What is Taishanese?

[@davidng8609]

Kudos! I am a Hoisan, Cantonese, Mandarin speaker, and I can identify with the video clip fully! Very authentic! Keep it up!

[@HoisanSauce]

Thank you for your support!

[@yong_yin_7373]

Me too!

[@jeffyyu4858]

always wondered, did anyone else's parents change from taishanese to canto when going out/speaking to strangers? right now my canto and taishanese is a bit mixed and at times i can understand but it never comes to mind when i try to respond. honestly hope to be fluent in both, especially taishanese to preserve it

[@HoisanSauce]

I find that my parents typically will use Cantonese to greet other people. Even if I tell them that the person they're speaking to speaks Taishanese. I think this has to do with Cantonese being the lingua franca in Guangdong. I know people who have mixed up both Taishanese and Cantonese in their speech, so you're not alone. If you want to work on your Taishanese, I invite you to come on our Discord server to access resources and even ask anyone online questions about Taishanese.

[@dandojo1882]

Same :/

[@daddyshark3415]

yes!!!! when speaking with me or my immediate family, we use taishanese, but when we talk to other relatives we switch to Cantonese lmao

[@therealraytam]

I very much needed this. I grew up in a suburb with very little Asians around. I spent a lot of my time trying to fit in and didn't listen to my parents. Hopefully, I can make up for some lost times.

[@HoisanSauce]

Ahh! You're welcome to join our community discord server. We have bunch of active members that speak taishanese and have taishanese language resources!

[@ChefTosen]

proud to be a Hoisan ngin

[@HoisanSauce]

Yay!

[@YourNeighborJenny]

My ancestors are Taishanese and I'm learning so much from this! Thank you!!! I appreciate this

[@HoisanSauce]

More to come!

[@unknowncookie9816]

came from the canto group but you should also post in the taishanese/hoisanese groups!

[@HoisanSauce]

It has already been posted there!

[@andresbravo1734]

which groups???

[@BSBMteam]

Awesome! Been waiting for a dedicated Taishanese uploader

[@HoisanSauce]

Thank you so much!

[@dramaticallysane]

saw this on subtle canto traits! What a wonderful video, although just simply canto myself, this was interesting to learn about. From one small channel to another - keep working!

[@HoisanSauce]

Thank you!

[@avarice8913]

Proud to be hoisan ren. Proud to know that our ancestors found Chinatowns oversea, a second home from home. Looking forward to your videos.

[@HoisanSauce]

I'm also proud to be a hoisan ngin. :) Looking forward to your continued support!

[@mylaine8837]

Thank you for making this video. Being a 1st gen CBC , this helps me remember my mother tongue. Looking forward to more videos.

[@HoisanSauce]

You're welcome! We hope to release many more!

[@ChasMusic]

Non-fluent three-semester Canto student here, and took a one-hour intro to Toisan once. Glad to see someone preserving the language. Video was hard for me to watch because of all the slide-in animations, but glad you are spreading the knowledge.

[@LintonWong]

Awesome, thanks for doing this video!!

[@HoisanSauce]

No problem. ;) Anything to promote Taishanese on the interwebs nowadays. ;)

[@saplingTender]

Bumps for the algorithm!

[@HoisanSauce]

Thanks!

[@DougYuen8888]

Awesome video. Provides clarity to alot of what my dad tallked about while we were growing up in Montreal.

[@AZnCarmy]

love thissss!! so proud to be taishanese :)

[@HoisanSauce]

Yay! :D I'm proud as well. :)

[@krisskross3076]

What are Taishanese people particularly proud of being Taishanese? (particular historic events, sports, culture, famous Taishanese...etc.)

[@VideoSouls]

This is fucking awesome, keep it up. I’ve been waiting for major Taishanese representation. I think if we don’t teach people Taishanese it’ll be gone in the future.

[@HoisanSauce]

Thanks for the compliment!

[@christinez2038]

Keep up with the good work!!!

[@HoisanSauce]

Thank you! You keep up the good work with learning too!

