Punti 2105885 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]]