Shanghainese#Tones

{{Cite check|section|date=July 2011}}

The speech of Shanghai had long been influenced by those spoken around Jiaxing, then Suzhou during the Qing dynasty. Suzhounese literature, Chuanqi, Tanci, and folk songs all influenced early Shanghainese.

During the 1850s, the port of Shanghai was opened, and a large number of migrants entered the city. This led to many loanwords from both the West and the East, especially from Ningbonese, and like Cantonese in Hong Kong, English. In fact, "speakers of other Wu dialects traditionally treat the Shanghai vernacular somewhat contemptuously as a mixture of Suzhou and Ningbo dialects."{{Cite book |last=Moser |first=Leo J. |title=The Chinese Mosaic: The Peoples and Provinces of China |date=1985 |publisher=Westview |location=Boulder, Colo. |page=149 |language=en}} This has led to Shanghainese becoming one of the fastest-developing languages of the Wu Chinese subgroup, undergoing rapid changes and quickly replacing Suzhounese as the prestige dialect of the Yangtze River Delta region. It underwent sustained growth that reached a peak in the 1930s during the Republican era, when migrants arrived in Shanghai and immersed themselves in the local tongue. Migrants from Shanghai also brought Shanghainese to many overseas Chinese communities. As of 2016, 83,400 people in Hong Kong are still able to speak Shanghainese.{{Cite web|author=Bacon-Shone, J., K. Bolton, S.L. Lee and G. Bacon-Shone|date=2021|title=Hong Kong Language Maps|url=http://www.ssrc.hku.hk/hklangmaps/index_16o.html}} Shanghainese is sometimes viewed as a tool to discriminate against immigrants.{{Cite journal|date=2008|trans-title=Should Education Reform Listen to "Layman's" Advice|script-title=zh:教育改革该不该听听“外行人”的话 |url=http://www.cqvip.com/QK/96943X/20084/26965413.html |url-access=registration |journal=Tianjing Education |script-journal=zh:天津教育 |issue=4 |page=16 |issn=0493-2099 |language=zh-Hans |access-date=2021-09-18}} Migrants who move from other Chinese cities to Shanghai have little ability to speak Shanghainese. Among the migrant people, some believe Shanghainese represents the superiority of native Shanghainese people. Some also believe that native residents intentionally speak Shanghainese in some places to discriminate against the immigrant population to transfer their anger to migrant workers, who take over their homeland and take advantage of housing, education, medical, and job resources.{{Cite journal |last=Li |first=Hanfei |title=上海居民语言生活及态度研究综述 |trans-title=A Summary of the Study on Language Life and Attitude of Shanghai Residents |journal=Changjiang Congkan |script-journal=zh:长江丛刊 |department=Study in Language |publication-date=August 2016 |issue=24 |pages=105–106 |url=https://www.ixueshu.com/document/16c147a8ae4f40382abb6cab42c3c26b318947a18e7f9386.html |language=zh-Hans |location=Wuhan |issn=2095-7483 |access-date=2021-09-18}}

After the People's Republic of China's government imposed and promoted Standard Chinese as the official language of all of China, Shanghainese had started its decline. During the Chinese economic reform of 1978, Shanghainese has once again took in a large number of migrants. Due to the prominence of Standard Mandarin, learning Shanghainese was no longer necessary for migrants. However, Shanghainese remained a vital part of the city's culture and retained its prestige status within the local population. In the 1990s, it was still common for local radio and television broadcasts to be in Shanghainese. For example, in 1995, the TV series Sinful Debt featured extensive Shanghainese dialogue; when it was broadcast outside Shanghai (mainly in adjacent Wu-speaking areas) Mandarin subtitles were added. The Shanghainese TV series Lao Niang Jiu ({{lang|zh-Hant|老娘舅}}, "Old Uncle") was broadcast from 1995 to 2007;{{Citation |title=Chinese Wikipedia page of Lao Niang Jiu 老娘舅 |publisher=Wikipedia}} it was popular among Shanghainese residents. Shanghainese programming has since slowly declined amid regionalist-localist accusations. From 1992 onward, Shanghainese use was discouraged in schools, and many children native to Shanghai can no longer speak Shanghainese.{{Cite web |last=Zat Liu |date=August 20, 2010 |title=Is Shanghai's Local Dialect, and Culture, in Crisis? | url=http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/life/shanghaihua-crisis-680262 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903072555/http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/life/shanghaihua-crisis-680262 |archive-date=September 3, 2011 |access-date=June 5, 2011 |website=CNNGo |language=en |df=mdy-all}} In addition, Shanghai's emergence as a cosmopolitan global city consolidated the status of Mandarin as the standard language of business and services, at the expense of the local language.{{Cite news |date=2005-10-17 |title=Shān'ào zhōng de Shànghǎihuà |script-title=zh:山坳中的上海话 |language=zh |work=Zhōngguó xīnwén zhōukān |url=http://www.chinanewsweek.com.cn/2005-10-24/1/6473.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080314053721/http://www.chinanewsweek.com.cn/2005-10-24/1/6473.html |archive-date=March 14, 2008 |script-website=zh:中国新闻周刊}}

Since 2005, movements have emerged to protect Shanghainese. At municipal legislative discussions in 2005, former Shanghai opera actress Ma Lili moved to "protect" the language, stating that she was one of the few remaining Shanghai opera actresses who still retained authentic classic Shanghainese pronunciation in their performances. Shanghai's former party boss Chen Liangyu, a native Shanghainese himself, reportedly supported her proposal. Shanghainese has been reintegrated into pre-kindergarten education, with education of native folk songs and rhymes, as well as a Shanghainese-only day on Fridays in the Modern Baby Kindergarten.{{Cite web |url=http://news.eastday.com/eastday/node37/node189/node14993/u1a179856.html |title=幼儿园小孩要学上海话 "乡土文化"正式被纳入课程 |access-date=2009-05-18 |archive-date=2011-11-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111120224808/http://news.eastday.com/eastday/node37/node189/node14993/u1a179856.html |url-status=dead }}{{Cite news |last=Jia |first=Feishang |date=May 13, 2011 |title=Stopping the Local Dialect Becoming Derelict |language=en |work=Shanghai Daily |url=http://www.shanghaidaily.com/feature/art-and-culture/Stopping-the-local-dialect-becoming-derelict/shdaily.shtml |url-status=live |access-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170212091106/http://www.shanghaidaily.com/feature/art-and-culture/Stopping-the-local-dialect-becoming-derelict/shdaily.shtml |archive-date=February 12, 2017 |df=mdy-all}} Professor Qian Nairong, linguist and head of the Chinese Department at Shanghai University, is working on efforts to save the language.{{Cite web |date=November 22, 2010 |title=Shanghai Struggles to Save Disappearing Dialect |url=http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/life/you-think-youre-speaking-shanghainese-not-so-fast-666815 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125134720/http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/life/you-think-youre-speaking-shanghainese-not-so-fast-666815 |archive-date=November 25, 2010 |access-date=January 18, 2011 |website=CNNGO |language=en |df=mdy-all}}{{Cite news |last=Ap |first=Tiffany |date=November 18, 2010 |title=That Ain't Shanghainese You're Speaking |language=en |work=Shanghaiist |url=http://shanghaiist.com/2010/11/18/that_aint_shanghainese_youre_speaki.php |url-status=live |access-date=September 30, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328215608/http://shanghaiist.com/2010/11/18/that_aint_shanghainese_youre_speaki.php |archive-date=March 28, 2012 |df=mdy-all}} In response to criticism, Qian reminds people that Shanghainese was once fashionable, saying, "the popularization of Mandarin doesn't equal the ban of dialects. It doesn't make Mandarin a more civilized language either. Promoting dialects is not a narrow-minded localism, as it has been labeled by some netizens".{{Cite web |last=You |first=Tracy |date=June 3, 2010 |title=Word Wizard: The Man Bringing Shanghainese Back to the People |url=http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/play/qian-nairong-man-bringing-shanghai-dialect-back-fashion-085472 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100808191836/http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/play/qian-nairong-man-bringing-shanghai-dialect-back-fashion-085472 |archive-date=August 8, 2010 |access-date=January 18, 2011 |website=CNNGO |language=en |df=mdy-all}} Qian has also urged for Shanghainese to be taught in other sectors of education, due to kindergarten and university courses being insufficient.

