1. Background

The Yuè dialects (Yuèyǔ 粵語 / Yuè fāngyán 粵方言) refer to a group of Chinese dialects spoken mainly in the central and western parts of Guǎngdōng Province, the southeastern and central parts of the Guǎngxī Zhuàng Autonomous Region, as well as in Hong Kong and Macau. A few Yuè-speaking villages can also be found on the southern coast of Hǎinán Province (Huáng 1991) and the eastern tip of Yúnnán Province (Lǐ Jǐnfāng 2000)…