Shanghainese

Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox language

The Shanghainese language, also known as the Shanghai dialect, or Hu language, is a variety of Wu Chinese spoken in the central districts of the city of Shanghai and its surrounding areas. It is classified as part of the Sino-Tibetan language family. Shanghainese, like the rest of the Wu language group, is mutually unintelligible with other varieties of Chinese, such as Mandarin.<ref>Template:Britannica</ref>

Shanghainese belongs to a separate group of the Taihu Wu subgroup. With nearly 14 million speakers, Shanghainese is also the largest single form of Wu Chinese. Since the late 19th century, it has served as the lingua franca of the entire Yangtze River Delta region, but in recent decades its status has declined relative to Mandarin, which most Shanghainese speakers can also speak.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Like other Wu varieties, Shanghainese is rich in vowels and consonants, with around twenty unique vowel qualities, twelve of which are phonemic. Similarly, Shanghainese also has voiced obstruent initials, which is rare outside of Wu and Xiang varieties. Shanghainese also has a low number of tones compared to other languages in Southern China and has a system of tone sandhi similar to Japanese pitch accent.

History

Template:Cite check The speech of Shanghai had long been influenced by those dialects spoken about Jiaxing and Suzhou. Suzhounese literature, Chuanqi, Tanci, and folk songs all influenced early Shanghainese.

During the 1850s, the port of Shanghai was opened, and a large number of migrants, particularly from Ningbo and the Jianghuai area, entered the city. Around this time, missionaries such as Joseph Edkins<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and Tarleton Perry Crawford would document the phonology of the language. This led to many loanwords from both the West and the East, especially from Ningbonese, and like Cantonese in Hong Kong, English. In fact, "speakers of other Wu dialects traditionally treat the Shanghai vernacular somewhat contemptuously as a mixture of Suzhou and Ningbo dialects."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> This has led to Shanghainese becoming one of the fastest-developing languages of the Wu Chinese subgroup, undergoing rapid changes and quickly replacing Suzhounese as the prestige dialect of the Yangtze River Delta region. It underwent sustained growth that reached a peak in the 1930s during the Republican era, when migrants arrived in Shanghai and immersed themselves in the local tongue. Migrants from Shanghai also brought Shanghainese to many overseas Chinese communities. As of 2016, 83,400 people in Hong Kong are still able to speak Shanghainese.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Shanghainese is sometimes viewed as a tool to discriminate against immigrants.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Migrants who move from other Chinese cities to Shanghai have little ability to speak Shanghainese. Among the migrant people, some believe Shanghainese represents the superiority of native Shanghainese people. Some also believe that native residents intentionally speak Shanghainese in some places to discriminate against the immigrant population to transfer their anger to migrant workers, who take over their homeland and take advantage of housing, education, medical, and job resources.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

After the People's Republic of China's government imposed and promoted Standard Chinese as the official language of all of China, Shanghainese had started its decline. During the Chinese economic reform of 1978, Shanghai has once again taken in a large number of migrants. Due to the prominence of Standard Mandarin, learning Shanghainese was no longer necessary for migrants. However, Shanghainese remained a vital part of the city's culture and retained its prestige status within the local population. In the 1990s, it was still common for local radio and television broadcasts to be in Shanghainese. For example, in 1995, the TV series Sinful Debt featured extensive Shanghainese dialogue; when it was broadcast outside Shanghai (mainly in adjacent Wu-speaking areas) Mandarin subtitles were added. The Shanghainese TV series Lao Niang Jiu (Template:Lang, "Old Uncle") was broadcast from 1995 to 2007;<ref>Template:Citation</ref> it was popular among Shanghainese residents. Shanghainese programming has since slowly declined amid regionalist-localist accusations. From 1992 onward, Shanghainese use was discouraged in schools, and many children native to Shanghai can no longer speak Shanghainese.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In addition, Shanghai's emergence as a cosmopolitan global city consolidated the status of Mandarin as the standard language of business and services, at the expense of the local language.<ref name="China Newsweek">Template:Cite news</ref>