During the 2010s, many achievements have been made to preserve Shanghainese. In 2011, Hu Baotan wrote Longtang ({{lang|zh-Hant|弄堂}}, "Longtang"), the first ever Shanghainese novel.{{Cite book|title=弄堂|author=Hu Baotan|date=2011}} In June 2012, a new television program airing in Shanghainese was created.{{Cite news |last=Yan |first=Alice |date=2012-07-08 |title=Shanghainese Welcome Bid to Revive Dialect |language=en |work=South China Morning Post |url=https://www.scmp.com/article/1006196/shanghainese-welcome-bid-revive-dialect |access-date=2020-12-02}} In 2013, buses in Shanghai started using Shanghainese broadcasts.{{Cite web | url=http://www.chexun.com/2013-09-06/102047946.html | title=7条公交线路已有沪语报站 引来网友争议 | publisher=车讯网 | date=2013-09-06 | access-date=2014-02-10 | archive-date=2020-11-23 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123033015/http://www.chexun.com/2013-09-06/102047946.html | url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=上海将加大沪语报站覆盖率 站距超300米三语报站 |url=http://sh.sina.com.cn/news/m/2017-08-16/detail-ifyixias1325566.shtml |publisher=东广新闻台 |date=2017-08-16 |access-date=2019-01-13 |archive-date=2020-11-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123033021/http://sh.sina.com.cn/news/m/2017-08-16/detail-ifyixias1325566.shtml |url-status=dead }} In 2017, Apple's iOS 11 introduced Siri in Shanghainese, being only the third Sinitic language to be supported, after Standard Mandarin and Cantonese.{{Cite web|url=https://support.apple.com/zh-mo/HT208067|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127140626/https://support.apple.com/zh-mo/HT208067|title=關於 iOS 11 更新|publisher=蘋果管放網頁|archive-date=2020-11-27}}{{Cite web|url=https://unwire.hk/2017/03/11/apple-siri-shanghai-dialect/mobile-phone/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130141808/https://unwire.hk/2017/03/11/apple-siri-shanghai-dialect/mobile-phone/|archive-date=2020-11-30|title=學好外語！Apple Siri 聽懂上海話|date=March 11, 2017 |publisher=Unwire.hk}}{{Cite web|url=https://udn.com/news/story/4/2338779|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130142747/https://udn.com/news/story/4/2338779|archive-date=2020-11-30|title=儂好！蘋果手機Siri 會說上海話|publisher=聯合新聞網}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.chinatimes.com/realtimenews/20170607005723-260409|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130141836/http://www.chinatimes.com/realtimenews/20170607005723-260409|archive-date=2020-11-30|title=蘋果手機更新 Siri學說上海話|date=June 7, 2017 |publisher=中時電子報}}{{Cite web|url=http://tech.sina.com.cn/it/2017-06-06/doc-ifyfuzny3485161.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123033055/http://tech.sina.com.cn/it/2017-06-06/doc-ifyfuzny3485161.shtml|title=苹果Siri能听懂上海话 支持点对点支付|date=June 6, 2017 |publisher=新浪科技|archive-date=2020-11-23}} In 2018, the Japanese-Chinese animated anthology drama film Flavors of Youth had a section set in Shanghai, with significant Shanghainese dialogue.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sohu.com/a/245033554_591064|title=《肆式青春》今日公映 五大看点谱写中国式青春|publisher=搜狐}} In January 2019, singer Lin Bao released the first Shanghainese pop record Shanghai Yao ({{lang|zh-Hant|上海謠}}, "Shanghai Ballad").{{Cite web|url=https://www.xwx.cn/album/J3ndoQNQ|title=上海谣|publisher=Starsing Music}} In December 2021, the Shanghainese-language romantic comedy movie Myth of Love ({{lang|zh-Hant|愛情神話}}) was released. Its box office revenue was ¥260 million, and response was generally positive.{{Cite web|url=https://www.maoyan.com/films/1414385|title=愛情神話|publisher=貓眼電影}} Similarly, in December 2023, the TV show Blossoms Shanghai ({{lang|zh|繁花}}) aired with the primary language being Shanghainese.{{cite web |title=王家衛：我拍戲有劇本 |url=https://www.cyberctm.com/zh_TW/news/mobile/detail/2395321#.Y-R2lHbMJz0 |website=澳門日報 |date=2019-03-17 |access-date=2023-02-09 |archive-date=2023-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519130157/https://www.cyberctm.com/zh_TW/news/mobile/detail/2395321#.Y-R2lHbMJz0 |url-status=live }}

Today, around half the population of Shanghai can converse in Shanghainese, and a further quarter can understand it. Though the number of speakers has been declining, a large number of people want to preserve it.

Due to the large number of ethnic groups of China, efforts to establish a common language have been attempted many times. Therefore, the language issue has always been an important part of Beijing's rule. Other than the government language-management efforts, the rate of rural-to-urban migration in China has also accelerated the shift to Standard Chinese and the disappearance of native languages and dialects in the urban areas.{{Cite journal |last=Spolsky |first=Bernard |date=2014 |title=Language Management in the People's Republic of China |url=https://www.linguisticsociety.org/sites/default/files/02e_90.4Spolsky.pdf |journal=Linguistic Society of America |language=en |volume=90 |issue=4 |pages=e165–e179 |doi=10.1353/lan.2014.0075|s2cid=73632643 }}

As more people moved into Shanghai, the economic center of China, Shanghainese has been threatened despite it originally being a strong topolect of Wu Chinese. According to the Shanghai Municipal Statistics Bureau, the population of Shanghai was estimated to be 24.28 million in 2019, of whom 14.5 million are permanent residents and 9.77 million are migrant residents.{{Cite web |date=2020-03-09 |title=2019 nián Shànghǎi Shì guómín jīngjì hé shèhuì fāzhǎn tǒngjì gōngbào |script-title=zh:2019年上海市国民经济和社会发展统计公报 |trans-title=2019 Shanghai Municipal Economics and Social Development Statistical Report |url=http://tjj.sh.gov.cn/tjgb/20200329/05f0f4abb2d448a69e4517f6a6448819.html |access-date=2021-02-27 |website=Shànghǎi Shì tǒngjì jú |script-website=zh:上海市统计局}} To have better communication with foreign residents and develop a top-level financial center among the world, the promotion of the official language, Standard Mandarin, became very important. Therefore, the Shanghai Municipal Government banned the use of Shanghainese in public places, schools, and work. Around half of the city's population is unaware of these policies.{{Cite journal|last1=Gui|first1=Tianao|last2=Zhou|first2=Yan|title=A Survey of Shanghainese Dialect: Its Current Situation and Future|journal=Journal of Student Research|volume=10|issue=2|date=2021|doi=10.47611/jsrhs.v10i2.1505 |s2cid=238224165 |doi-access=free}}

