What Chinese dialect is spoken in Shanghai?

Shanghainese (上海閒話 [z̥ɑ̃̀héɦɛ̀ɦʊ̀] in Shanghainese), or the Shanghai language (simplified Chinese: 上海话 or 沪语; traditional Chinese: 上海話 or 滬語), is a dialect of Wu Chinese spoken in the city of Shanghai and the surrounding region. It is classified as part of the Sino-Tibetan family of languages.

Is Shanghainese mutually intelligible with Mandarin?

Shanghainese is part of the larger Wu Chinese group of Chinese languages. It is not mutually intelligible with any dialects of Mandarin Chinese, or Cantonese, Southern Min (such as Hokkien-Taiwanese), and any other Chinese languages outside Wu. Modern Shanghainese, however, has been influenced by standard Chinese.

Can mandarin speakers understand Shanghainese?

Shanghainese is part of the larger Wu Chinese group of Chinese languages. It is not mutually intelligible with any dialects of Mandarin Chinese, or Cantonese, Southern Min (such as Hokkien-Taiwanese), and any other Chinese languages outside Wu.

What does the Shanghai accent sound like?

Describing what any accent sounds like is hard, but a few characteristics of Shanghai accented Mandarin are, like other southern dialects, zh- and sh- tend to become z- and s-. Also, often words that rhyme with yi in Mandarin become yie which is pronounced very short with a glottal stop (from Shanghainese influence).

Do people speak Mandarin with an accent in China?

Regardless where in China you are, most people you encounter will not speak Mandarin with the standard accent you’re used to from your teacher or textbook recordings. Indeed, this is true for native speakers of Mandarin as well, as the official standard is not the same as the Beijing dialect, although they do overlap to a large extent.

How many tones does Mandarin Chinese have?

Listen in particular to the tones: Mandarin Chinese has 4 tones, plus a so-called “neutral” tone); and to the different consonantal sounds. Chinese is very particular about the placement of the tongue when pronouncing sibilants, e.g., s, z, sh, and zh.

Is the Beijing dialect the same as the Standard Mandarin?

Indeed, this is true for native speakers of Mandarin as well, as the official standard is not the same as the Beijing dialect, although they do overlap to a large extent. In general, people will not speak perfectly standard Mandarin unless they have trained specifically to do so, and it is required for teachers, news broadcasters and so on.