Re: Hakka Language.

["Daryl Wong" <darylw@mbox2.singnet.com.sg>]

Dixie wrote:

>I'm not a linguist. But I have read a number of comments on this area in
>this Forum and other Internet sites. 
>It is said that Hakka is close to both Mandarin and Cantonese, it is in
>between both. This could be because of its northern origins (close to
>Mandarin) and most of the Hakkas' present settled area (Guangdong) (close
>to Cantonese).

I think to understand Hakka Language, one would have to look at it from
historical, geographical and linguistic point of view.  The information
that we have  right now is just too vague.  I hope that we could bring in
more experts in the above three areas and invite them to join in the
discussion.  

I read about an article that talked about the influence of Hakka on Chinese
classical books such as Water Margin.  Some of the terms and phrases that
were used in those classics have been said to be Hakka language.  If I
remember it correctly, a tem call "liaogozai"(cottage) was found in one of
the classics.  This word "liaogozai" is a pure Hakka word.  But as you all
know, classics such as Water Margin was relatively new.  Less than 500
years old.  At that period, Hakka would have been formed and become a
relatively developed language.

If Hakka was a Northern language that was heavily influened by Cantonese,
there would probably be a purer form of Hakka spoken by the Hakkas before
they migrated south.  This language could be a rather prominent language at
that period.  On the other hand, they could just be a small group of
minority.  Nobody knows and probably that is why we have this forum.  If
Hakka was originally from the southern china, that is fine too.  And that
is why I am curious about the language of YunNam minority chinese.  Right
now, we only talk about the North and East.  We might have ignored the
influence from the west which are the YunNan people.

-Daryl