A survey of students from the primary school in 2010 indicated that 52.3% of students believed Mandarin is easier than Shanghainese for communication, and 47.6% of the students choose to speak Mandarin because it is a mandatory language at school. Furthermore, 68.3% of the students are more willing to study Mandarin, but only 10.2% of the students are more willing to study Shanghainese.{{Cite web|last=Fang|first=Na|title=Study of Attitudes to Shanghai Dialect and Mandarin in Shanghai Elementary School|url=https://www.ixueshu.com/document/cbdda1caac6215c2fb4d642bd7a6d00a318947a18e7f9386.html|access-date=2021-02-27|website=www.ixueshu.com}} A survey in 2021 has shown that 15.22% of respondents under 18 would never use Shanghainese. The study also found that the percentage of people that would use Shanghainese with older family members has halved. The study also shows that around one third of people under the age of 30 can only understand Shanghainese, and 8.7% of respondents under 18 cannot even understand it. The number of people that are able to speak Shanghainese has also consistently decreased.Gui and Zhou 2021

Much of the youth can no longer speak Shanghainese fluently because they had no chance to practice it at school. Also, they were unwilling to communicate with their parents in Shanghainese, which has accelerated its decline.{{Cite book|last=Zuo|first=Xinyi|title=Proceedings of the 2020 3rd International Conference on Humanities Education and Social Sciences (ICHESS 2020)|date=2020-12-16|chapter=Effects of Ways of Communication on the Preservation of Shanghai Dialect|chapter-url=https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/ichess-20/125949177|language=en|publisher=Atlantis Press|pages=56–59|doi=10.2991/assehr.k.201214.465|isbn=978-94-6239-301-1|s2cid=234515573}} The survey in 2010 indicated that 62.6% of primary school students use Mandarin as the first language at home, but only 17.3% of them use Shanghainese to communicate with their parents.

However, the same study from 2021 has shown that more than 90% of all age groups except 18–29 want to preserve Shanghainese. A total of 87.06% of people have noted that the culture of Shanghai cannot live without its language as it is used as a mechanism to bring people together and create a sense of community and warmth. Moreover, around half of the respondents stated that a Shanghainese citizen should be able to speak Shanghainese. More than 85% of all participants also believe that they help Shanghainese revitalization.Gui and Zhou 2021, p. 7.

File:Varieties of of the Wu Chinese (English).png

Shanghainese macroscopically is spoken in Shanghai and parts of eastern Nantong,{{citation|last=Li|first=Rong|title={{lang|zh|中國語言地圖集}}|author-link=Li Rong (linguist)|trans-title=Language Atlas of China|edition=2|publisher=The Commercial Press|language=zh|year=2012|isbn=978-7-100-07054-6|postscript=.}} and constitutes the Shanghai subranch of the Northern Wu family of Wu Chinese. Some linguists group Shanghainese with nearby varieties, such as Huzhounese and Suzhounese, which has about 73% lexical similarity with Standard Mandarin,{{Cite journal |last1=Maxwell |first1=Alexander |last2=McMillan |first2=Louise |date=2024-05-23 |title=Error bars for lexicostatistical estimates, with a case study comparing the diversity of Chinese and Romance |url=https://journals.phil.muni.cz/linguistica-brunensia/article/view/37185/32735 |journal=Linguistica Brunensia |language=en |volume=72 |issue=1 |pages=5–21 |doi=10.5817/LB2024-37185 |issn=2336-4440 |doi-access=free}} into a branch known as Suhujia ({{lang|zh-Hant|蘇滬嘉小片}}), due to them sharing many phonological, lexical, and grammatical similarities. Newer varieties of Shanghainese, however, have been influenced by standard Chinese as well as Cantonese and other varieties, making the Shanghainese idiolects spoken by young people in the city different from that spoken by the older population. Also, the practice of inserting Mandarin into Shanghainese conversations is very common, at least for young people.Lu, Dan. Loan words vs. code mixing in the Shanghai Dialect. Hong Kong Baptist University. Dialectologia 3, 2009, p. 53–72. Like most subdivisions of Chinese, it is easier for a local speaker to understand Mandarin than it is for a Mandarin speaker to understand the local language. It is also of note that Shanghainese, like other Northern Wu languages, is not mutually intelligible with Southern Wu languages like Taizhounese and Wenzhounese.

File:Subdivisions of the Shanghai branch of Northern Wu.png

Shanghainese as a branch of Northern Wu can be further subdivided. The details are as follows:{{Cite journal|journal={{lang|zh-Hans|方言}}|issue=1|date=1993|author=Hu Baohua; Tang Zhenzhu; Chen Zhongmin|pages=14–30|title={{lang|zh-Hant|上海地区方言的分片}}}}Qian 2003, p. 395.

• Urban branch ({{lang|zh-Hant|市區片}}) – what "Shanghainese" tends to refer to. Occupies the city centre of Shanghai, generally on the west bank of the Huangpu River. This can also be further divided into Old, Middle, and New Periods, as well as an emerging Newest Period.

The following are often collectively known as Bendihua ({{lang|zh-Hant|本地話}}, Shanghainese: {{lang|wuu-Hant|本地閒話}}, Wugniu: pen-di ghe-gho)

• Jiading branch ({{lang|zh-Hant|嘉定片}}) – spoken in the most of Jiading and Baoshan.
• Liantang branch ({{lang|zh-Hant|練塘片}}) – spoken in the southwestern ends of Qingpu.
• Chongming branch ({{lang|zh-Hant|崇明片}}) – spoken in the islands of Hengsha, Changxing and Chongming, as well as the eastern parts of Nantong.
• Songjiang branch ({{lang|zh-Hant|松江片}}) – spoken in all other parts of Shanghai, which can be further divided into the following:

:* Pudong subbranch ({{lang|zh-Hant|浦東小片}}) – spoken in all parts of the east bank of the Huangpu River, taking up most of the Pudong district.

:* Shanghai subbranch ({{lang|zh-Hant|上海小片}}) – spoken in the rest of the peripheral areas of the city center, namely southern Jiading and Baoshan, as well as northern Minhang.

:* Songjiang subbranch ({{lang|zh-Hant|松江小片}}) – spoken in the rest of Shanghai. Named after the Songjiang district.

Following conventions of Chinese syllable structure, Shanghainese syllables can be divided into initials and finals. The initial occupies the first part of the syllable. The final occupies the second part of the syllable and can be divided further into an optional medial and an obligatory rime (sometimes spelled rhyme). Tone is also a feature of the syllable in Shanghainese.{{Cite book|last=Zhu|first=Xiaonong|title=A Grammar of Shanghai Wu|publisher=Lincom|date=2006}}{{rp|6–16}} Syllabic tone, which is typical to the other Sinitic languages, has largely become verbal tone in Shanghainese.{{cite book|title=Tone Sandhi Patters Across Chinese Dialects|last=Chen|first=Matthew Y.|publisher=Cambridge University Press|date=2000|isbn=0521652723}}

The following is a list of all initials in Middle Period Shanghainese, as well as the Wugniu romanisation and example characters.

