Chen (2012) notes that the Shaoguan Tuhua of Shibei (石陂, in Zhenjiang District) shares many similarities with the Hakka of Qujiang District, due to intensive contact.
Sagart (2001) considers the Nanxiong dialect (classified in the Language Atlas of China as a Shaozhou Tuhua dialect) to be most closely related to Hakka.[2] In contrast, Egerod (1983) had proposed a relationship between Nanxiong and Min.[3]
Dialects
Shaozhou Tuhua is also known as Yuebei Tuhua (粤北土话, "Northern Guangxi/Guangdong Tuhua"), and as Shīpóhuà (虱婆话, "Shipo dialect"), Shīnǎhuà (虱乸话, "Shina dialect"),[4] or Shīpóshēng (虱婆声, "Shipo accent")[5] in its own region. It is also known as Pingdi Yaohua (平地瑶话, "Lowland Yao dialect"), locally Piongtuojo or Piongtoajeu; "Yao" here might be a cultural designation, as only half of the one million speakers are classified as ethnic Yao.[6][full citation needed][1]
Li & Zhuang (2009) cover the following dialects of Shaoguan Tuhua.[7]
Zhang Shuangqing (2004) covers five dialects of Lianzhou Tuhua (连州土话).[8]
Xingzi (星子) dialect: 120,000 speakers in Xingzi (星子), Qingjiang (清江), Shantang (山塘), Tanling (潭岭), Dalubian (大路边) towns, and parts of Mabu (麻步) and Yao'an (瑶安) towns
Bao'an (保安) dialect: 30,000 speakers in Bao'an Town (保安镇), and parts of Longping Town (龙坪镇)
Lianzhou (连州) dialect (locally called ᴀt24 pi55 sheng 声): 40,000 speakers in Lianzhou Town (连州镇) and Fucheng Town (附城镇)
Xi'an (西岸) dialect (locally called Mansheng 蛮声): 30,000 speakers in Xi'an Town (西岸镇)
Fengyang (丰阳) dialect (locally called Mansheng 蛮声): 50,000 speakers in Fengyang Town (丰阳镇), and parts of Zhugang (朱岗), Dongpo (东陂), and Yao'an (瑶安) towns
^ abIu Mien at Ethnologue (13th ed., 1996). "Pingdi Yao (Piongtuojo, Piongtoajeu) is a variety of Chinese with 1,000,000 speakers, half of whom are members of Yao nationality"
^Sagart, Laurent. 2001. Nanxiong and Hakka. Fangyan [Dialect] 2001(2):142-151.
^Egerod, Søren. 1983. The Nanxiong Dialect. Fangyan [Dialect] 1983(2):123-42.
^"Sháozhōu běnchénghuà" 韶州本城话 [Shaozhou Local Dialect]. gdsglib.cn (in Chinese). 2008-09-08. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2010-07-13.