Since 2005, movements to protect Shanghainese have emerged. At municipal legislative discussions in 2005, former Shanghai opera actress Ma Lili moved to "protect" the language, stating that she was one of the few remaining Shanghai opera actresses who still retained authentic classic Shanghainese pronunciation in their performances. Shanghai's former party boss Chen Liangyu, a native Shanghainese himself, reportedly supported her proposal.<ref name="China Newsweek" /> Shanghainese has been reintegrated into pre-kindergarten education, with education of native folk songs and rhymes, as well as a Shanghainese-only day on Fridays in the Modern Baby Kindergarten.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Professor Qian Nairong, linguist and head of the Chinese Department at Shanghai University, is working on efforts to save the language.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In response to criticism, Qian reminds people that Shanghainese was once fashionable, saying, "the popularization of Mandarin doesn't equal the ban of dialects. It doesn't make Mandarin a more civilized language either. Promoting dialects is not a narrow-minded localism, as it has been labeled by some netizens".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Qian has also urged for Shanghainese to be taught in other sectors of education, due to kindergarten and university courses being insufficient.

During the 2010s, many achievements have been made to preserve Shanghainese. In 2011, Hu Baotan wrote Longtang (Template:Lang, "Longtang"), the first ever Shanghainese novel.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In June 2012, a new television program airing in Shanghainese was created.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2013, buses in Shanghai started using Shanghainese broadcasts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2017, Apple's iOS 11 introduced Siri in Shanghainese, being only the third Sinitic language to be supported, after Standard Mandarin and Cantonese.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2018, the Japanese-Chinese animated anthology drama film Flavors of Youth had a section set in Shanghai, with significant Shanghainese dialogue.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In January 2019, singer Lin Bao released the first Shanghainese pop record Shanghai Yao (Template:Lang, "Shanghai Ballad").<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In December 2021, the Shanghainese-language romantic comedy movie Myth of Love (Template:Lang) was released. Its box office revenue was ¥260 million, and response was generally positive.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Similarly, in December 2023, the TV show Blossoms Shanghai (Template:Lang) aired with the primary language being Shanghainese.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Today, around half the population of Shanghai can converse in Shanghainese, and a further quarter can understand it. Though the number of speakers has been declining, a large number of people want to preserve it.

Status

Due to the large number of ethnic groups of China, efforts to establish a common language have been attempted many times. Therefore, the language issue has always been an important part of Beijing's rule. Other than the government language-management efforts, the rate of rural-to-urban migration in China has also accelerated the shift to Standard Chinese and the disappearance of native languages and dialects in the urban areas.<ref name="Spolsky 2014">Template:Cite journal</ref>

As more people moved into Shanghai, the economic center of China, Shanghainese has been threatened despite it originally being a strong topolect of Wu Chinese. According to the Shanghai Municipal Statistics Bureau, the population of Shanghai was estimated to be 24.28 million in 2019, of whom 14.5 million are permanent residents and 9.77 million are migrant residents.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> To have better communication with foreign residents and develop a top-level financial center among the world, the promotion of the official language, Standard Mandarin, became very important. Therefore, the Shanghai Municipal Government banned the use of Shanghainese in public places, schools, and work.<ref name="Spolsky 2014" /> Around half of the city's population is unaware of these policies.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

A survey of students from the primary school in 2010 indicated that 52.3% of students believed Mandarin is easier than Shanghainese for communication, and 47.6% of the students choose to speak Mandarin because it is a mandatory language at school. Furthermore, 68.3% of the students are more willing to study Mandarin, but only 10.2% of the students are more willing to study Shanghainese.<ref name=":12">Template:Cite web</ref> A survey in 2021 has shown that 15.22% of respondents under 18 would never use Shanghainese. The study also found that the percentage of people that would use Shanghainese with older family members has halved. The study also shows that around one third of people under the age of 30 can only understand Shanghainese, and 8.7% of respondents under 18 cannot even understand it. The number of people that are able to speak Shanghainese has also consistently decreased.<ref>Gui and Zhou 2021</ref>

Much of the youth can no longer speak Shanghainese fluently because they had no chance to practice it at school. Also, they were unwilling to communicate with their parents in Shanghainese, which has accelerated its decline.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The survey in 2010 indicated that 62.6% of primary school students use Mandarin as the first language at home, but only 17.3% of them use Shanghainese to communicate with their parents.<ref name=":12" />

