"Thanks" in Hakka and other Sinitic topolects
I forget who it was and for what reason, but a week or two ago, someone said "Thank you" in Hakka to me.
That got me thinking about all the different ways to say "thanks" in Sinitic languages.
Here's a map of Sinitic topolectal equivalents for MSM (Modern Standard Mandarin) "xièxie 謝謝 / 谢谢" (“thank you”). If you click on the place names in characters at the bottom of the map, pinyin romanizations will be supplied.
Bear in mind that European-style words of etiquette such as "hello" and "thanks" did not exist in China before the 20th century. For the impact of English on the development of such spoken Mandarin civilities, see Mary S. Erbaugh, "China expands its courtesy: Saying 'Hello' to Strangers," The Journal of Asian Studies, 67.2 (May, 2008), 621-652.
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