FUZHOU LANGUAGE
Understanding The Fuzhou Language & Providing Professional Fuzhou Interpreters, Translators and Transcriptionists
American Language Services (AML-Global) understands the importance of working in the Fuzhou language. For over a Quarter of a Century, American Language Services has worked with the Fuzhou language as well as hundreds of others from around the world. We offer comprehensive language services 24 hours, 7 days a week worldwide by providing Fuzhou interpreting, translation and transcriptions services along with hundreds of other languages and dialects. Our linguists are native speakers and writers who are screened, credentialed, certified, field tested and experienced in a number of specific industry settings. The Fuzhou language is unique and has very specific origins and characteristics.
Fuzhou in China
Fuzhou is a dialect spoken mainly in China and in parts of Indonesia, Singapore, and in Chinatowns of New York and London. After Han China’s occupation of Minyue in 110 BC, Han people began populating in what is Fujian Province today. Having lost their nationalities, the aboriginal Minyue people, a branch of Yue peoples, were gradually assimilated into Chinese culture. The Ancient Wu and Ancient Chu language brought by the mass influx of Han immigrants from Northern area gradually mixed with the local Minyue language and finally developed into the Ancient Min language, from which Fuzhou dialect evolved. Fuzhou dialect came into being during the period somewhere between late Tang Dynasty and Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, and has been considered by most as a Chinese dialect ever since. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, Fuzhou society had been largely monolingual. But for decades the Chinese government has discouraged the use of the colloquial in school education and in media, so the number of Fuzhou speakers has been greatly boosted. It is reported that merely less than half of the children and youngsters in Fuzhou are able to speak this language. Nevertheless, it should be noted that Fuzhou dialect is currently widely spoken among some native speakers as an “endearing” language. Speaking Fuzhou dialect in Fuzhou often allows mutual speakers a certain level of familiarity. Even though Fuzhou Chinese is more often heard in casual conversations on the city streets, the careful observer will notice that in more communal settings, such as small neighborhoods in the city or the surrounding countryside, Fuzhou dialect is often the dominant language.
Fuzhou Background
Fuzhou is considered the standard dialect of Min Dong, which is a branch of Min Chinese mainly spoken in the eastern part of Fujian Province. Native speakers also call it Bng-u, meaning the language spoken in everyday life. In Singapore and Malaysia, the language is known as Hokchiu, which is the Min Dong pronunciation of Fuzhou. Although traditionally called a dialect, Fuzhou dialect is actually a separate language according to linguistic standards, because it is not mutually intelligible with other Min languages, let alone other Chinese languages. Therefore, whether Fuzhou dialect is a dialect or a language is highly disputable. Centered in Fuzhou City, Fuzhou dialect mainly covers eleven cities and counties. Fuzhou dialect is also the second local language in northern and middle Fujian cities and counties, like Nanping, Shaowu, Shunchang, Sanming and Youxi. Fuzhou dialect is also widely spoken in some regions abroad, especially in Southeastern Asian countries like Malaysia and Indonesia. The city of Sibu in Malaysia is called “New Fuzhou” due to the influx of immigrants there in the early 1900s. Similarly, the language has spread to the USA, UK and Japan as a result of immigration in recent decades.
The Development of Fuzhou
Most of the characters of Fuzhou dialect stem from Ancient Chinese and can therefore be written in Chinese characters. Many books published in Qing Dynasty have been written in this traditional way. However, Chinese characters as the writing system for Fuzhou dialect do have many shortcomings. Firstly, a great number of characters are unique to Fuzhou dialect, so that they can only be written in informal ways. Secondly, Fuzhou dialect has been excluded from the educational system for many decades. As a result, many if not all take for granted that Fuzhou dialect does not have a formal writing system and when they have to write it, they tend to misuse characters with a similar Fuzhou Chinese enunciation.
Who are You Going to Trust with Your Vital Fuzhou Language Needs?
The Fuzhou language is an important language worldwide. It is vital to understand the general nature and specific idiosyncrasies of Fuzhou. Since 1985, AML-Global has provided outstanding Fuzhou interpreters, translators and transcriptionsts worldwide.
