The Quanzhou dialects (simplified Chinese: 泉州话; traditional Chinese: 泉州話; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Choân-chiu-ōe), also rendered Chin-chew or Choanchew,[5] are a collection of Hokkien dialects spoken in southern Fujian (in southeast China), in the area centered on the city of Quanzhou.
[10][12] This section is mostly based on the variety spoken in the urban area of Quanzhou, specifically in Licheng District.
[16] In some areas of Yongchun, Anxi and Nan'an, there are still some people, especially those in the older generation, who distinguish /dz/ from /l/, showing that the merger is a recent innovation.
[14] In Hokkien, evidently even during the early 17th century, /l/ can fluctuate freely in initial position as either a flap [ɾ] or voiced alveolar plosive stop [d].
[17] There are 87 rimes:[13][18][19] The actual pronunciation of the vowel /ə/ has a wider opening,[dubious – discuss] approaching [ɤ].