Shanghainese has a set of tenuis, lenis and fortis plosives and affricates, as well as a set of voiceless and voiced fricatives. Alveolo-palatal initials are also present in Shanghainese.

Voiced stops are phonetically voiceless with slack voice phonation in stressed, word initial position.{{Cite book |last1=Ladefoged |first1=Peter |author-link1=Peter Ladefoged |last2=Maddieson |first2=Ian |author-link2=Ian Maddieson |title=The Sounds of the World's Languages |date=February 1996 |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |isbn=0-631-19814-8 |pages=64–66}} This phonation (often referred to as murmur) also occurs in zero onset syllables, syllables beginning with fricatives, and syllables beginning with sonorants. These consonants are true voiced in intervocalic position.{{Cite book |last1=Zhu |first1=Xiaonong Sean |title=Shanghai Tonetics |date=1999 |publisher=Lincom Europa |isbn=978-3-89586-584-8 |page=12}} Sonorants are also suggested to be glottalised in dark tones (i.e. tones 1, 5, 7).{{Cite book|author=Zhu Yeyi; Wu Junjie; Lou Qiming; Zheng Xiaojun; Guo Yemin; Zhang Yaozu; Liu Zhenbing; He Yong; Jin Guoqiang|title={{lang|zh-Hans|上海吴语手册}}|date=July 2006|pages=9}}

Being a Wu language, Shanghainese has a large array of vowel sounds. The following is a list of all possible finals in Middle Period Shanghainese, as well as the Wugniu romanisation and example characters.Xu and Tang 1988, pp. 8

{{Notefoot}}

The transcriptions used above are broad and the following points are of note when pertaining to actual pronunciation:Chen and Gussenhoven 2015.Xu and Tang 1988, pp. 8.Qian 2007.

• {{IPA|/n/}} is enunciated with any part of the tongue, and is therefore in free variation as {{IPA|[n ~ ŋ]}}.
• {{IPA|/ɑ̃/}} is often rounded into {{IPA|[ɒ̃]}}.
• The {{IPA|/ɔ/}} in {{IPA|/ɔ/}} and {{IPA|/iɔ/}} are often lowered to {{IPA|[ɔ̞]}}, whereas the {{IPA|/o/}} in {{IPA|/oʔ/}} and {{IPA|/ioʔ/}} are often lowered to {{IPA|[o̞]}}.
• {{IPA|/iɪʔ/}} is pronounced as {{IPA|[ɪʔ]}} after labials and alveolars, whereas it is {{IPA|[iɪʔ]}} after glottal and alveolo-palatal initials.
• High vowels in front of {{IPA|/n/}} can undergo breaking.
• {{IPA|/yɪʔ/}} can be merged into {{IPA|/ioʔ/}}, resulting in one fewer rime.
• Rimes with final {{IPA|/ʔ/}} are often simply realised with a shortened vowel nucleus when they are not utterance-final.
• Lips are not significantly rounded in rounded vowels, and not significantly unrounded in unrounded ones.
• {{IPA|/u, o/}} are similar in pronunciation, differing slightly in lip rounding and height ({{IPA|[ɯ̽ᵝ, ʊ]}} respectively). {{IPA|/i, jɛ/}} are also similar in pronunciation, differing slightly in vowel height ({{IPA|[i̞, i]}} respectively).
• Medial {{IPA|/i/}} is pronounced {{IPA|[ɥ]}} before rounded vowels.

The Middle Chinese nasal rimes are all merged in Shanghainese. Middle Chinese {{IPA|/-p -t -k/}} rimes have become glottal stops, {{IPA|/-ʔ/}}.Svantesson, Jan-Olof. "Shanghai Vowels," Lund University, Department of Linguistics, Working Papers, 35:191–202

Shanghainese has five phonetically distinguishable tones for single syllables said in isolation. These tones are illustrated below in tone numbers. In terms of Middle Chinese tone designations, the dark tone category has three tones (dark rising and dark departing tones have merged into one tone), while the light category has two tones (the light level, rising and departing tones have merged into one tone).Chen, Zhongmin. Studies in Dialects in the Shanghai Area. Lincom Europa, 2003, p. 74.{{rp|17}}

Numbers in this table are those used by the Wugniu romanisation scheme.

The conditioning factors which led to the yin–yang (light-dark) split still exist in Shanghainese, as they do in most other Wu lects: light tones are only found with voiced initials, namely {{IPA|[b d ɡ z v dʑ ʑ m n ɲ ŋ l ɦ]}}, while the dark tones are only found with voiceless initials.Xu and Tang 1988, pp. 15–23

The checked tones are shorter, and describe those rimes which end in a glottal stop {{IPA|/ʔ/}}. That is, both the yin–yang distinction and the checked tones are allophonic (dependent on syllabic structure). With this analysis, Shanghainese has only a two-way phonemic tone contrast,{{Cite web|title=Shanghai Dialect Tones and Pitch Accent|url=http://wu-chinese.com/zanhei/pitch.html|access-date=2022-12-02|website=wu-chinese.com}} falling vs rising, and then only in open syllables with voiceless initials. Therefore, many romanisations of Shanghainese opt to only mark the dark level tone, usually with a diacritic such as an acute accent or grave accent.

Tone sandhi is a process whereby adjacent tones undergo dramatic alteration in connected speech. Similar to other Northern Wu dialects, Shanghainese is characterized by two forms of tone sandhi: a word tone sandhi and a phrasal tone sandhi.

Word tone sandhi in Shanghainese can be described as left-prominent and is characterized by a dominance of the first syllable over the contour of the entire tone domain. As a result, the underlying tones of syllables other than the leftmost syllable, have no effect on the tone contour of the domain. The pattern is generally described as tone spreading (1, 5, 6, 7) or tone shifting (8, except for 4-syllable compounds, which can undergo spreading or shifting). The table below illustrates possible tone combinations.

As an example, in isolation, the two syllables of the word {{lang|wuu-Hant|中國}} (China) are pronounced with a dark level tone (tsón) and dark checked tone (koq): {{IPA|/tsoŋ⁵³/}} and {{IPA|/koʔ⁵⁵/}}. However, when pronounced in combination, the dark level tone of {{lang|wuu-Hant|中}} (tsón) spreads over the compound resulting in the following pattern {{IPA|/tsoŋ⁵⁵ koʔ²¹/}}. Similarly, the syllables in a common expression for {{lang|wuu-Hant|十三點}} (zeq-sé-ti, "foolish") have the following underlying phonemic and tonal representations: {{IPA|/zəʔ¹²/}} (zeq), {{IPA|/sɛ⁵³/}} (sé), and {{IPA|/ti³³⁴/}} (ti). However, the syllables in combination exhibit the light checked shifting pattern where the first-syllable light checked tone shifts to the last syllable in the domain: {{IPA|/zəʔ¹¹ sɛ²² ti²³/}}.{{rp|38–46}}

Phrasal tone sandhi in Shanghainese can be described as right-prominent and is characterized by a right syllable retaining its underlying tone and a left syllable receiving a mid-level tone based on the underlying tone's register. The table below indicates possible left syllable tones in right-prominent compounds.{{rp|46–47}}

For instance, when combined, {{lang|wuu-Hant|買}} (ma, {{IPA|/ma¹¹³/}}, "to buy") and {{lang|wuu-Hant|酒}} (cieu, {{IPA|/tɕiɤ³³⁴/}}, "wine") become {{IPA|/ma³³ tɕiɤ³³⁴/}} ("to buy wine").

