In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, Baotou was still a nomadic place for Mongolians. Only a few Han people have not formed a complete dialect form. Only after the influx of Han people "westward" did frequent language exchange and integration occur. In order to meet the needs of communication, people who travel to the west should not only communicate with local Mongolians, but also communicate and integrate internally. Because they come from different counties and cities in Shanxi, their dialects are not the same. After a long time, the two languages run in and absorb each other, resulting in a new dialect-Baotou dialect.
This new Baotou dialect not only has the shadow of Shanxi dialect, but also contains Mongolian elements. As Mr. Hu Yunhui said in Walking West and Baotou Dialect: "Shanxi immigrants from different parts of Shanxi entered Baotou. Whether it is a farmer who managed green cattle during the reclamation period or a Shanxi merchant who bought and sold fur after Baotou became the main fur distribution center in northwest China, their arrival one after another made dialects with strong local characteristics in different regions of Shanxi follow. It is conceivable that at that time, Baotou was a sea of people, with 360 lines, and each spoke his own words, which was a scene of dialect exhibition in various parts of Shanxi.
And at first, it is estimated that you will encounter obstacles in language communication. Later, out of the need of communication, people consciously or unconsciously abandoned the narrow parts of their dialects and kept and pursued the popular and popular parts. After a long period of running-in, a universally accepted dialect communication language has finally formed. It is not a certain dialect in Shanxi, but a fusion of dialects in various parts of Shanxi, and it is an all-inclusive collection. "
With regard to this feature of Baotou dialect, Volume 7 "Customs" of Baotou City Records of the Republic of China also said: "There are great differences among the five languages in Baotou. Besides Mongolians, Han people are familiar with Mongolian. As for Chinese dialects, dialects are different. The residents of the four townships moved the most from Hequ, so Hequ dialect is the most common. There are many accents of Xinxiang, Dingxiang and Qixian in Kuiyu City, and there are also Taigu and Fugu dialects, collectively referred to as Shanxi dialects. " Shanxi people who "walked west" really played a very important role in the formation of Baotou dialect today.