广东方言特征及其成因

在多山的地形、亚热带海洋性气候，、历史上很少战争和来自中原的移民等条件影响下，广东形成三个主要方言区：粤语区（广东话）；客家语区；闽语区（包括潮州话亚区和雷州话亚区）。粤语区主要分布在珠江三角洲和广东西部，1996年有3700万人说粤语。客家语区主要分布在广东的东部、中部和北部，约有1500万人说客家话，闽语区主要分布在广东东部沿海潮汕地区和广东西部的雷州半岛，约有1530万人说闽语。在每一个方言区内部有不少细小的其它方言穿插其间，形成纷繁复杂的形势。

THE CHINESE DIALECTS IN GUANGDONG

Because of the mountainous Land form, the Sub-tropic maritime climate, few wars in the history and migration from North China, there are three main dialect regions in Guangdong Province, Yue(Cantonese), Hakka(Kejia)and Min(including Chaozhou Subgroups and Leizhou subgroups). Yue is distributed mainly in the Pearl River Delta and in weatern Guangdong. There are over 37 millon speakers(1996). Hakka is distributed mainly in the eastern, Central and northern pert of Guangdong, there approximately 15 million Hakka speakers in the province. Min is distributed in the Chaoshao district along the eastern seaboard of Guangdong as well as on the Leizhou Peninsula of Western Guangdong, there are approximately 15. 3 million Min spokers in the province. Areas of one dialect are often interspersed with many small pockets of other dialects.