However, the same study from 2021 has shown that more than 90% of all age groups except 18–29 want to preserve Shanghainese. A total of 87.06% of people have noted that the culture of Shanghai cannot live without its language as it is used as a mechanism to bring people together and create a sense of community and warmth. Moreover, around half of the respondents stated that a Shanghainese citizen should be able to speak Shanghainese. More than 85% of all participants also believe that they help Shanghainese revitalization.<ref>Gui and Zhou 2021, p. 7.</ref>

Classification

Shanghainese macroscopically is spoken in Shanghai and parts of eastern Nantong,<ref>Template:Citation</ref> and constitutes the Shanghai subranch of the Northern Wu family of Wu Chinese. Some linguists group Shanghainese with nearby varieties, such as Huzhounese and Suzhounese, which has about 73% lexical similarity with Standard Mandarin,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> into a branch known as Suhujia (Template:Lang), due to them sharing many phonological, lexical, and grammatical similarities. Newer varieties of Shanghainese, however, have been influenced by standard Chinese as well as Cantonese and other varieties, making the Shanghainese idiolects spoken by young people in the city different from that spoken by the older population. Also, the practice of inserting Mandarin into Shanghainese conversations is very common, at least for young people.<ref>Lu, Dan. Loan words vs. code mixing in the Shanghai Dialect. Hong Kong Baptist University. Dialectologia 3, 2009, p. 53–72.</ref> Like most subdivisions of Chinese, it is easier for a local speaker to understand Mandarin than it is for a Mandarin speaker to understand the local language. It is also of note that Shanghainese, like other Northern Wu languages, is not mutually intelligible with Southern Wu languages like Taizhounese and Wenzhounese.

Shanghainese as a branch of Northern Wu can be further subdivided. The details are as follows:<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Qian 2003, p. 395.</ref>

Urban branch (Template:Lang) – what "Shanghainese" tends to refer to. Occupies the city centre of Shanghai, generally on the west bank of the Huangpu River. This can also be further divided into Old, Middle, and New Periods, as well as an emerging Newest Period.

The following are often collectively known as Bendihua (Template:Lang, Shanghainese: Template:Lang, Wugniu: pen-di ghe-gho)

Jiading branch (Template:Lang) – spoken in the most of Jiading and Baoshan.
Liantang branch (Template:Lang) – spoken in the southwestern ends of Qingpu.
Chongming branch (Template:Lang) – spoken in the islands of Hengsha, Changxing and Chongming, as well as the eastern parts of Nantong.
Songjiang branch (Template:Lang) – spoken in all other parts of Shanghai, which can be further divided into the following:

Pudong subbranch (Template:Lang) – spoken in all parts of the east bank of the Huangpu River, taking up most of the Pudong district.

Shanghai subbranch (Template:Lang) – spoken in the rest of the peripheral areas of the city center, namely southern Jiading and Baoshan, as well as northern Minhang.

Songjiang subbranch (Template:Lang) – spoken in the rest of Shanghai. Named after the Songjiang district.

Phonology

Following conventions of Chinese syllable structure, Shanghainese syllables can be divided into initials and finals. The initial occupies the first part of the syllable. The final occupies the second part of the syllable and can be divided further into an optional medial and an obligatory rime (sometimes spelled rhyme). Tone is also a feature of the syllable in Shanghainese.<ref name="Zhu">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp Syllabic tone, which is typical to the other Sinitic languages, has largely become verbal tone in Shanghainese.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Initials

The following is a list of all initials in Middle Period Shanghainese, as well as the Wugniu romanisation and example characters.

