Ethnologue 14 report for language code:CFR

CHINESE, MIN NAN: a language of China

The following is the entry for this language as it appeared in the 14th edition (2000).
It was superseded by the corresponding entry in the 15th edition (2005). See also the corresponding entry in the current edition of Ethnologue.

SIL code: CFR

ISO 639-1: zh

ISO 639-2(B): chi

ISO 639-2(T): zho

Population

25,725,000 in mainland China (1984), 2.5% of the population, including 1,000,000 Xiamen dialect (1988 census), 6,000,000 Quanzhou dialect (Quanzhoushi Fangyan Zhi). Population total all countries 45,000,000.

Region

Southern Fujian, Guangdong, south Hainan Island, southern Zhejiang, southern Jiangxi provinces. Xiamen is spoken in southern Fujian, Jiangxi, and Taiwan; Hainan dialect in Hainan; Leizhou on the Leizhou peninsula of southwestern Guangdong; Chao-Shan in the far eastern corner of Guangdong in the Chaozhou-Shantou area; Longdu is a dialect island in the area around Zhongshan City and Shaxi in Guangdong south of Guangzhou; Zhenan Min in southeastern Zhejiang Province around Pingyang and Cangnan and on the Zhoushan archipelago of northeastern Zhejiang. Also spoken in Brunei, Indonesia (Java and Bali), Malaysia (Peninsular), Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, USA.

Alternate names

SOUTHERN MIN, MINNAN

Dialects

XIAMEN (AMOY), LEIZHOU (LEI HUA, LI HUA), CHAO-SHAN (CHOUSHAN), HAINAN (HAINANESE, QIONGWEN HUA, WENCHANG), LONGDU, ZHENAN MIN.

Classification

Sino-Tibetan, Chinese.

Comments

Xiamen has subdialects Amoy, Fujian (Fukien, Hokkian, Taiwanese). Amoy is the prestige dialect. Amoy and Taiwanese are easily intelligible to each other. Chao-Shan has subdialects Chaoshou (Chaochow, Chaochow, Teochow, Teochew) and Shantou (Swatow). Chao-Shan, including Swatow, has very difficult intelligibility with Amoy. Sanjiang is somewhat difficult for other dialect speakers. Hainan is quite different from other dialects. Min Nan is the most widely distributed and influential Min variety. Bible 1933.

Also spoken in:

Brunei

Language name	CHINESE, MIN NAN
Population	10,000 in Brunei (1979).
Alternate names	MIN NAN, MINNAN
Dialects	CHAOCHOW (TIUCHIU, TEOCHOW), HAINAN, FUJIAN (HOKKIEN).
Comments	Bible 1933. See main entry under China.

Indonesia (Java and Bali)

Language name	CHINESE, MIN NAN
Population	700,000 speakers in Indonesia (1982 CCCOWE).
Alternate names	MINNAN, MIN NAN
Dialects	FUJIAN (HOKKIEN), CHAOCHOW (TIU CHIU).
Comments	Bible 1933. See main entry under China.

Malaysia (Peninsular)

Language name	CHINESE, MIN NAN
Population	1,946,698 in Malaysia, including 1,824,741 in Peninsular Malaysia, 7,990 Teochew, 5,083 Hainanese, 24,604 Hokkien in Sabah (1980 census) 84,280 in Sarawak (1979).
Alternate names	MIN NAN, MINNAN
Dialects	FUKIENESE (AMOY, FUJIANESE, HOKKIEN), HAINANESE, CHAOCHOW (TEOCHOW, TEOCHEW).
Comments	Bible 1933. See main entry under China.

Philippines

Language name	CHINESE, MIN NAN
Population	493,500 to 592,200 or 98.7% of Chinese population in Philippines (1982 CCCOWE).
Alternate names	MIN NAN
Dialects	CHAOCHOW.
Comments	Bible 1933. See main entry under China.

Singapore

Language name	CHINESE, MIN NAN
Population	1,170,000 speakers in Singapore (1985), out of 1,482,000 in the ethnic group (1993), including 736,000 speakers of Hokkien, 28.8% of the population, out of 884,000 in the ethnic group (1993), 360,000 speakers of Teochew (1985), 14.2% of the population out of 452,000 in the ethnic group (1993); 74,000 speakers of Hainanese (1985), 2.9% of the population out of 146,000 in the ethnic group (1993).
Alternate names	MIN NAM, SOUTHERN MIN
Dialects	HOKKIEN (FUKIENESE, FUJIAN, AMOY, XIAMEN), TEOCHEW (CHAOCHOW, CHAOZHOU, TAECHEW), HAINANESE.
Comments	Speakers report Hokkien and Teochew to be intelligible with each other, but not Hainanese. Mandarin, English, and other Chinese varieties are also used at home. Hokkien is the most widely understood language in Singapore (Kuo 1979). Trade language. Bible 1933. See main entry under China.

Taiwan

Language name	CHINESE, MIN NAN
Population	15,000,000 in Taiwan (1997 A. Chang), 66.7% of the population (1993).
Alternate names	MIN NAN, MINNAN
Dialects	AMOY (TAIWANESE, FORMOSAN).
Comments	Taiwanese is close to Amoy dialect; intelligibility is not very difficult. There are two subdialects in Taiwan: Sanso and Chaenzo, with some difficulty in intelligibility. Mandarin is used as second language. Those over 60 also speak Japanese. The Taiwanese people are called Hoklo or Holo. Chinese traditional religion, Buddhist Christian, secular. Bible 1884-1933. See main entry under China.

Thailand

Language name	CHINESE, MIN NAN
Population	1,081,920 in Thailand or 18.4% of Chinese-speaking population in Thailand, including 1,058,400 Chaochow (18%), 17,640 Fujian (.3%), 5,880 Hainanese (.1%) (1984 estimate).
Alternate names	MIN NAN, MINNAN
Dialects	CHAOZHOU (CHAOCHOW, TIUCHIU, TEOCHOW, TECHU), SHANTOU (SWATOW), HAINAN, FUJIAN (FUKIEN, HOKKIEN).
Comments	Most Min Nan speakers in Thailand speak Chaochow. Business, industrialists, clerks, sales, service, agriculturalists, professionals. Buddhist, Chinese folk religion, secular, Christian. Bible 1933. See main entry under China.