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Northeastern Mandarin

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Northeastern Mandarin
東北話 / 东北话
Dōngběihuà
Native toJilin, Heilongjiang, Liaoning and Inner Mongolia provinces of China; (Overseas, United States-New York City, Russia-primarily in Primorsky Krai)
RegionNortheast China, Russian Far East (Taz)
Native speakers
(82 million cited 1987)[1]
Sino-Tibetan
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
ISO 639-6dbiu
cmn-nem
Glottolognort3283
Linguasphere79-AAA-bc

Northeastern Mandarin (simplified Chinese: 东北话; traditional Chinese: 東北話; pinyin: Dōngběihuà; lit. 'Northeast Speech' or 东北官话/東北官話 Dōngběiguānhuà "Northeast Mandarin") is the subgroup of Mandarin varieties spoken in Northeast China with the exception of the Liaodong Peninsula and few enclaves along Amur and Ussuri rivers. The classification of Northeastern Mandarin as a separate dialect group from Beijing Mandarin was first proposed by Li Rong, author of the Language Atlas of China, in 1989. However, many researchers do not accept the distinction.[2]

Geographical distribution

Northeastern Mandarin varieties are spoken in the northeastern part of China, in the provinces of Liaoning (except its southern part from Dalian to Dandong where Jiaoliao Mandarin is spoken), Jilin and Heilongjiang, and in some northern parts of Inner Mongolia.[3] The number of speakers was estimated in 1987 as 82 million.[1] The Language Atlas of China divided Northeastern Mandarin into three subgroups, following a classification be Hè Wēi based on the occurrence of nasal initials in words having a zero initial in Beijing:[3][4][5]

  • Jí–Shěn (吉沈) in the east, including Jilin dialect and Shenyang dialect, has a zero initial in these words, as in Beijing.
  • Hā–Fù (哈阜) in the west, including Harbin dialect and Changchun dialect, have nasal initials in these words.
  • Hēi–Sōng (黑松) in the north, including Qiqihar dialect, have zero or nasal initials in random variation.

More distant varieties tend to be more similar to the Beijing dialect than closer ones, so that the speech of Harbin is closer to that of Beijing than that of Jilin and Changchun, which in turn are closer than that of Shenyang.[6]

A form of Northeastern Mandarin (with some words from Udege and Nanai) has been spoken since approximately 1800 by the Taz people nearby in the Russian Far East, primarily in Primorsky Krai.[7]

Overseas, Northeastern Mandarin is spoken in increasingly larger communities in New York City Chinatowns/Flushing in the United States.

Phonology

Northeastern Mandarin shares similarities with the Beijing dialect, such as a similar development of the entering tone and the preservation of initial [w], where the dialects of Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing, have [v].[6] However, in northeastern Chinese, final -ian or -üan is pronounced with an [æ] rather than with [ɛ] or [e] as in the standard.[8] The [ʐ] initial of Beijing (spelled r- in pinyin) is generally omitted in northeastern varieties.[9][10]

Cultural and regional identity

Mandarin variants like Northeastern Mandarin often contribute to a strong regional identity. Because of its informal usage of words and tones, comedians often use Northeast dialects when performing. Comedian Zhao Benshan is recognized nationwide for his performances which make humorous use of Northeastern dialect and Northeastern Errenzhuan folk dance and song traditions.[11]

Traditional Performances using Northeastern Mandarin

Dance Opera: Song-and-Dance Duet

Northeastern Song-and-Dance Duet

Song-and-Dance Duet, also known as the Northeast Errenzhuan, formerly known as the ground dance, Spring song, half class opera, double edge music, etc., was named formally in 1952. It is a kind of walking and singing folk art and local opera in northeast China. It is widely spread in Jilin province, Liaoning Province, Heilongjiang Province and some areas of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It's a combination of the northeast Yangko, lotus falls, opera, northeast folk songs, jokes, acrobatics and other forms of music.

Form of Acting
  • Usually there are only two actors: 1 act the role of Chou, 1 act the role of Dan, with simple makeup, holding simple props such as handkerchiefs, paper fans, bamboo boards, etc. Another form is to make some dramatic performances as dramatists, which are very simple, lively and vivid.
  • Song-and-Dance Duet itself is usually performed by a male and a female actor. When performing a play with multiple roles, the two will not play a fixed role, nor will the fixed male (female) role be sung by male (female) actors, and the props will only have handkerchiefs and fans. More well-known songs are "Splashing water in front of the horse", "Big West Wing" and so on.
  • When not performing dramas, the costumes of actors and actresses are generally pretty and humorous. For example, actors wear red trousers and flowery shoes. Usually actors carry something as a prop. Handkerchiefs played an important role in performances in the past, and performers would often spin handkerchiefs around and lift them into the air with a gentle lift. Skilled performers could make handkerchiefs fly back into their hands.
  • "Song-and-Dance Duet" is put together and sung by people during the Lantern Festival every year. At the beginning of the performance was playing "black stick", that is, there was no musical accompaniment and makeup, only two people sang a "old border guan tone", singing with twist is very difficult, later in order to save effort, gradually changed to "pull show", from two to three to perform.