Initial Consonants
		Labial	Dental/ Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal		Template:IPA link ⟨m⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA link ⟨n⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA link ⟨gn⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA link ⟨ng⟩ Template:Lang
Plosive	plain	Template:IPA link ⟨p⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA link ⟨t⟩ Template:Lang		Template:IPA link ⟨k⟩ Template:Lang	(Template:IPA link) Template:Lang
	aspirated	Template:IPA link ⟨ph⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA link ⟨th⟩ Template:Lang		Template:IPA link ⟨kh⟩ Template:Lang
	voiced	Template:IPA link ⟨b⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA link ⟨d⟩ Template:Lang		Template:IPA link ⟨g⟩ Template:Lang
Affricate	plain		Template:IPA link ⟨ts⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA link ⟨c⟩ Template:Lang
	aspirated		Template:IPA link ⟨tsh⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA link ⟨ch⟩ Template:Lang
	voiced			Template:IPA link ⟨j⟩ Template:Lang
Fricative	voiceless	Template:IPA link ⟨f⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA link ⟨s⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA link ⟨sh⟩ Template:Lang		Template:IPA link ⟨h⟩ Template:Lang
Fricative	voiced	Template:IPA link ⟨v⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA link ⟨z⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA link ⟨zh⟩ Template:Lang		Template:IPA link ⟨gh⟩, ⟨y⟩, ⟨w⟩ Template:Lang
Lateral			Template:IPA link ⟨l⟩ Template:Lang

Shanghainese has a set of tenuis, lenis and fortis plosives and affricates, as well as a set of voiceless and voiced fricatives. Alveolo-palatal initials are also present in Shanghainese.

Voiced stops are phonetically voiceless with slack voice phonation in stressed, word initial position.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> This phonation (often referred to as murmur) also occurs in zero onset syllables, syllables beginning with fricatives, and syllables beginning with sonorants. These consonants are true voiced in intervocalic position.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Sonorants are also suggested to be glottalised in dark tones (i.e. tones 1, 5, 7).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Finals

Being a Wu language, Shanghainese has a large array of vowel sounds. The following is a list of all possible finals in Middle Period Shanghainese, as well as the Wugniu romanisation and example characters.<ref>Xu and Tang 1988, pp. 8</ref>

Medial	Nucleus
Medial	Template:IPA	Template:IPA	Template:IPA	Template:IPA	Template:IPA	Template:IPA	Template:IPA	Template:IPA	Template:IPA	Template:IPA	Template:IPA	Template:IPA	Template:IPA	Template:IPA	liquid
Template:IPA	Template:IPA ⟨y⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨a⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨au⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨o⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨eu⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨e⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨oe⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨an⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨aon⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨en⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨on⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨aq⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨oq⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨eq⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨er⟩ Template:Lang Template:NoteTag
Template:IPA	Template:IPA ⟨i⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨ia⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨iau⟩ Template:Lang		Template:IPA ⟨ieu⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨ie⟩ Template:Lang Template:NoteTag		Template:IPA ⟨ian⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨iaon⟩ Template:Lang Template:NoteTag	Template:IPA ⟨in⟩ Template:Lang Template:NoteTag	Template:IPA ⟨ion⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨iaq⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨ioq⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨iq⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨m⟩ Template:Lang Template:NoteTag
Template:IPA	Template:IPA ⟨u⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨ua⟩ Template:Lang				Template:IPA ⟨ue⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨uoe⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨uan⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨uaon⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨uen⟩ Template:Lang		Template:IPA ⟨uaq⟩ Template:Lang		Template:IPA ⟨ueq⟩ Template:Lang
Template:IPA	Template:IPA ⟨iu⟩ Template:Lang						Template:IPA ⟨ioe⟩ Template:Lang			Template:IPA ⟨iun⟩ Template:Lang				Template:IPA ⟨iuq⟩ Template:Lang	Template:IPA ⟨ng⟩ Template:Lang Template:NoteTag

Template:Notefoot The transcriptions used above are broad and the following points are of note when pertaining to actual pronunciation:<ref>Chen and Gussenhoven 2015.</ref><ref>Xu and Tang 1988, pp. 8.</ref><ref name="dupref1">Qian 2007.</ref>

Template:IPA is enunciated with any part of the tongue, and is therefore in free variation as Template:IPA.
Template:IPA is often rounded into Template:IPA.
The Template:IPA in Template:IPA and Template:IPA are often lowered to Template:IPA, whereas the Template:IPA in Template:IPA and Template:IPA are often lowered to Template:IPA.
Template:IPA is pronounced as Template:IPA after labials and alveolars, whereas it is Template:IPA after glottal and alveolo-palatal initials.
High vowels in front of Template:IPA can undergo breaking.
Template:IPA can be merged into Template:IPA, resulting in one fewer rime.
Rimes with final Template:IPA are often simply realised with a shortened vowel nucleus when they are not utterance-final.
Lips are not significantly rounded in rounded vowels, and not significantly unrounded in unrounded ones.
Template:IPA are similar in pronunciation, differing slightly in lip rounding and height (Template:IPA respectively). Template:IPA are also similar in pronunciation, differing slightly in vowel height (Template:IPA respectively).
Medial Template:IPA is pronounced Template:IPA before rounded vowels.

