The History of Cantonese

Writer - Nicholas

Photography - Nicholas

Posted July 30, 2024

The story of the Cantonese language is intertwined with the history of the lands it sprang up in. Rising from the heartlands of southern China, this language, and those who speak it, have experienced historical shifts, moments of social crisis, and continuous cultural evolution over centuries. Its history stretches from a time of antiquity in the heart of China, right through to the glass-and-steel metropolis that is 21st-century Hong Kong. This is the history of Cantonese or Yue Chinese, explained.

This Chinese dialect is closely associated with the southern Guangdong province, specifically the thriving commercial metropolis of Guangzhou (formerly Canton) and the South China Sea coast.

Even though the origin of the name "Cantonese" is debatable, the fact that it is a reflection of the dialect spoken in Canton City is a clear indication of where the name comes from.

An interesting blend of myth and history surrounds the precise point at which Cantonese split away from its Middle Chinese origins. Experts, however, consider the Tang Dynasty—which lasted from the 7th to the 10th century—to be the birthplace of this dialect.

If we look into the records of the last years of the Tang Dynasty, we find a period of constant civil upheaval in northern China. As a result of these changes, a large number of Han Chinese families left their homes and started fresh in the lush Pearl River Delta, which is located in the middle of Guangzhou.

The northerners arrived to find themselves surrounded by the Tai-speaking Tanka, an ethnic group very deeply connected to the rivers of the area. A subtle but significant blend of cultures began to take shape when the Han population surged, quickly surpassing the Tanka in number.

This mixture of cultures is where Cantonese began to take shape. A combination of proto-Cantonese and remnants of the Tai tongue allowed the early settlers to combine their own language with the local tongue. The Cantonese language that we know today grew out of this organic process, existing as an echo of that turbulent period of China’s distant past.

Cantonese was further influenced by the legacy of the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, which were all important regimes in the shaping of China's imperial history. The early growth of Cantonese was propelled by the urbanization and further migration of the Song Dynasty, and the language's complex vocabulary and distinctive grammar evolved further throughout the Ming and Qing centuries as the language was condensed and developed.

The Debate Started, Which Language Emerged First: Cantonese Or Mandarin?

As we’ve already established, Cantonese first appeared during the turbulent era after the Han Dynasty's downfall in 220 AD. Cantonese owes much of its growth to the migration of Northerners to the South during this turbulent era, who brought their old languages with them.

On the other hand, historical documents from the Yuan Dynasty, which ruled China in the fourteenth century, reveal where Mandarin took shape. Following the Communist Party's rise to power in 1949, it became firmly rooted as the preferred first language in China, evolving into something known as Putonghua, or Standard Chinese. 

In considering the changes in language following the handover, University of Hong Kong Professor Brian Tse made the following observation: "As expected, after the handover, Putonghua became more privileged and popular."

In 1999, the Education Bureau announced its intention to replace Cantonese as the medium of teaching in Chinese language classrooms with Putonghua. However, they did not specify when this move would be made.

The Standing Committee on Language Education and Research then revealed a plan to give $26 million to schools over four years to help with the switch to Putonghua for Chinese language instruction within the following ten years.

The change has had a significant impact, according to Cantonese advocacy groups; over 70% of elementary schools and 25% of high schools now teach Chinese only in Putonghua. This presents a threat to Cantonese as a spoken and written tongue and is a cause for cultural concern. 

How Cantonese Carved Its Identity Through China's Dynastic Era.

How Cantonese evolved into the language it is today is best understood through the ages of change that China experienced throughout its dynastic era, where political and social revolutions and cultural exchanges were common.

The Song Dynasty (960–1279)

During the glorious Song Dynasty, China underwent rapid urbanization, commercial expansion, and cultural innovation. The areas that became modern-day Guangdong and Guangxi are where the dynasty's influence on the language is most apparent. 

A more linguistically diverse southern landscape is a direct result of the inflow of northerners fleeing the upheaval caused by the failing Song Dynasty. Early Cantonese developed more rapidly as a result of the mingling of a variety of northern dialects with indigenous Yue dialects. This allowed the language to absorb and incorporate features from other varieties of Chinese, increasing its vocabulary and phonetic variety.

The Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368)

A period of non-Chinese rule over the empire also helped to shape the language, during the Yuan Dynasty, who were Mongols. Even though they were outsiders and tried to enforce a single unified Chinese Language amongst the population, the rulers still couldn't silence the Cantonese-speaking areas. This exemplifies the enduring nature of the Cantonese language.

The Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368–1912)

During the Ming and Qing eras, as China's dynastic wheel spun once again, Cantonese had periods of lengthy consolidation. During the Ming dynasty, which was defined by a return to Han Chinese rule, and a renewed focus on Confucian principles, indigenous cultures and dialects flourished once more, greatly enhancing the growth of Cantonese.

This impetus was then maintained during the Qing period when the country was ruled by the Manchus, once again from outside of China. 

The Cantonese-speaking community, particularly those stationed in the coastal trade harbors, was deeply involved in creating a thriving cultural and economic language which spread. By actively seeking out and incorporating foreign linguistic influences, this lead to Cantonese's remarkable capacity for adaptation, improving its reach and shaping it into a truly distinct language through the expansion of its vocabulary and style over time.

Despite several changes in Chinese leadership, the Cantonese-speaking community accomplished the remarkable achievement of maintaining their language through the ages using cultural instruments like Cantonese opera and other literary traditions.

With the boom of the gong and the lyrical pluck of the pipa, Cantonese opera became more than just an art form; it became an embodiment of the spirit of the language. Cantonese was able to keep in step with the other languages vying for dominance as China grew and evolved as a country, and Cantonese saw continued use by a large amount of the population even after the written Classical Chinese was adopted.

The Cantonese Language: Adapting to and Living Well Amidst Global Changes

Cantonese is still one of the most widely spoken Chinese dialects and has astonishingly weathered the storms of globalization, making it through pivotal historical moments like the Industrial Revolution and the dawn of the digital age.

The eventual transformation of Cantonese was set in motion by reforms in the educational systems and print media in Cantonese-speaking areas. As Cantonese became more widely used in writing alongside its spoken form, it evolved from a localized dialect into a more internationally recognized language.

The era when Hong Kong was ruled by the British is where Cantonese's great linguistic variety was fully realised. The fascinating linguistic mix that emerged from the fusion of Cantonese and English during the colonial era added characteristics that distinguish it from the other Chinese dialects.

Migration out of China and Hong Kong has helped Cantonese become a language spoken on every continent. This has played an important role in preserving and enhancing Cantonese culture, thanks to both cultural events and economic opportunities that exist outside of China. The fact that it is a language spoken around the globe secures its legacy, even if it is no longer the official language of China. 

In the modern digital age, Cantonese has grown substantially. There are now online language hubs where people from all over the world may meet and share their language while also preserving its rich history for the next generation, and online learning makes it possible for anyone to learn the language, no matter their nationality or geographic location. 

The continued evolution and adaptation of Cantonese is a reflection of the flexibility and perseverance of the people who speak it. The language's versatility and cultural significance are best illustrated by just how long it has lasted as a spoken and written language.

Cantonese Today

From its ancestral homelands in Guangdong and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the south to the dynamic modern metropolises of Hong Kong and Macau, Cantonese is both a language used in everyday life and also a significant cultural marker. 

With almost 80 million speakers, it is a truly global language, well-represented outside of China in worldwide communities, especially in Canada, the US, Australia, and the UK.

A strong feeling of belonging and identity among Cantonese speakers has helped the language to endure in the face of official support for Mandarin Chinese. Cantopop and Cantonese opera provide entertainment and artistic expression within the confines of the language. However, its most endearing cultural impact comes from the delightful tastes of its cuisine—which claims a global reputation with specialties like dim sum. 

Cantonese is a living archive of these Chinese traditions. The history and cultural knowledge of the Cantonese people is woven into everyday interactions by the language's unique phrases and humor.

Cantonese still has several obstacles as it tries to compete with Mandarin to be the dominant Chinese dialect, particularly in the fields of education and media. 

Due to the official adoption of Mandarin, many are worried about the survival of Cantonese, and how it will be passed on to the next generation. This language rivalry has only grown with the dawn of the digital age, which has prompted creative responses to the challenge of promoting Cantonese material on the internet.

But there is more than just hope. The existence of communities around the world made up of Cantonese speakers is evidence enough of the language's continued popularity. Initiatives to teach and promote the language in traditional classrooms and online are well supported too, which will help a new generation of Cantonese speakers learn the language and its quirks. 

Cantonese cultural festivals and food events are celebrations of Cantonese heritage that highlight its role in the preservation of unique cultural traditions, and further evidence that this is a dialect that isn’t going anywhere.

With the rise of global engagement technologies such as social media, online courses, and mobile apps, more people than ever before can learn Cantonese and join a global community of speakers and fans, which means that the Cantonese speaking community continues to grow, despite it no longer being China’s first tongue.