Gan (linguistics) - Definition and Overview

Gan (赣) is one of the major divisions of spoken Chinese, concentrated in and typical of Jiangxi Province.

Classification

Like all other varieties of Chinese, there is plenty of dispute as to whether Gan is a language or a dialect. Please see here for the issues surrounding this dispute.

Geographical distribution

Gan is spoken over most of the northern two-thirds of Jiangxi Province, as well as smaller areas in Anhui, Fujian, Hunan and Hubei.

Dialects

The Nanchang variety is the canonical representative of the group. The mountainous geography of Jiangxi has resulted in a high degree of fragmentation, with many mutually unintelligible varieties. Speakers typically identify their speech as being that of a particular county, e.g., Wannianese, rather than Gan in general.

Writing system

Gan has no form of writing beyond Vernacular Chinese, used for all forms of Chinese.

External link

• Ethnologue report on Gan (http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=KNN)