Standard Cantonese is a
variant of
Cantonese (Yue) Chinese. It is spoken natively in and around the cities of
Guangzhou,
Hong Kong, and
Macau in
Southern China. Standard Cantonese is the
de facto official
Chinese spoken language of
Hong Kong and
Macau, and a
lingua franca of
Guangdong province and some neighbouring areas. It is also spoken by many
overseas Chinese of Guangdong, Hong Kong or Macau origin in
Singapore,
Malaysia,
Canada,
United States,
Australia,
Europe and elsewhere. Historically, Cantonese was the most common form of Chinese spoken by overseas Chinese communities in the Western world, although that situation has changed with the increasing importance of Mandarin in the Chinese-speaking world as well as immigration to the West from other countries as well as other parts of China.
In popular speech, Standard Cantonese is often known simply as Cantonese, though in academic linguistics the name can also refer to the broader category to which it belongs, Cantonese language (traditional Chinese ??; simplified Chinese ??; pinyin Yuèyu; Jyutping Jyut6jyu5). Standard Cantonese is also known popularly as Guangdong speech (traditional ???; simplified ???; pinyin Guangdong huà; Jyutping Gwong2dong1 wa2) or as the Canton Prefecture speech (traditional ??? or ???; simplified ??? or ???; pinyin Guangzhou huà or Guángfu huà; Jyutping Gwong2zau1 wa2 or Gwong2fu2 wa2). To its speakers in Mainland China, Standard Cantonese is called plain speech (Chinese ??; pinyin báihuà; Jyutping baak6 wa2) meaning "vernacular Chinese." Outside of Mainland China, Standard Cantonese is called Guangdong speech.
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Like any dialect, the phonology of Standard Cantonese varies among speakers. Unlike Standard Mandarin, there is no official agency to regulate Standard Cantonese. Below is the phonology accepted by most scholars and educators, the one usually heard on TV or radio in formal broadcast like news reports. Common variations are also described.
