Punti
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222426313
2008-06-29T08:05:08Z
219.77.110.102
/* Usage in Hong Kong */ fixed spelling error
{{Chinese|c=本地|i=pʊn<sub>35</sub> teɪ<sub>33</sub>|j=bun2 dei6|y=bún deih|p=Běn Dì}}
The '''Punti''', a rough transliteration of the Cantonese term for "original locality," refers to the [[Cantonese (linguistics)|Cantonese]]-speaking populations of [[Guangdong]] province in southern China. They are contrasted with another [[Han Chinese]] linguistic group, the [[Hakka]], which settled in the area after the Punti peoples and follow different cultural traditions.
==History==
{{main|Hong Kong during Imperial China}}
The [[Mongol]] conquest of the [[Song Dynasty]] pushed even more [[Han Chinese]] refugees into the area including the descendants of the Chinese patriotic leader [[Wen Tianxiang]]. The "[[Great Five Clans]]" — the [[Hou (surname)|Hau]] (候), [[Tang Clan|Tang]] (鄧), [[Peng (surname)|Pang]] (彭), [[Liao|Liu]] (廖), and [[Wen Tianxiang|Man]] (文) — were among the earliest recorded familial settlers of Hong Kong. Despite the immigration and light development of agriculture, the area was still relatively barren and had to rely on [[salt]], [[pearl]] and [[fisheries in Hong Kong|fishery trade]]s.
===Punti-Hakka Clan Wars===
{{main|Punti-Hakka Clan Wars}}
From 1854 to 1867 there were a series of battles between the Punti and [[Hakka]] peoples, concentrated mainly in the County of [[Taishan|Xinning]] (present day the City of [[Taishan]]).
==Usage in Hong Kong==
[[Image:Punti farmers.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Two Punti farmers taking care of their field.]]
Punti has become a commonly used word in [[Hong Kong law]] courts and other authorities such as the [[police]]; it is a transliteration of Cantonese 'Boon Dei' meaning 'local'. When a defendant is using 'Punti' in court, that means he elects to use Cantonese as the language in [[trial (law)|trial]] instead of English. Despite the reference of "Punti" in this context means nothing much more than "Cantonese" as a spoken language, there are political and practical reasons of not using direct reference to the word "Cantonese".
Practically, "Cantonese" can be used to mean all the dialects in [[Guangdong]] Province, and the Cantonese spoken in [[Guangzhou]], so called [[Standard Cantonese]], is actually a bit different both in accent and vocabulary than that in Hong Kong.
Nonetheless, the difference is becoming less significant as the [[Guangdong]] province is becoming more and more influenced by Hong Kong culture and linguistic, thanks to the wide Hong Kong television coverage in [[Southern China]]. Further, the influx of immigrants and visitors from Guangdong also means their use of vocabulary finds its way to daily Hong Kong usage.{{Fact|date=August 2007}}
The place of origin of the Punti is [[Bao'an]], [[Guangdong]], a former county that encompassed what is now [[Hong Kong]] and [[Shenzhen]].{{Fact|date=August 2007}}
==See also==
*[[Agriculture in Hong Kong]]
*[[Hoklo]] (Hokkien)
*[[Tanka (ethnic group)|Tanka]]
*[[Great Five Clans]]
*[[Cantonese people]]
*[[Punti-Hakka Clan Wars]]
[[Category:Hong Kong society]]
[[Category:Cantonese words and phrases]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Hong Kong]]