[@sherrycheng555]

Saw this on the sct discord server and although I don't speak Taishanese myself, this was really cool! 加油！

[@HoisanSauce]

Thank you so much for the support!

[@JAims94]

Video ideas: 1. Money 2. Time 3. Weather 4. Questions/Answers (how to ask them properly and respond properly) 5. Grocery store items 6. Authentic Chinese (Hoisan) food cuisines titles These are just idea that I've always been curious. Keep up the great work.

[@HoisanSauce]

Noted! Thanks for the suggestions! Fun fact, some older Taishanese speakers may call money "銀" (ngan225) instead of the common "錢" (ten225) we hear today. :3 In the meantime, I recommend you join our Discord server if you haven't already. :)

[@yong_yin_7373]

OMG I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL!!! Made me cry 😢

[@HoisanSauce]

Glad you like it. :) You should join us on the Discord server if you haven't already! :3

[@Trolligarch]

Never heard of Taishanese until today! Guess you learn something new everyday.

[@HoisanSauce]

Wait till you hear more fun facts about Taishanese. ;)

[@joannezhao9513]

Loved the drawings! So excited for this channel, subscribed! I hope more Taishanese and others can find this channel so we can spread more knowledge!

[@HoisanSauce]

Thank you for your support! The drawings were drawn by 了猫!

[@jiggyc1217]

Great first video, Hingdais (and Hingmuis?). Coming from the Taishanese discord group, videos are easily digestible for first time learners. Might I suggest common phrases and vocabulary (i.e., for travelling to sei yip) much akin to SCMP's Cantonese Lessons videos by Louisa Tam?

[@HoisanSauce]

We'll definitely consider it. Thanks for the kind words!

[@josephhallify]

Thank you for mentioning my mother tongue Sunwuiese, the brother of Hoishanese also with abundant history. As a member of Sze Yap I respect Hoishanese culture and admire the effort of Hoishan people. Though Sunwui owns the longest history of Sze Yap but the dialect culture is not as complete as Hoishan. Wish that we could learn from you Hoishanese! Also Hope one day we Sze Yap people could be united to create great wonders for the world!!!

[@HoisanSauce]

Thanks for sharing!

[@cazikmom]

This is awesome! Def following...Saw on I

[@HoisanSauce]

Thanks so much!

[@psychedamike]

Really liked the visuals!

[@HoisanSauce]

Thank 了貓 (Liau55 Miu55) for that! :D He is an incredible artist!

[@tommybooi]

Can you do a video of taishanese history in America?

[@HoisanSauce]

Definitely! We have that planned I'm sure.

[@walltowall5]

@@HoisanSauce looking forward to that!

[@lucywong2055]

Fantastic ❤️❤️

[@HoisanSauce]

Fantastic baby.

[@綠茶-r2u]

Awesome, informative video, looking forward to seeing more from you guys!

[@HoisanSauce]

Thanks for watching!

[@CalWong1]

Love this. Great work!

[@HoisanSauce]

Thanks! :3

[@scrapbookingyogi2b]

So glad I found your channel. Hope you will continue to produce more content. My sister and I are trying to hold on to our ABC Taishan heritage.

[@HoisanSauce]

Thank you! If you and your sister are interested in meeting other Taishanese people, please join our Taishanese Discord server (link is in the video description)!

[@kamwengloh]

Thanks for video, keep it up 👍👍👍

[@HoisanSauce]

Thank you very much!

[@Jumpoable]

Amazing. Keep up the good work!

[@HoisanSauce]

[@nell834]

Subscribed!

[@HoisanSauce]

Thank you!

[@johcha]

Looking forward to more videos. I didn’t know I spoke a mix of taishanese and cantonese until we’ll into high school. I’m now watching this with my kids.

[@HoisanSauce]

You're not alone! I know a lot of people who speak a mix of Cantonese and Taishanese! We have more videos to come in the near future!

[@krisskross3076]

First time I learned about Taishanese, why are there up to three digits behind each syllable in Taishanese, there is only one in Mandarin?