Northeastern Sketch Comedy

Sketch Opera
  • Sketch comedy is a genre of prose, and its content is often in life. The author after deep thought to convey the message to the reader, the content of the subject matter is unlimited, the truth or ideas conveyed without limit. It is characterized by simple, concise and vivid writing to describe or discuss some things. Characteristics is mainly through the facts and artistic images to express the ideological content, less discussion, narrative, description or lyrical elements, in a humorous way and comedy plot, lively, relaxed language, give a person a kind of revealing smile, and make people after laughing, see the essence of the problem, thought-provoking.
History of Northeastern Sketch Comedy
  • This art form is a new form of artistic expression born from the Spring Festival Gala. The sketch "Eating Noodles" performed by Chen Pais and Zhu Shimao may be the first widely spread sketch in mainland China.
  • With the promotion of CCTV Spring Festival Gala in the past 20 years, contemporary sketch has made great progress and become a popular art form among audiences.

Popularity

Northeastern Mandarin is considered as one of the most fast-spreading dialects. The Northeastern Mandarin quickly spread to the whole country after the reform and opening up. People from the northeast are willing to go out, and therefore, they are scattered all over the world, and due to its understandability, Northeastern Mandarin has become more and more popular among people.[12]

As a popular Chinese dialect, linguistic comedy shows are introduced to the CCTV Spring Festival Gala. Gradually, the comedy shows are widely accepted and welcomed by the audience, and the northeastern comedy has occupied the comedy market. With the popularity of the comedy and different kinds of Northeastern shows and dramas, many famous comedy stars such as Xiao Shenyang, Zhao Benshan, and Song Xiaobao have appeared.[12]

Nowadays, in the entertainment and film industries, there are more and more stars from the Northeast China. Some famous ones are Wei Daxun and Lin Gengxin, whose Northeastern Mandarin adds a lot of humor in shows and dramas. They even recomposed a famous song named Everyone In the World is Speaking Northeastern Mandarin, which has gained huge reputation and laughters.[12]

Later, with the rise of short videos and live broadcasts, Northeastern Mandarin began to dominate the screen due to its comedic talents. Some famous cyberwords are "double-click 666" and "Come on Bro". Those are some very common Northeastern mandarin adopted by teenagers.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b Yan (2006), p. 62.
  2. ^ Zhang, Shifang 张世方 (2010). Běijīng Guānhuà yǔyīn yánjiū 北京官话语音研究 (in Chinese). Beijing yuyan daxue chubanshe. p. 45. ISBN 9787561927755.
  3. ^ a b Wurm et al. (1987), Map B1.
  4. ^ Kurpaska (2010), p. 64.
  5. ^ Simmons (2016), p. 70.
  6. ^ a b Li (2004), p. 101.
  7. ^ "Russian Census 2010: Population by ethnicity". Gosudarstvennyi komitet po statistike. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  8. ^ Li (2004), p. 115.
  9. ^ Wurm et al. (1987), B1.
  10. ^ Kurpaska (2010), p. 90.
  11. ^ Liu (2011), p. 74.
  12. ^ a b c d "Let everyone speak two sentences in the Northeast dialect, which is the greatest respect the Northeast Lao Tie has for their hometown". iNEWS. Apr 26, 2022.

Works cited

  • Kurpaska, Maria (2010), Chinese Language(s): A Look Through the Prism of "The Great Dictionary of Modern Chinese Dialects", Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton, ISBN 978-3-11-021914-2.
  • Li, Chris Wen-Chao (2004), "Conflicting Notions of Language Purity: The Interplay of Archaising, Ethnographic, Reformist, Elitist and Xenophobic Purism in the Perception of Standard Chinese", Language & Communication, 24 (2): 97–133, doi:10.1016/j.langcom.2003.09.002.
  • Liu, Jin (2011), "Deviant Writing and Youth Identity: Representation of Dialects with Chinese Characters on the Internet", Chinese Language and Discourse, 2 (1): 58–79, doi:10.1075/cld.2.1.03liu.
  • Simmons, Richard VanNess (2016), "The Dōngbĕi Varieties of Mandarin", Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 26 (1): 56–80, doi:10.1075/japc.26.1.03van.
  • Wurm, Stephen Adolphe; Li, Rong; Baumann, Theo; Lee, Mei W. (1987), Language Atlas of China, Hong Kong: Longman, ISBN 978-962-359-085-3.
  • Yan, Margaret Mian (2006), Introduction to Chinese Dialectology, Munich: LINCOM Europa, ISBN 978-3-89586-629-6.
Northeastern Song-and-Dance Duet
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