Sometimes meaning can change based on whether left-prominent or right-prominent sandhi is used. For example, {{lang|wuu-Hant|炒}} (tshau, {{IPA|/tsʰɔ³³⁴/}}, "to fry") and {{lang|wuu-Hant|麪}} (mi, {{IPA|/mi¹¹³/}}, "noodle") when pronounced {{IPA|/tsʰɔ³³ mi⁴⁴/}} (i.e., with left-prominent sandhi) means "fried noodles". When pronounced {{IPA|/tsʰɔ⁴⁴ mi¹¹³/}} (i.e., with right-prominent sandhi), it means "to fry noodles".{{rp|35}}

Nouns and adjectives attached to nouns tend to start left-prominent sandhi chains, whereas right-prominent chains are triggered by verbs and adverbs. Grammatical particles cannot start chains of their own, but instead can be realised as a null tone ({{lang-zh|t=輕聲}}) or be part of another chain.Qian 2007

{{fs interlinear |indent=2 |glossing4=yes

|我 {紅 顏 色} 個 {電 話} 尋 勿 到 了。

|ngu {ghon- nge- seq-} gheq {di- gho} zhin- veq- tau leq

|/ŋu˩˩˧ {ɦoŋ˩˩˧꜖ ŋe˩˩˦꜓ səʔ˦꜕} ɦəʔ꜖ {di˩˩˧꜖ ɦo˩˩˧꜓} ʑin˩˩˧꜖ vəʔ˩˨꜓ tɔ˧˧˦꜖ ləʔ/

|1SG red POS phone find -NEG -POT -PRES

|"I cannot find my red phone."}}

In the previous example sentence we see an adjective, noun and pronoun starting sandhi chains, the particles {{lang-zh|勿|labels=no}}, {{lang-zh|到|labels=no}} and {{lang-zh|個|labels=no}} being incorporated into other sandhi chains, and the particle {{lang-zh|了|labels=no}} having a neutral tone.

Note: Chinese characters for Shanghainese are not standardized and those chosen are those recommended in {{lang|zh|上海话大词典}}.{{Cite book|author=Qian Nairong|date=2007|title={{lang|zh|上海话大词典}}}} IPA transcription is for the Middle Period of modern Shanghainese ({{lang|wuu-Hans|中派上海话}}), pronunciation of those between 20 and 60 years old.

Due to the large number of migrants into Shanghai, its lexicon is less noticeably Wu, though it still retains many defining features. However, many of these now lost features can be found in lects spoken in suburban Shanghai.

Its basic negator is {{linktext|勿}} (veq),{{Cite book|author=Xu Baohua; Tang Zhenzhu|date=1988|title={{lang|zh|上海市区方言志}}}} which according to some linguists, is sufficient ground to classify it as Wu.Richard VanNess Simmons 1999. Chinese Dialect Classification: A comparative approach to Harngjou, Old Jintarn, and Common Northern Wu

Shanghainese also has a multitude of loan words from European languages, due to Shanghai's status as a major port in China. Most of these terms come from English, though there are some from other languages such as French.Qian 2007 Some terms, such as {{lang|wuu-Hant|水門汀}}, have even entered mainstream and other Sinitic languages, such as Sichuanese.

: For more terms, see Shanghainese Swadesh list on Wiktionary.

{{Notelist|group=com}}

{{More citations needed section|date=August 2016}}

Like other Sinitic languages, Shanghainese exhibits a difference between expected vernacular pronunciations, and literary pronunciations taken from the Mandarinic lingua franca of the time, be it Nanjingnese, Hangzhounese, or Beijingnese.{{Cite book|title=上海語言發展史|last=Qian |first=Nairong |author-link=Qian Nairong |year=2003|publisher=Shanghai People's Press|location=Shanghai|isbn=978-7-208-04554-5|page=70}}

These readings must be distinguished in vocabulary. Take for instance the following.

Some terms mix the two pronunciation types, such as {{linktext|大學}} ("university"), where {{lang|wuu-Hant|大}} is literary (da) and {{lang|wuu-Hant|學}} is colloquial (ghoq).

Like other Sinitic languages, Shanghainese is an isolating languageZhu, Xiaonong. A Grammar of Shanghai Wu. LINCOM, 2006, pp.53. that lacks marking for tense, person, case, number or gender. Similarly, there is no distinction for tense or person in verbs, with word order and particles generally expressing these grammatical characteristics. There are, however, three important derivational processes in Shanghainese.Zhu 2006, pp.53. However, some analyses do suggest that one can analyse Shanghainese to have tenses.{{Cite book|author=Qian, Nairong ({{lang|zh|錢乃榮}})|year=2010|title={{lang|zh|《從〈滬語便商〉所見的老上海話時態》}} (Tenses and Aspects? Old Shanghainese as Found in the Book Huyu Bian Shang)|location=Shanghai|publisher=The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press}}

Although formal inflection is very rare in all varieties of Chinese, there does exist in Shanghainese a morpho-phonological tone sandhiQuian, Nairon and Zhongwei Shen (1991). "The Changes in the Shanghai Dialect." Journal of Chinese Linguistics Monograph Series No. 3, pp. 405. that Zhu (2006) identifies as a form of inflection since it forms new words out of pre-existing phrases.Zhu 2006, pp.54. This type of inflection is a distinguishing characteristic of all Northern Wu dialects.

Affixation, generally (but not always) taking the form of suffixes, occurs rather frequently in Shanghainese, enough so that this feature contrasts even with other Wu varieties,Chao, Yuen Ren (1967). "Contrastive Aspects of the Wu Dialects." Language 43: 1, pp. 98. although the line between suffix and particle is somewhat nebulous. Most affixation applies to adjectives. In the example below, the term {{lang|wuu|頭勢}} (deu-sy) can be used to change an adjective to a noun.

{{fs interlinear |indent=2

|搿 種 骯三 頭勢 勿 談 了！

|geq -tson áon-sé deu-sy veq- de leq

|this CL disgusting deu-sy NEG mention P

|Forget that disgusting thing!}}

Words can be reduplicated to express various differences in meaning. Nouns, for example, can be reduplicated to express collective or diminutive forms; adjectives so as to intensify or emphasize the associated description; and verbs to soften the degree of action. Below is an example of noun reduplication resulting in semantic alteration.

{{fs interlinear |indent=2

|走 走

|tseu tseu

|walk walk

|take a walk}}

Word compounding is also very common in Shanghainese, a fact observed as far back as Edkins (1868),Edkins, Joseph. A Grammar of Colloquial Chinese, Shanghai Dialect. Presbyterian Mission Press, 1868, pp.114. and is the most productive method of creating new words. Many recent borrowings in Shanghainese originating from European languages are di- or polysyllabic.Zhu 2006, pp.56.