[@HoisanSauce]

Hello Kriss! Thanks for your question. We answer this question in depth in our Taishanese Tones video. Please check it out on our channel! In short, we are using a different tone system that denotes the initial pitch and the final pitch. Sometimes there are three levels, for example: mid falling then rising

[@allanmah5967]

It's tough to muster a few cantonese words out of our kids mouth, let alone Hoisan va. Great short history video. I have the kids watch and learn. The region has improved over the last 40 years immensely, just like the rest of China. Proud to be a Hoisan Nign. A chinese person.

[@HoisanSauce]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. We have plans on making more videos focused on Taishanese history in the future. I went to Taishan a few years ago and was quite amazed at the progress it has undergone in the past few decades. Looking forward to visiting again in the future. :)

[@christinez2038]

This is amazing!! Wow!!!

[@HoisanSauce]

Thank you!!!!!!

[@nathanjames4734]

Awesome! My grandparents came from Hoisan to the US. I've been wanting to learn more about my ancestral culture!

[@HoisanSauce]

Sounds like a plan!

[@jacyellowtree6043]

Hello, by chance, are you related to Walter C. James from Seattle and Minnesota? There is a memorial plaque at a Chinese cemetery near Chicago that acknowledges Mr. James as he helped to build a traditional structure for burning incense, paper money, etc. at the cemetery.

[@noname4422]

An animated channel about Taishanese sounds really cool! I'm learning Taiwanese Hokkien right now. All non-Mandarin Chinese languages are in it together.

[@HoisanSauce]

Yay! :D

[@rssmith289]

I am so happy to have found this channel! My parents and grandparents all spoke Toisan but they are no longer with us now. I would like to learn more.

[@HoisanSauce]

I'm happy that you would like to learn more about the language! If you are interested, please check out our Discord server (link is in the description)!

[@misterptats5141]

Thank you for the video! I’ve been looking for the name of what Chinese dialectic speak but couldn’t until recently since there’s so many. I agree with having to at least understand Cantonese to communicate with other Chinese people.

[@HoisanSauce]

You're welcome!

[@gnaukr]

I’ve been looking for this content my whole life. Thank you!

[@rainbowcrystalflower8819]

You should make a video talking about the 25 most common phrases used in every day life like, hello,morning,afternoon,excuse me,thank you, sorry, good night, bye and etc...

[@garym3998]

This is great! Looking forward to the next video.

[@HoisanSauce]

Next video is just around the corner! :D

[@gordoncheong7709]

Keep these coming.

[@HoisanSauce]

They are coming indeed. ;)

[@jonathanhall7389]

I love this! Really stand by your message. Please check the Hoisan email, I'm interested in interviewing you for a low resource langauge project. Can't wait for the next upload!

[@HoisanSauce]

Hi! Thanks for the compliment!

[@deesnoots]

Yes! Finally a toisanese channel explaining our people

[@HoisanSauce]

Our people, the 台山人 (hoi22 san33 ngin22). XD

[@JustNuggie]

I'm from Guangdong and I know I speak canto but I don't know which type of canto so here I am lol

[@HoisanSauce]

Haha, most Taishanese ABCs/CBCs I've encountered are often times in the same predicament. :P There are many varieties of Yue out there, some sound very similar or have similar tones/initials/finals. If your variety isn't a Guangfu variety or a Szeyap variety, try checking out one of those videos that showcases different varieties of Yue across Guangdong. If you can't find it, let me know!

[@goonhoongtatt1883]

There are many Taishanese speakers in Malaysia too. Wish you could include it in your map! My mom speaks fluent Taishanese, so do many older relatives on my maternal side. I can understand Taishanese if spoken slowly but not very fluent. Cantonese is my first language.

[@chookmuing4822]

I am also hoisan ngin, keep up the good work. So proud of you guys.

[@HoisanSauce]

Thank you for your support!

[@YorgosL1]

Oh so it’s very similar to Cantonese. Even toisanwa and hoisanva sound alike than taishanhua in mandarin

[@lin00wastaken]

Saw this on SAT Pog, Keep up the good work :o

[@HoisanSauce]

Thanks for the compliment!

