Middle Tong-Tai dialect

Middle Tong-Tai Dialect (Chinese: 通泰方言中区), a branch of the Tong-Tai Dialect is mainly used in the districts including Rugao, Rudong (excluding Binfang), Taixin, east of Dongtai, east of Hai'an and southwest of Jinhai. Although it is divided into the category of Jianghuai Mandarin, interchange barrier still exists between it and other dialects of Jianghuai Mandarin like Yangzhou Dialect. The reason could be that these areas are closely bonded on the Wu region in history. For example, there are lots of marked bottom preservation of Wu Chinese in vernaculars of Rudong. So it can seem as a dialect based on Wu, but reformed by Jianghuai Mandarin later.^[1] Or as an interim zone between Wu and Jianghuai.^[2]

References

1. ^ 根据丁邦新《如皋方言音韵》，台湾中央研究院历史研究所集刊36本，573-664。
2. ^ 根据张光宁《东南方吉关系综论》，《方言》1999年l期，33、37、38。