'''Hakka''' (客家话; Kèjiāhuà in [[Mandarin]]) is a language spoken in several areas of [[Southeast China]].
+
'''Hakka''' (客家话; Kèjiāhuà in [[Mandarin]]) is one of the main seven or so Chinese languages. It is spoken across several provinces in [[Southeast China]] including [[Taiwan]] and [[Hainan]] and [[Hong Kong]].
−
The Hakka (客家 Kèjiā) people came to various areas of Southern China — the West of [[Fujian]], parts of [[Guangdong]] and [[Hainan]] — as refugees from one of Northern China's wars some centuries back. Hakka means "guest people". The Hakka language (客家话; Kèjiāhuà) is related to Northern dialects rather than to any other Southern languages.
+
---Brief Overview---
+
The Hakka (客家 Kèjiā, [[IPA]]: [hak₃ ka₃₃] ) people are said to have migrated south from Northern China over the centuries to settle in southern [[Jiangsu]] and [[Hunan]], western [[Fujian]], eastern [[Guangdong]], and various other areas, due to wars, famine, natural disasters, and political persecution. Hakka comes from the words '客' "guest" and '家' "families" which deries from an official term during the [[Qing Dynasty]] for the program of resettlement of the coastal areas of Guangdong after evacuation orders imposed during the reign of Emperor Kangxi. These settlers whose language seemed different to the original inhabitants were given this appellation to show they were not indigenous to the areas they became settled in. Most indigenous inhabitants occupied the more fertile basins, whilst the incoming Hakka became settled in the more inaccessible valleys and mountainous or hilly terrain. The Hakka language (客家话; Kèjiāhuà) is shares a common vocabulary with Southern languages such as Min and Yue, and there are regular sound correspondences to the historical sound system of [[Middle Chinese]].
−
The Hakka have a history of seafaring and foreign trade, and quite a few overseas Chinese have Hakka ancestry. A number of influential Chinese have been Hakka. Hong Xiuquan led the Tai Ping rebellion around 1860 and claimed to be Jesus' younger brother; he ruled a large chunk of China for a decade or so before his movement was put down. Sun Yat Sen (Sun Zhong Shan in Mandarin) led the revolution of 1911 and was President of China until his death in 1926.
−
−
The Soong family began with a Hakka lad from Hainan who went to the US in the 1870s. On his return to China, originally as a Methodist missionary, he became a publishing magnate in Shanghai, a revolutionary, and a friend of Sun Yat Sen. His four children, all educated in the US, became very influential. The one son, T.V Soong, was a Harvard graduate with a Columbia PhD who served in various KMT governments. At different times he was Finance Minister, premier, and Governor of the central bank. The eldest daughter, Soong Ai Ling, married a businessman who eventually became the richest man in Taiwan. Middle sister Soong Ching Ling married Sun Yat Sen, despite an age difference and strong objections from her father. Youngest sister Soong Mei Ling married Chiang Kai Shek (Jiang Jieshi). There is a saying about the three sisters" "One loved money. One loved power. One loved China." Also a film [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120164/ The Soong Sisters] and a book, Sterling Seagrave's [http://browseinside.harpercollins.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780060913182 The Soong Dynasty].
==Pronunciation guide==
==Pronunciation guide==
+
+
The most accessible Hakka speakers are found in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Most of them will be dual language speakers, in Hong Kong, they are able to understand and speak Cantonese, whilst on the mainland of China and on Taiwan, they will also speak Mandarin. There is no standard form of Hakka and regional variations in local dialects can be surmounted by understanding the gist of the spoken sentence and knowing some sound correspondences that the user will encounter.
+
===Vowels===
===Vowels===
Revision as of 09:43, 4 April 2011
Hakka (客家话; Kèjiāhuà in Mandarin) is one of the main seven or so Chinese languages. It is spoken across several provinces in Southeast China including Taiwan and Hainan and Hong Kong.
---Brief Overview---
The Hakka (客家 Kèjiā, IPA: [hak₃ ka₃₃] ) people are said to have migrated south from Northern China over the centuries to settle in southern Jiangsu and Hunan, western Fujian, eastern Guangdong, and various other areas, due to wars, famine, natural disasters, and political persecution. Hakka comes from the words '客' "guest" and '家' "families" which deries from an official term during the Qing Dynasty for the program of resettlement of the coastal areas of Guangdong after evacuation orders imposed during the reign of Emperor Kangxi. These settlers whose language seemed different to the original inhabitants were given this appellation to show they were not indigenous to the areas they became settled in. Most indigenous inhabitants occupied the more fertile basins, whilst the incoming Hakka became settled in the more inaccessible valleys and mountainous or hilly terrain. The Hakka language (客家话; Kèjiāhuà) is shares a common vocabulary with Southern languages such as Min and Yue, and there are regular sound correspondences to the historical sound system of Middle Chinese.
The most accessible Hakka speakers are found in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Most of them will be dual language speakers, in Hong Kong, they are able to understand and speak Cantonese, whilst on the mainland of China and on Taiwan, they will also speak Mandarin. There is no standard form of Hakka and regional variations in local dialects can be surmounted by understanding the gist of the spoken sentence and knowing some sound correspondences that the user will encounter.
