Abstract
In this paper a comparison is made of the phonology and lexicon of two villages, Pha-O (平湖 Mandarin Ping-hu) and Tio-Pou (大布 Mandarin Da-bu). The two places are only about one kilometer apart, and both belong to Southern Min, yet they differ considerably in voacalism and somewhat in lexicon. Their tonal systems are virtually identical. The dialect of Pha-O and the other villages shown in the sketch map (Figure 2) are very similar but the dialect of Tio-Pou stands apart. Mutual comprehension is almost perfect. All speakers of the Southern Min varieties likewise speak the Zhongshan Cantonese dialect which is very close to Standard Cantonese. The paper shows that the Min dialects have borrowed extensively from this type of Cantonese, especially in the modern Pan-Chinese technical vocabulary. Borrowing has taken place as well in many ordinary and homely spheres, and the influence of Cantonese syntax is also apparent.
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