Sinophone
/ˈsaɪ.nə.foʊn/noun
Relating to Chinese-speaking people, communities, or cultural production, especially outside China.
Did you know?Sinophone studies can include Chinese-language communities in places as diverse as Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, and the global diaspora, rather than referring only to people in China.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
phōnē
“Voice, sound, or speech”
Classical Latin
Latin
Sinae
“The Chinese; a name used for China and its people”
19th Century
English
Sino-
“A combining form meaning Chinese, ultimately derived through Latin from an older name for China”
19th Century
English
-phone
“A combining form meaning speaker or sound, from Greek phōnē”
Late 20th Century
English
Sinophone
“Chinese-speaking; formed from Sino- plus -phone and modeled on words such as Francophone”