The Middle Chinese nasal rimes are all merged in Shanghainese. Middle Chinese Template:IPA rimes have become glottal stops, Template:IPA.<ref>Svantesson, Jan-Olof. "Shanghai Vowels," Lund University, Department of Linguistics, Working Papers, 35:191–202</ref>

Tones

Shanghainese has five phonetically distinguishable tones for single syllables said in isolation. These tones are illustrated below in tone numbers. In terms of Middle Chinese tone designations, the dark tone category has three tones (dark rising and dark departing tones have merged into one tone), while the light category has two tones (the light level, rising and departing tones have merged into one tone).<ref>Chen, Zhongmin. Studies in Dialects in the Shanghai Area. Lincom Europa, 2003, p. 74.</ref><ref name="Zhu" />Template:Rp

Five Shanghainese Citation Tones
with Middle Chinese Classifications
	Level (Template:Lang)	Rising (Template:Lang)	Departing (Template:Lang)	Checked (Template:Lang) (only with coda)
Dark (Template:Lang) voiceless initials only	53 (1) marked with acute	334 (5)		55ʔ (7)
Light (Template:Lang) voiced initials only	113 (6)			12ʔ (8)

Numbers in this table are those used by the Wugniu romanisation scheme.

The conditioning factors which led to the yin–yang (light-dark) split still exist in Shanghainese, as they do in most other Wu lects: light tones are only found with voiced initials, namely Template:IPA, while the dark tones are only found with voiceless initials.<ref>Xu and Tang 1988, pp. 15–23</ref>

The checked tones are shorter, and describe those rimes which end in a glottal stop Template:IPA. That is, both the yin–yang distinction and the checked tones are allophonic (dependent on syllabic structure). With this analysis, Shanghainese has only a two-way phonemic tone contrast,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> falling vs rising, and then only in open syllables with voiceless initials. Therefore, many romanisations of Shanghainese opt to only mark the dark level tone, usually with a diacritic such as an acute accent or grave accent.

Tone sandhi

Tone sandhi is a process whereby adjacent tones undergo dramatic alteration in connected speech. Similar to other Northern Wu dialects, Shanghainese is characterized by two forms of tone sandhi: a word tone sandhi and a phrasal tone sandhi.

Word tone sandhi in Shanghainese can be described as left-prominent and is characterized by a dominance of the first syllable over the contour of the entire tone domain. As a result, the underlying tones of syllables other than the leftmost syllable, have no effect on the tone contour of the domain. The pattern is generally described as tone spreading (1, 5, 6, 7) or tone shifting (8, except for 4-syllable compounds, which can undergo spreading or shifting). The table below illustrates possible tone combinations.

Left-Prominent Sandhi Tone Values
Tone	One syllable	Two syllables	Three syllables	Four syllables	Five syllables
1	53 (˥˧)	55 (˥˥) 21 (˨˩)	55 (˥˥) 33 (˧˧) 21 (˨˩)	55 (˥˥) 33 (˧˧) 33 (˧˧) 21 (˨˩)	55 (˥˥) 33 (˧˧) 33 (˧˧) 33 (˧˧) 21 (˨˩)
5	334 (˧˧˦)	33 (˧˧) 44 (˦˦)	33 (˧˧) 55 (˥˥) 21 (˨˩)	33 (˧˧) 55 (˥˥) 33 (˧˧) 21 (˨˩)	33 (˧˧) 55 (˥˥) 33 (˧˧) 33 (˧˧) 21 (˨˩)
6	113 (˩˩˧)	22 (˨˨) 44 (˦˦)	22 (˨˨) 55 (˥˥) 21 (˨˩)	22 (˨˨) 55 (˥˥) 33 (˧˧) 21 (˨˩)	22 (˨˨) 55 (˥˥) 33 (˧˧) 33 (˧˧) 21 (˨˩)
7	55 (˥˥)	33 (˧˧) 44 (˦˦)	33 (˧˧) 55 (˥˥) 21 (˨˩)	33 (˧˧) 55 (˥˥) 33 (˧˧) 21 (˨˩)	33 (˧˧) 55 (˥˥) 33 (˧˧) 33 (˧˧) 21 (˨˩)
8	12 (˩˨)	11 (˩˩) 23 (˨˧)	11 (˩˩) 22 (˨˨) 23 (˨˧)	11 (˩˩) 22 (˨˨) 22 (˨˨) 23 (˨˧) 22 (˨˨) 55 (˥˥) 33 (˧˧) 21 (˨˩)	22 (˨˨) 55 (˥˥) 33 (˧˧) 33 (˧˧) 21 (˨˩)