[@Shouji_akutami]

I am a bit taishanese, and I only know how to scream at someone in taishanses. That I learned from my grandma bargaining for roasted chicken prices.

[@kathleenyang9437]

Can't wait for the next one!!!

[@HoisanSauce]

Will be out soon! ;)

[@LueYee]

Giving you that like-and-subscribe.

[@HoisanSauce]

Thank you very much, every bit counts!

[@flam_central]

Thanks, half my family speaks only Taishanese and I'm very eager to learn the language.

[@MrAlexanderrangel]

Awesome vid man~!!! :D

[@HoisanSauce]

Thank you~!!! :D

[@imyeos]

i appreciate this channel! i, an abc would like to relearn my mother tongue in hopes of communicating with my grandparents again.

[@HoisanSauce]

Definitely a good reason to start learning. By the way, Inspirlang is planning on releasing a "Learn to Speak Taishanese" book later this year. I highly recommend you check it out as it contains a lot of vocabulary geared towards conversation with the elderly!

[@DocPetron]

As weird as it sounds, when I speak to my mom, I speak Cantonese while my mom speaks Toisanese and we go all day like that. So I've always viewed Toisanese like a Californian speaking to someone from Texas. And yes, I grew up in Texas but lived in California my adult life, so I know the difference.

[@2962sbrown]

same with me and my grandma she speaks Toisan to me and I speak in Cantonese, but sometimes when I don't understand something the first time she slips in some Cantonese

[@HoisanSauce]

Sometimes, extended exposure to the other language can help you understand it much better. But the possible downside to that is the confusion and mixing of both languages.

[@naansee]

Legit! Love this.

[@HoisanSauce]

Thanks!

[@JustJnn0526]

the drawings are so cute! came here from SCT!

[@HoisanSauce]

Thank you! Thank 了貓 for the drawings.

[@MichaelNicastro]

Thanks very informative. My grandfather is from there.

[@HoisanSauce]

Happy that the information was well received by you! Hopefully we can feature more cool things about Taishanese language and culture in our future videos! :3

[@susieangelo6410]

Thank you! 💜

[@ILuvCuddlez8899]

this is awesome!

[@HoisanSauce]

You are awesome as well! :D

[@go_away510]

I’m a chinese-newzealander and I grew up speaking Taishanese with my parents. Obviously New Zealand is a tiny place in the middle of nowhere so there aren’t many Taishanese speakers. This video made me feel more connected with my roots. If that makes any sense

[@HoisanSauce]

That's great to hear! I actually also know a few Taishanese people from New Zealand. There's more Taishanese people than you think there. XD If you'd like to meet more Taishanese speakers, I recommend you join our Discord server. :3 discord.gg/qZj8Q4d

[@Tyranitar66501]

I was born in Hong Kong, live in Hong Kong, and have Taishanese ancestors, but neither my parents nor myself can speak. (I know Cantonese and Mandarin) So this is actually useful thanks!

[@jiajunwu5430]

This is great!!

[@HoisanSauce]

Thanks!!

[@jeffreyfung7535]

Could you introduce the unique grammar of Taishanese?

[@HoisanSauce]

We may do that in the future, but the grammar is similar to Cantonese from my understanding!

[@lloafofbread]

Lol I grew up speaking Cantonese and my parents speaking taishanese and I didn’t even realize how different the languages were until now since I was always able to switch between the two languages so easily

[@lari393]

It used to confuse me a lot when my parents would speak Cantonese to me and my siblings but swap to taishanese when speaking to each other. Tho in result of that I can now understand quite a bit of taishanese (tho I can never respond or speak it myself 😅)

[@HoisanSauce]

You aren't the only one! Many people on the Taishanese Discord server have shared similar experiences. :P

[@Enigmatism415]

Cantonese replaced Taishanese rather rapidly in North America after WWII, with the 1965 immigration act sealing its overseas fate.

[@HoisanSauce]

Yes, many places shifted to Cantonese after that time period, but Taishanese can still be heard in some Chinatowns here and there. 3:

[@wklee69]

So surprised that I understand every single Taishanese phrases here.... in local HKger but parents are from Xinhui.