Shanghainese adheres generally to SVO word order.Han, Weifeng and Dingxu Shi (2016). "Topic and Left Periphery in Shanghainese." Journal of Chinese Linguistics 44:1, pp. 51. The placement of objects in Wu dialects is somewhat variable, with Southern Wu varieties positioning the direct object before the indirect object, and Northern varieties (especially in the speech of younger people) favoring the indirect object before the direct object. Owing to Mandarin influence,Quian and Shen 1991, pp.416. Shanghainese usually follows the latter model.Pan, Wuyun, et al (1991). "An Introduction to the Wu Dialects." Journal of Chinese Linguistics Monograph Series No. 3, pp. 270.

Older speakers of Shanghainese tend to place adverbs after the verb, but younger people, again under heavy influence from Mandarin, favor pre-verbal placement of adverbs.Pan et al 1991, pp.271.

The third person singular pronoun {{lang|wuu|伊}} (yi) (he/she/it) or the derived phrase {{lang|wuu|伊講}} (yi kaon) ("he says") can appear at the end of a sentence. This construction, which appears to be unique to Shanghainese,Han and Shi 2016, pp.51. is commonly employed to project the speaker's differing expectation relative to the content of the phrase.Han, Weifeng and Dingxu Shi (2014). "The Evolution of ɦi23kã34 ('he says') in Shanghainese." Language and Linguistics 15:4, pp. 479.

{{fs interlinear |indent=2

|伊 伊講， 講 勿好。

|yi {yi kaon} kaon veq-hau

|3S {he says} say NEG-good

|Unexpectedly, he says no.Han and Shi 2014, pp.480.}}

Except for the limited derivational processes described above, Shanghainese nouns are isolating. There is no inflection for case or number, nor is there any overt gender marking. Although Shanghainese does lack overt grammatical number, the plural marker {{lang|wuu|拉}} (la), when suffixed to a human denoting noun, can indicate a collective meaning.Zhu 2006, pp.59.

{{fs interlinear |indent=2

|學生 拉 個 書

|ghoq-sán -la gheq sý

|student PL POSS book

|students' books}}

There are no articles in Shanghainese, and thus, no marking for definiteness or indefiniteness of nouns. Certain determiners (a demonstrative pronoun or numeral classifier, for instance) can imply definite or indefinite qualities, as can word order. A noun absent any sort of determiner in the subject position is definite, whereas it is indefinite in the object position.

{{fs interlinear |indent=2

|老太婆 出來 了。

|lau-tha-bu tseq-le leq

|{old lady} come.out P

|The old lady is coming out.}}

{{fs interlinear |indent=2

|來 朋友 了。

|le ban-yieu leq

|come friend P

|Here comes a friend.}}

Shanghainese boasts numerous classifiers (also sometimes known as "counters" or "measure words"). Most classifiers in Shanghainese are used with nouns, although a small number are used with verbs.Zhu 2006, pp.71. Some classifiers are based on standard measurements or containers.Zhu 2006, pp.75. Classifiers can be paired with a preceding determiner (often a numeral) to form a compound that further specifies the meaning of the noun it modifies.

{{fs interlinear |indent=2

|搿 隻 皮球

|geq -tsaq bi-jieu

|this CL ball

|this ballZhu 2006, pp.74.}}

Classifiers can be reduplicated to mean "all" or "every", as in:

::

Shanghainese verbs are analytic and as such do not undergo any sort of conjugation to express tense or person.Zhu 2006, pp.82. However, the language does have a richly developed aspect system, expressed using various particles. This system has been argued to be a tense system.Qian 2010.

Some disagreement exists as to how many formal aspect categories exist in Shanghainese,Hashimoto, Mantaro J. "A Guide to the Shanghai Dialect." Princeton University Press, 1971, pp. 521. and a variety of different particles can express the same aspect, with individual usage often reflecting generational divisions. Some linguists identify as few as four or six, and others up to twelve specific aspects.Zhu 2006, pp.81. Zhu (2006) identifies six relatively uncontroversial aspects in Shanghainese.Zhu 2006, pp.81–2.

Progressive aspect expresses a continuous action. It is indicated by the particles {{lang|wuu|辣}} (laq), {{lang|wuu|辣辣}} (laq-laq) or {{lang|wuu|辣海}} (laq-he), which occur pre-verbally.

{{fs interlinear |indent=2

|伊 辣 做 功課 𠲎？

|yi laq tsu kón-khu vaq

|3S PROG do homework Q

|Is he doing his homework?}}

The resultative aspect expresses the result of an action which was begun before a specifically referenced timeframe, and is also indicated by {{lang|wuu|辣}} (laq), {{lang|wuu|辣辣}} (laq-laq) or {{lang|wuu|辣海}} (laq-he), except that these occur post-verbally.

{{fs interlinear |indent=2

|本事 學 辣海 將來 派用場。

|pen-sy ghoq laq-he cián-le pha-yon-zan

|skill learn {{gcl|RES|resultative}} future {take advantage}

|Acquire the skill and take advantage of it later.}}

Perfective aspect can be marked by {{lang|wuu|了}} (leq), {{lang|wuu|仔}} (tsy), {{lang|wuu|好}} (hau) or {{lang|wuu|唻}} (le).Zhu 2006, pp.83. {{lang|wuu|仔}} is seen as dated and younger speakers often use {{lang|wuu|了}}, likely through lenition and Mandarin influence.

{{fs interlinear |indent=2

|衣裳 買 來 了。

|í-zaon ma le leq

|clothes buy PFV PF

|The clothes have been bought.}}

Zhu (2006) identifies a future aspect, indicated by the particle {{lang|wuu|要}} (iau).

{{fs interlinear |indent=2

|明朝 要 落雨 個。

|min-tsáu iau loq-yu gheq

|tomorrow FUT rain P

|It's going to rain tomorrow.}}

Qian (1997) identifies a separate immediate future aspect, marked post-verbally by {{lang|wuu|快}} (khua).

{{fs interlinear |indent=2

|電影 散場 快了。

|di-in se-zan khua-leq

|movie finish {IMM.FUT P}

|The movie is soon to finish.}}

Experiential aspect expresses the completion of an action before a specifically referenced timeframe, marked post-verbally by the particle {{lang|wuu|過}} (ku).Zhu 2006, pp.84.

{{fs interlinear |indent=2

|我 到 海裡 去 游泳 游過 五趟。

|ngu tau he-li chi yeu-yon yeu-ku ng-thaon

|1S to sea-inside go swim swim-EXP five-times

|I have swum the sea five times (so far).}}

The durative aspect is marked post-verbally by {{lang|wuu|下去}} (gho-chi), and expresses a continuous action.

{{fs interlinear |indent=2

|儂 就 讓 伊 做 下去 好了。

|non zhieu gnian yi tsu gho-chi hau-leq

|2S even let 3S do DUR good-PF

|Please let him continue to do it.}}

In some cases, it is possible to combine two aspect markers into a larger verb phrase.

{{fs interlinear |indent=2

|功課 做 好 快了。

|kón-khu tsu hau khua-leq

|homework do PFV {IMM.FUT PF}

|The homework will have been completed before long.}}

There is no overt marking for mood in Shanghainese, and Zhu (2006) goes so far as to suggest that the concept of grammatical mood does not exist in the language.Zhu 2006, pp.89. There are, however, several modal auxiliaries (many of which have multiple variants) that collectively express concepts of desire, conditionality, potentiality and ability.

