Taishanese
/ˌtaɪʃəˈniːz/noun
A variety of Yue Chinese traditionally spoken in and around Taishan, Guangdong, China, and historically widespread among Chinese immigrant communities.
Did you know?Before Mandarin became dominant in diaspora institutions, Taishanese was one of the major Chinese varieties spoken in historic Chinatowns, especially by immigrants from Guangdong.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Sinitic
台
“A raised platform or terrace; the first character in Taishan.”
Ancient Chinese
Sinitic
山
“Mountain; the second character in Taishan.”
19th Century
Cantonese
Toi4 saan1
“The Cantonese pronunciation of 台山, the place name now commonly rendered Taishan.”
19th–20th Century
English
Taishan
“An English romanization of the Guangdong place name; older spellings include Toisan and Toishan.”
19th–20th Century
English
Taishanese
“Taishan plus the English ethnolinguistic suffix -ese, meaning “of or relating to Taishan.””
Modern English
English
Taishanese
“The established English name for the Taishan variety of Yue Chinese and its speakers.”
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