead of ràng. However, the use of the -er (儿) diminutive is common in Tianjin dialect, as it is in Beijing.
Chinese speakers commonly stereotype the Tianjin dialect as aggressive- or confrontational-sounding. Nevertheless, the it is relatively easy for speakers of Standard Mandarin to understand. The newer educated elite tend to speak in Standard Mandarin while doing business but switch to Tianjin Dialect when talking to family or locals.
[edit] See also
1. Tone1-Tone1 > Tone4-Tone1. An example is 天津: tian1 jin1 becomes tian4 jin1[dubious] 2. Tone3-Tone3 > Tone2-Tone3. An example is 水果: shui3 guo3 becomes shui2 guo3 3. Tone4-Tone4 > Tone3-Tone4. An example is 現在: xian4 zai4 becomes xian3 zai4[dubious] 4. Tone4-Tone1 > Tone2-Tone1. An example is 上班: shang4 ban1 becomes shang2 ban1