::

Shen (2016) argues for the existence of a type of passive voice in Shanghainese, governed by the particle {{lang|wuu|撥}} (peq). This construction is superficially similar to by-phrases in English, and only transitive verbs can occur in this form of passive.Shen, Alice. "A Tough Construction of the Shanghainese 'Passive.'" PhD qualifying paper, University of Berkeley, pp.1–3.

{{fs interlinear |indent=2

|餅乾 撥 人家 吃脫了。

|pin-kóe peq gnin-ká chiq-theq-leq

|biscuit by someone eat-PERF

|The biscuits were eaten by someone.}}

Personal pronouns in Shanghainese do not distinguish gender or case.Zhu 2006, pp.64. Owing to its isolating grammatical structure, Shanghainese is not a pro-drop language.

::

{{Notefoot}}

There is some degree of flexibility concerning pronoun usage in Shanghainese. Older varieties of Shanghainese featured a different 1st person plural {{lang|wuu|我伲}} (ngu-gni),Hashimoto 1971, pp.249. whereas younger speakers tend to use {{lang|wuu|阿拉}} (aq-laq),Chao 1967, pp.99. which originates from Ningbonese.Xu and Tang 1988, pp. 418 While Zhu (2006) asserts that there is no inclusive 1st person plural pronoun, Hashimoto (1971) disagrees, identifying {{lang|wuu|阿拉}} as being inclusive. There are generational and geographical distinctions in the usage of plural pronoun forms, as well as differences of pronunciation in the 1st person singular.

Reflexive pronouns are formed by the addition of the particle {{lang|wuu|自家}} (zy-ka),Zhu 2006, pp.65. as in:

{{fs interlinear |indent=2

|伊 只好 怪 自家。

|yi tseq-hau kua zy-ka

|he {can only} blame self

|He can only blame himself.}}

Possessive pronouns are formed via the pronominal suffix {{lang|wuu|個}} (gheq), for instance, {{lang|wuu|我個}} (ngu gheq).Zhu 2006, pp.65–6. This pronunciation is a glottalised lenition of the expected pronunciation, ku.

Most basic Shanghainese adjectives are monosyllabic.Zhu 2006, pp.91. Like other parts of speech, adjectives do not change to indicate number, gender or case. Adjectives can take semantic prefixes, which themselves can be reduplicated or repositioned as suffixes according to a complex system of derivation,Pan et al 1991, pp.286. to express degree of comparison or other changes in meaning.Zhu 2006, pp.95. Thus:

::{{lang|wuu|冷}} lan ("cold")

::{{lang|wuu|冰冷}} pín-lan ("ice-cold"), where {{lang|wuu|冷}} means ice

::{{lang|wuu|冰冰冷}} pín-pín-lan ("cold as ice")Zhu 2006, pp.93.

The particle {{lang|wuu|𠲎}} (vaq) is used to transform ordinary declarative statements into yes/no questions. This is the most common way of forming questions in Shanghainese.

{{fs interlinear |indent=2

|儂 好 𠲎？

|non hau vaq

|2S good Q

|How are you? ({{lit}} "Are you good?")Myers, Ethan C. (2015). Sentence final particles in Shanghainese: Navigating the left periphery. Master thesis, Purdue University, pp.15.}}

Nouns and verbs can be negated by the verb {{lang|wuu|嘸沒}} (m-meq), "to not have", whereas {{lang|wuu|勿}} {{transliteration|wuu|veq}} is the basic negator.Hashimoto 1971, pp.253.

{{fs interlinear |indent=2

|搿 勿是 檯子。

|geq veq-zy de-tsy

|this {NEG be} table

|This is not a table.Zhu 2006, pp.60.}}

{{See also|Romanization of Wu Chinese}}

Chinese characters are often used to write Shanghainese. Though there is no formal standardisations, there are characters recommended for use, mostly based on dictionaries. However, Shanghainese is often informally written using Shanghainese or even Standard Mandarin near-homophones. For instance "lemon" ({{lang|zh-Latn-pinyin|níngméng}}), written {{linktext|檸檬}} in Standard Chinese, may be written {{linktext|人|門}} (person-door; Pinyin: {{lang|zh-Latn-pinyin|rénmén}}, Wugniu: gnin-men) in Shanghainese; and "yellow" ({{Zh|c=黄|s=|t=|p=huáng|labels=no}}, Wugniu: waon) may be written {{linktext|王}} (meaning king; Pinyin: {{lang|zh-Latn-pinyin|wáng}}, Wugniu: waon) rather than the standard character {{linktext|黃}} for yellow.

Some of the time, nonstandard characters are used even when trying to use etymologically correct characters, due to compatibility (such as {{lang|zh-Hant|伐}}) or pronunciation shift (such as {{lang|zh-Hant|辣海}}).

{{Col-begin}}

{{Col-2}}

Correct orthography according to {{lang|zh-Hant|上海話大詞典}}

{{fs interlinear

|Characters: 上海 人

|{{noitalics|Wugniu:}} zaon-he gnin

|}}

{{fs interlinear

|Characters: 儂 飯 吃過 𠲎 ？

|{{noitalics|Wugniu:}} non ve chiq-ku vaq {}

|}}

{{fs interlinear

|Characters: 啥人 辣海 講 閒話 ？

|{{noitalics|Wugniu:}} sa-gnin laq-he kaon ghe-gho {}

|}}

{{Col-2}}

Mandarin-influenced orthography

{{fs interlinear

|Characters: 上 海 寧

|{{noitalics|Pinyin:}} shàng hǎi níng

|}}

{{fs interlinear

|Characters: 儂 飯 切 咕 伐 ？

|{{noitalics|Pinyin:}} nóng fàn qiē gu fá {}

|}}

{{fs interlinear

|Characters: 撒 寧 啦 嗨 剛 嗨 烏 ？

|{{noitalics|Pinyin:}} sā níng la hài gāng hài wū {}

|}}

{{Col-end}}

File:Shanghai Phonetic Symbols.jpg

Romanization of Shanghainese was first developed by Protestant English and American Christian missionaries in the 19th century, including Joseph Edkins.{{Cite book|last=Edkins|first=Joseph|date=1853|title=Grammar of the Shanghai Dialect}} Usage of this romanization system was mainly confined to translated Bibles for use by native Shanghainese, or English–Shanghainese dictionaries, some of which also contained characters, for foreign missionaries to learn Shanghainese. A system of phonetic symbols similar to Chinese characters called "New Phonetic Character" were also developed by in the 19th century by American missionary Tarleton Perry Crawford.{{Cite web|url=https://serica.blog/2012/12/10/new-phonetic-character/|title=New Phonetic Character|date=December 10, 2012}} Since the 21st century, online dictionaries such as the Wu MiniDict and Wugniu have introduced their own Romanization schemes. Nowadays, the MiniDict and Wugniu Romanizations are the most commonly used standardized ones.

