New Xiang, also known as
Chang-Yi (长益片 / 長益片) is the dominant form of
Xiang Chinese. It is spoken in northeastern areas of
Hunan adjacent to areas where
Southwestern Mandarin and
Gan are spoken. Under their influence, it has lost some of the conservative phonological characteristics that distinguish
Old Xiang. While most linguists follow
Yuan Jiahua in describing New Xiang as a subgroup of Xiang Chinese, Zhou Zhenhe and You Rujie classify it as Southwestern Mandarin. However, New Xiang is still very difficult for Mandarin speakers to understand, particularly the old style of New Xiang.