As an example, in isolation, the two syllables of the word Template:Lang (China) are pronounced with a dark level tone (tsón) and dark checked tone (koq): Template:IPA and Template:IPA. However, when pronounced in combination, the dark level tone of Template:Lang (tsón) spreads over the compound resulting in the following pattern Template:IPA. Similarly, the syllables in a common expression for Template:Lang (zeq-sé-ti, "foolish") have the following underlying phonemic and tonal representations: Template:IPA (zeq), Template:IPA (sé), and Template:IPA (ti). However, the syllables in combination exhibit the light checked shifting pattern where the first-syllable light checked tone shifts to the last syllable in the domain: Template:IPA.<ref name="Zhu" />Template:Rp

Phrasal tone sandhi in Shanghainese can be described as right-prominent and is characterized by a right syllable retaining its underlying tone and a left syllable receiving a mid-level tone based on the underlying tone's register. The table below indicates possible left syllable tones in right-prominent compounds.<ref name="Zhu" />Template:Rp

Possible Left Syllable Tone Values in Right-Prominent Sandhi
Tone	Underlying Tone	Neutralized Tone
1	53	44
5	334	44
6	113	33
7	55	44
8	12	22

For instance, when combined, Template:Lang (ma, Template:IPA, "to buy") and Template:Lang (cieu, Template:IPA, "wine") become Template:IPA ("to buy wine").

Sometimes meaning can change based on whether left-prominent or right-prominent sandhi is used. For example, Template:Lang (tshau, Template:IPA, "to fry") and Template:Lang (mi, Template:IPA, "noodle") when pronounced Template:IPA (i.e., with left-prominent sandhi) means "fried noodles". When pronounced Template:IPA (i.e., with right-prominent sandhi), it means "to fry noodles".<ref name="Zhu" />Template:Rp

Nouns and adjectives attached to nouns tend to start left-prominent sandhi chains, whereas right-prominent chains are triggered by verbs and adverbs. Grammatical particles cannot start chains of their own, but instead can be realised as a null tone (Template:Lang-zh) or be part of another chain.<ref>Qian 2007</ref>

Gloss	Common Wu term	Shanghainese term
place	Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext
rainbow	Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext
shy	Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext

Gloss	Shanghainese	Standard Mandarin	Origin
vaseline	Template:Linktext		English
cement	Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext	English
à la carte	Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext	French
microphone	Template:Linktext		English
butter	Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext	English