Protestant missionaries in the 1800s created the Shanghainese Phonetic Symbols to write Shanghainese phonetically. The symbols are a syllabary similar to the Japanese kana system. The system has not been used and is only seen in a few historical books.{{Cite web|url=https://oldchinesebooks.wordpress.com/2012/12/|title=December – 2012 – SERICA|website=oldchinesebooks.wordpress.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220102901/https://oldchinesebooks.wordpress.com/2012/12/|archive-date=December 20, 2014|df=mdy-all}}{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/chineserecorder19lodwuoft|title=The Chinese recorder|first=Kathleen L.|last=Lodwick|date=May 10, 1868|publisher=Shanghai [etc.] T. Chu [etc.]|via=Internet Archive|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513023825/https://archive.org/details/chineserecorder19lodwuoft|archive-date=May 13, 2016|df=mdy-all}}

{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2025}}

Over the last decade, Shanghainese has become more prominent in Chinese television. Shows have increasingly included Shanghainese dialogue and/or been offered entirely in Shanghainese. However, the number of Shanghainese/Shanghai-based TV shows is still comparatively low.

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{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• Lance Eccles, Shanghai dialect: an introduction to speaking the contemporary language. Dunwoody Press, 1993. {{ISBN|1-881265-11-0}}. 230 pp + cassette. (An introductory course in 29 units).
• Xiaonong Zhu, A Grammar of Shanghai Wu. LINCOM Studies in Asian Linguistics 66, LINCOM Europa, Munich, 2006. {{ISBN|3-89586-900-7}}. 201+iv pp.
• Yuwei Xie, Language and Development of City: The Linguistic Triangle of English, Mandarin, and the Shanghai Dialect, Trinity College, 2011-present.

• {{Cite JIPA |author= Chen, Yiya & Gussenhoven, Carlos |printdate=2015 Dec |title=Shanghai Chinese |volume=45 |issue=3 |pages=321–327 |doi=10.1017/S0025100315000043 }}
• {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zIQGAQAAIAAJ|title=Complete Shanghai syllabary with an index to Davis and Silsby's Shanghai vernacular dictionary and with the Mandarin pronunciation of each character|author=John A. Silsby, Darrell Haug Davis|year=1907|publisher=American Presbyterian Mission Press|page=150|access-date=May 15, 2011}}
• {{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/agrammarcolloqu01edkigoog|title=A grammar of colloquial Chinese: as exhibited in the Shanghai dialect|author=Joseph Edkins|year=1868|publisher=Presbyterian mission press|edition=2|pages=[https://archive.org/details/agrammarcolloqu01edkigoog/page/n239 225]|access-date=May 15, 2011}}
• {{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/syllabaryshangh00socigoog|title=Syllabary of the Shanghai vernacular: Prepared and published by the Shanghai Christian vernacular society|author=Shanghai Christian vernacular society|year=1891|publisher=American Presbyterian mission press|pages=[https://archive.org/details/syllabaryshangh00socigoog/page/n216 94]|access-date=May 15, 2011}}
• {{Cite book|url=http://www.talesofoldchina.com/library/collection.php|title=Collection Of Phrases In The Shanghai Dialect|author=Rev.John Macgowan|year=1868|publisher=The London Missionary Society|edition=2|page=113|access-date=May 15, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100415212211/http://www.talesofoldchina.com/library/collection.php|archive-date=April 15, 2010|df=mdy-all}}
• {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZusXAAAAYAAJ|title=Useful phrases in the Shanghai dialect: With index-vocabulary and other helps|author=Gilbert McIntosh|year=1908|publisher=American Presbyterian mission press|edition=2|page=113|access-date=May 15, 2011}}
• {{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_8II-AQAAIAAJ|title=A vocabulary of the Shanghai dialect|author=Joseph Edkins|year=1869|publisher=Presbyterian mission press|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_8II-AQAAIAAJ/page/n166 151]|access-date=May 15, 2011}}
• {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PpsmAAAAMAAJ|title=Shanghai dialect in 4 weeks: with map of Shanghai|author=Charles Ho, George Foe|year=1940|publisher=Chi Ming Book Co.press|page=125|access-date=May 15, 2011}}
• {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zYQGAQAAIAAJ|title=Introduction to the study of the Shanghai vernacular|author=John Alfred Silsby|year=1911|publisher=American Presbyterian Mission Press|page=53|access-date=May 15, 2011}}
• {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r2viAAAAMAAJ|title=Introduction Lessons in the Shanghai dialect: in romanized and character, with key to pronunciation|author=R. A. Parker|year=1923|publisher=Shanghai|page=265|access-date=May 15, 2011}}
• [http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupname?key=Pott%2C%20F.%20L.%20Hawks%20%28Francis%20Lister%20Hawks%29%2C%201864-1947 Pott, F. L. Hawks (Francis Lister Hawks), 1864–1947 | The ...]
• {{Cite book|url=http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/012347909|title=Lessons in the Shanghai dialect|author=Francis Lister Hawks Pott|author-link=Francis Lister Hawks Pott|year=1907|publisher=Printed at the American Presbyterian mission press|location=Shanghai}}
• {{Cite book|url=http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100693345|script-title=zh:滬語開路 = Conversational exercises in the Shanghai dialect / Hu yu kai lu = Conversational exercises in the Shanghai dialect|author1=Francis Lister Hawks Pott|author-link=Francis Lister Hawks Pott|author2=Frank Joseph Rawlinson|series = Conversational exercises in the Shanghai dialect|author2-link=Frank Joseph Rawlinson|year=1915|publisher=Shanghai mei hua shu guan|location=Shanghai}}
• {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LWbiAAAAMAAJ&q=kyi|title=Lessons in the Shanghai dialect|author=Francis Lister Hawks Pott|author-link=Francis Lister Hawks Pott|year=1924|publisher=Printed at the Commercial Press|edition=revised|page=174|access-date=May 15, 2011}}
• {{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LWbiAAAAMAAJ |title=Lessons in the Shanghai dialect |author=Francis Lister Hawks Pott |year=1924 |publisher=Commercial Press }}
• {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LYxkAAAAMAAJ|title=An English-Chinese vocabulary of the Shanghai dialect|year=1913|publisher=Printed at the American Presbyterian Mission Press|edition=2|page=593|access-date=May 15, 2011}}
• "[http://travel.cnn.com/shanghai/life/shanghai-steps-efforts-save-local-language-461686 Shanghai steps up efforts to save local language]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20141006101509/http://travel.cnn.com/shanghai/life/shanghai-steps-efforts-save-local-language-461686 Archive]). CNN. March 31, 2011.

{{interwiki|code=wuu|Wu}}

{{Commons category|Shanghai dialect}}

• [http://chinesepod.com/lessons/channels/list/shanghainese Shanghainese audio lesson series]: Audio lessons with accompanying dialogue and vocabulary study tools
• [http://www.csulb.edu/~txie/shanghaihua.html Shanghai Dialect]: Resources on Shanghai dialect including a Web site (in Japanese) that gives common phrases with sound files
• [http://wu-chinese.com/ Wu Association]
• [http://www.iapsd.com/ IAPSD | International Association for Preservation of the Shanghainese Dialect]
• Recordings of Shanghainese are available through Kaipuleohone, including talking about entertainment and food, and words and sentences

{{Shanghai}}

{{Chinese language}}

{{Sino-Tibetan languages}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shanghainese Dialect}}

Category:Wu Chinese

Category:Culture in Shanghai

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Category:Languages of Taiwan

Category:Languages of Hong Kong

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Category:Languages of Canada

Category:City colloquials