[@HoisanSauce]

I think it's dependent on the variety of Szeyap, but some varieties, especially the places along the Xinhui-Taishan border are mutually intelligible with Taishanese and vice versa.

[@parrotbrand2782]

Everyone learning mandarin is making many dialects extinct. These dialects are much more sophisticated than Mandarin and you can express yourself much better.

[@HoisanSauce]

It's true that when one language is pushed to be the standard, many other local varieties are pushed to extinction. However, you are correct in saying that there are some expressions in Yue that don't exist in Mandarin. Although, I'm not sure if "sophisticated" is the correct term to use here...

[@TheBetterBoma]

Bro I can only understand it, I can’t speak it. Pain in the back to talk to my family members

[@HoisanSauce]

It's never too late to start learning. If you can already understand, that's something that can help you progress further. :3 I recommend creating word lists and trying to speak it with others.

[@yooo1423]

Aren't there also five counties now? I think called Ng yap in cantonese.

[@MeggieHuang]

this made me realize i mixed my taishanese and cantonese growing up, i say hoi san *w*a, not hoi san va and vice versa. i grew up speaking both, which is probably why

[@HoisanSauce]

There are many varieties of Taishanese. Some indeed use a w-. ;)

[@MeggieHuang]

@@HoisanSauce ohh that’s why! thanks for clearing that up for me!

[@HoisanSauce]

@@MeggieHuang By the way, you should join us on the Discord if you haven't already. :3

[@MeggieHuang]

@@HoisanSauce oh yeah sure!

[@HoisanSauce]

@@MeggieHuang Here's the invite link: discord.gg/TtU2v3S

[@haruzanfuucha]

Isn't it five counties now?

[@HoisanSauce]

Yes! Officially speaking, the region has five counties now, with the addition of Heshan/Hoksan.

[@winane]

I am Hoisan ngin. I have said my dialect is Hoisan. Us old timers don't say Taishanese because some think it is Taiwanese.

[@HoisanSauce]

That's a good reason! I've had Taishanese mistaken as Taiwanese and Thai. XD

[@ashleyyee8865]

Curious how you came up with the phonetics

[@HoisanSauce]

We analyzed the most common ones as shown here: XiaoXueTang (online) - ngoi33 hai31 hoi22 san33 ngin22. ni33 hau55 ma33? Stephen Li (online) - ŋɔi33 hai32 hɔi22 san33 ŋin22. ni33 hou55 ma33? Gene Chin (online) - ngöi-hāi-Hõi-sän-ngĩn. nï-hāo-mä? Our Channel - ngoi33 hai32 hoi22 san33 ngin22. ni33 hau55 ma22? I based ours mostly off of XXT along with some minor adjustments to my specific dialect. You can see our selections on the Discord server!

[@lukeout9169]

Will you make more videos?????????? :(

[@HoisanSauce]

We hope to release a new video this summer! Keep your eyes peeled out for the new release. :3

[@jsmliu2003]

i speak taishanese but then im kinda whitewashed so uhhh some things i dont know in taishanese are anger, mouse, skeleton yeah just random stuff

[@shunde232]

Hi, you speak superb 四邑話。

[@RaymondHng]

Where is 三邑 (Sāmyāp) spoken then?

[@HoisanSauce]

三邑 is the region that's roughly in between Hong Kong, 四邑 (lhi33 yip55), and Guangzhou. According to the Wikipedia page, it's the birthplace of 廣府, which encompasses Hong Kong Cantonese and Guangzhou Cantonese. However, I don't think people tend to use this term to classify the region anymore. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanyi

[@scufcs]

I’m taishanese too

[@HoisanSauce]

Me too! I invite you to come visit our Discord server where you can find other Taishanese people!

[@kamikazezhao7767]

Oh shet my family always say we are Cantonese but now I’m starting to wonder if we are actually taishanese.

[@PotatoGurlSasha]

I'm Hoipen, but I lost my native tongue so I get them confused as Cantonese XD

[@user-LYK.]