English gloss	Traditional	Simplified	RomanisationTemplate:Efn
Shanghainese (language)	Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext	zaon-he ghe-gho
Shanghainese (people)	Template:Linktext		zaon-he-gnin
I	Template:Linktext		ngu
we or I	Template:Linktext		aq-la, aq-laq
he/she	Template:Linktext		yi
they	Template:Linktext		yi-la, yi-laq
you (sing.)	Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext	non
you (plural)	Template:Linktext		na
hello	Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext	non hau
good-bye	Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext	tsé-we
thank you	Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext	zhia-ya, zhia-zhia
sorry	Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext	te-veq-chi
but, however	Template:Linktext, Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext, Template:Linktext	de-zy, piq-ku
please	Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext	chin
that	Template:Linktext, Template:Linktext		é, í
this	Template:Linktext		geq
there	Template:Linktext, Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext, Template:Linktext	é-taq, í-taq
here	Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext	geq-taq
to have	Template:Linktext		yeu
to be	Template:Linktext		zy
to be at	Template:Linktext		laq-he
now, current	Template:Linktext, Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext, Template:Linktext	yi-ze, ne
what time is it?	Template:Linktext？	Template:Linktext？	yi-ze ci-ti-tsón
where	Template:Linktext, Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext, Template:Linktext	gha-li-taq, sa(-)di-faon
what	Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext	sa
who	Template:Linktext, Template:Linktext		sa-gnin, gha-li-we
why	Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext	we-sa
when	Template:Linktext		sa-zen-kuáon
how	Template:Linktext		na-nen
how much?	Template:Linktext, Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext, Template:Linktext	ci-di, tú-sau tsau-phiau
yes	Template:Linktext		é
no	Template:Linktext, Template:Linktext, Template:Linktext, Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext, Template:Linktext, Template:Linktext, Template:Linktext	m, veq-zy, m-meq, viau
telephone number	Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext	di-gho(-)hau-deu
home	Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext	oq-li
Come to our house and play.	Template:Linktext！	Template:Linktext！	tau aq-la oq-li-shian le beq-shian
Where's the restroom?	Template:Linktext？	Template:Linktext？	da-seu-ké laq-laq gha-li-taq
Have you eaten dinner?	Template:Linktext？	Template:Linktext？Template:Efn	ya-ve chiq-ku-leq-va
I don't know	Template:Linktext。	Template:Linktext。	ngu veq-shiáu-teq
Do you speak English?	Template:Linktext？	Template:Linktext？Template:Efn	non ín-ven kaon-teq le va
I adore you	Template:Linktext！	Template:Linktext！	ngu é-mu non
I like you a lot	Template:Linktext！	Template:Linktext！	ngu lau huóe-shi non gheq
news	Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext	shín-ven
[one is] dead	Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext	shi-theq-leq
[one is] alive	Template:Linktext		weq-laq-he
a lot	Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext	ciáu-kue
inside, within	Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext	li-shian
outside	Template:Linktext	Template:Linktext	nga-deu
How are you?	Template:Linktext？	Template:Linktext？Template:Efn	non hau va

Sinograph	Literary	Vernacular	Gloss	Mandarin
家	ciá	ká	house	jiā
顏	yi	nge	face	yán
櫻	ín	án	cherry	yīng
孝	shiau	hau	filial piety	xiào
學	yaq	ghoq	learning	xué
物	veq	meq	thing	wù
網	waon	maon	web	wǎng
鳳	von	bon	male phoenix	fèng
肥	vi	bi	fat	féi
日	zeq	gniq	sun	rì
人	zen	gnin	person	rén
鳥	gniau	tiau<ref>The Tangyun gives the Middle Chinese reading of 鳥 as 都了切, readily accounting for the t initial of the more conservative Vernacular reading. This reading appears in the Shanghainese word 麻鳥 'sparrow'.</ref>	bird	niǎo

Sinograph	Literary	Colloquial
生	Template:Linktext sén-veq	Template:Linktext sán-tshe
人	Template:Linktext zen-min	Template:Linktext gnin-le-fon
家	Template:Linktext ciá-din	Template:Linktext ká-tsy

"can"	Template:Lang (nen) / Template:Lang (nen-keu) / Template:Lang (hau)
"be able"	Template:Lang (ue) / Template:Lang (ue-teq)
"may"	Template:Lang (khu-i)
"would like"	Template:Lang (iau)
"should"	Template:Lang (ín-ké)
"willing to"	Template:Lang (zhin-gnioe) / Template:Lang (gnioe-i)
"happy to"	Template:Lang (káu-shin)
"want to"	Template:Lang (shian) / Template:Lang (hau)

	Singular		Plural
1st person	我Template:NoteTag		阿拉
1st person	ngu		aq-la aq-laq
2nd person	儂	侬	㑚
2nd person	non		na
3rd person	伊		伊拉
3rd person	yi		yi-la yi-laq

Name	Release year
繁花 (Blossoms Shanghai)	2023
Nothing But Thirty	2020
All Out of Love	2018
Women in Shanghai	2018
If You Are the One	2010
Shanghai Bund	2007
Home with Kids	2005
Once Upon a Time in Shanghai	1996
Sinful Debt	1995

本		本
pen	-	pen
(classifier for books)
every [book]

Shanghainese

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