Sichuanese dialects

Sichuanese dialects are Mandarin varieties spoken mainly in Sichuan and neighboring parts of southwestern China. They include several regional branches and differ from standard Mandarin in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar.

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Mandarin Chinese: Mandarin is a major group of Chinese languages, including the national standard and numerous regional varieties. Sichuanese varieties belong to Mandarin, though some retain features unlike the national standard.
Ming dynasty: A Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 1368 to 1644. Large-scale migration into Sichuan during and after the Ming period reshaped the region's population and speech.
Chengdu dialect: The Mandarin variety traditionally associated with Chengdu and its surrounding area. It is a prominent urban variety often used to illustrate Sichuanese pronunciation and vocabulary.
Standard Chinese: The standardized form of Mandarin used in education, broadcasting, and official communication in China. Sichuanese varieties share Mandarin ancestry but differ from the standard in local pronunciation and usage.
Sichuanese Mandarin phonology: The sound patterns of Sichuanese Mandarin, including its consonants, vowels, and tones. Pronunciation is among the clearest ways Sichuanese speech differs across regions and from standard Mandarin.
Huguang filling Sichuan: A major migration into Sichuan, especially from Huguang, during the late Ming and Qing periods. Migration brought diverse speech communities whose contact contributed to the region's linguistic formation.
Chongqing dialect: The Mandarin variety spoken in Chongqing and nearby areas. Its urban profile offers a useful comparison with speech centered on Chengdu.
Cantonese: A major Chinese language variety spoken in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and neighboring communities. Its classification outside Mandarin contrasts with the usual placement of Sichuanese varieties within Mandarin.
Sichuanese Mandarin tones: The lexical tone systems found in Sichuanese Mandarin varieties. Tone inventories and their historical origins vary across Sichuanese subgroups.
Old Sichuanese: The earlier Sinitic speech traditions of Sichuan before major late imperial migration altered the region's population. Its possible survival in particular features is central to debates about Sichuanese history.