Cantonese

[Monty]

A language spoken a lot in the south of China as well as around the world (especially in Chinese [takeaways]). Its roughly as related to [Mandarin] Chinese as English is to German: A speaker of (only) Cantonese cannot readily understand a speaker of (only) Mandarin Chinese and vice versa. Cantonese is spoken and not written, just as Mandarin Chinese is: Cantonese speakers and Mandarin Chinese speakers write in Written Chinese. It just happens that Mandarin Chinese is closer to the written standard.
If youre from the US or the UK, when you think you hear Chinese, its likely Cantonese, especially if your knowledge of Chinese is limited to [chicken chow mein].

[Zipporah Schumaker]

Relating to Canton (Guangzhou), its inhabitants, or their dialect.