台山人在台山看你的视频

[@zoechan6213]

现在是五邑了， 加鹤山

[@HoisanSauce]

Yep! Originally 四邑现在是五邑

[@Tsundoiii]

How much 台山話 is spoken in 鶴山?

[@zoechan6213]

@@Tsundoiii they speak 鹤山话

[@HoisanSauce]

Indeed, a few decades ago, Lhi Yip (四邑) was changed to M Yip (五邑), to include Hoksan (鹤山). However, most people know it by 四邑 along with the term 四邑方言 or 四邑話 which is why used the older one. A lot of linguistics literature is also written about 四邑方言. All in all, 五邑 is valid, but I honestly don't know much about 鹤山 and if they really consider themselves Taishanese or in the Greater Taishan Region.

[@LAce.]

1:20 jett?

[@Narutouzumaki-ng3sp]

valorant addict

[@splat8175]

[@HoisanSauce]

[@SJ-yh2di]

My grandparents spoke Toisan, and my parents only know a little bc they are ABC. I know I’m hearing Toisan when I hear that “shleh” sound, like in that stir fried, glass noodle dish with bitter melon we call “shly fun.” That being said, could you help me pronounce my Chinese name in Toisan? My name is 甄永康. My last name has always been such a mystery. My anglicized last name is Jean. But I also have the same last name as actor Donnie Yen and TV chef Martin Yan. Yan? Yen? Jean? Also I have an auntie whose first name is Zhang (Z-AY-ng). But when my grandparents would say her name it sounded like Yang. Any ideas? Anyway thank you for making this channel. I grew up where most Chinese spoken outside of my network was Mandarin. We do have a pretty big network of Toisan Chinese though, but like you said, the dialect is dying out. Most of the speakers here (Houston) are very elderly, or it’s their ABC kids who are in their 50’s and 60’s (they can’t write though). It’s funny when I was younger I felt like I could point out Toisan people vs Mandarin people by the way they looked and I wasn’t far off.

[@HoisanSauce]

A voiceless lateral fricative. ;)

[@SJ-yh2di]

Hoisan Sauce I added a couple questions to my original comment. If you could weigh in, I’d love that. No rush though.

[@HoisanSauce]

​@@SJ-yh2di I ran the characters through two Taishanese dictionaries and this is the result: Chinese characters: 甄永康 Taishanese romanization: Dzin33 Ven21 Hong33 Cantonese Jyutping: Jan1 Wing5 Hong1 Recording: voca.ro/12fBsSYiA9wl (There may be a change in tone/pronunciation, but I'm mostly sure it should be pronounced this way.)

[@HoisanSauce]

@@SJ-yh2di As for your Zhang question. We aren't too sure about it. Could you possibly try to provide more information about how it's pronounced/written?

[@masterh9795]

first

[@HoisanSauce]

Aw, beat me to it.

[@bluebeastgamer3005]

Excellent learning videos. However, I hate putungwah dialects/northern!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@HoisanSauce]

Thanks for the compliment! However, there's no need to hate on 普通話 (pu55 huung33 va325) or northern Chinese topolects. They have their own interesting and beautiful features as well! :3

[@ilikenukesalot]

YEAHHHH!!! MY PEEPZ!!! HILLBILLIES UNITE!!!

[@HoisanSauce]

As much as I love your enthusiasm, it's not really advisable to use the term "hillbilly". ^^;

[@ilikenukesalot]

@@HoisanSauce lol what why?

[@HoisanSauce]

@@ilikenukesalot It's a derogatory term referring to an unsophisticated country person. I know you're using it jokingly, but I've seen a lot of people hear this about Hoisanva to the point where they end up refusing to speak it because the community has adopted such a term.

[@ilikenukesalot]

@@HoisanSauce I'm proud to be a hillbilly and to embrace the heng ha roots. We shouldn't try to whitewash/ coastal-elite-wash Hoisanwah just to fit in better with the snobby Canto/Mando/white crowd

[@ilikenukesalot]

The term hillbilly doesn't have to be derogatory. Simple isn't necessarily bad.

[@shunde232]

蟛蜞醬is the sauce I miss most. Famous dish is steamed pork belly with 蟛蜞醬.